Ken Borland

AB de Villiers fell irritatingly short of a century but put South Africa in a commanding position after the second day of the first test against Sri Lanka at Centurion on Friday.

    De Villiers scored 99 as South Africa, replying to Sri Lanka’s first innings of 180, amassed 389 for nine for a lead of 209 runs.

    The 27-year-old had just driven seamer Thisara Perera straight down the ground for four to go to 99, but much to his ire, he cut the next delivery, which was short and wide, low to backward point, where substitute Dimuth Karunaratne dived forward to take a good catch.

    De Villiers showed great determination and concentration in his 135-ball innings that was studded with fine strokeplay that brought him 12 fours.

    Ashwell Prince and Mark Boucher, both under pressure to keep their places in the team, were also able to rise to the occasion as South Africa’s lower-order more than doubled the score after they were struggling on 173 for five.

    Prince scored 39 before he edged medium-pacer Angelo Mathews to wicketkeeper Kaushal Silva, but the left-hander could consider himself fortunate to have survived two dropped catches. Prince was dropped by Perera, diving forward in the gully, off Dilhara Fernando on 23, and by Silva off left-arm spinner Rangana Herath when he had 26.
    Boucher finished the day on 49 not out, helping himself to six fours in a confident innings that has eased the pressure on the veteran wicketkeeper/batsman.

    Last man Imran Tahir batted with cavalier disdain for the bowlers and stayed with Boucher for the last 38 minutes before stumps, making his highest test score of 24 not out as they put on 39 for the 10th-wicket, extending the lead past 200.

    Sri Lanka’s attack had bowled with perseverance but little penetration as they failed to obtain the same assistance from the pitch that the South African bowlers had.

    Perera was the most succesful bowler with three for 114 in 24 overs.
De Villiers and Prince combined in a sixth-wicket stand of 97 to take South Africa into a handy lead.
The pair rescued the innings against a probing Sri Lankan attack which had reduced South Africa to 173 for five shortly after lunch.
Left-arm paceman Chanaka Welegedara removed Jacques Kallis for 31 in the fourth over after lunch, his first from the Hennops River End. South Africa’s leading run-scorer drove at a delivery that pitched on off stump and was moving further away from him to edge a tumbling catch to Mathews at third slip.
De Villiers took no risks, pushing singles through the off side but punishing any poor deliveries on the leg side.

    Prince was off to a quick, if streaky, start, collecting four fours, all of them to the third man boundary, off 98 balls.

    A top-class spell of seam bowling by Perera had earlier allowed Sri Lanka to restore a semblance of parity as South Africa reached 168 for four at lunch.
South Africa had resumed on 90 for one, but made a poor start to the day when nightwatchman Dale Steyn was run out for a duck in the second over of the morning.
Steyn fended a lifting delivery from Welegedara away on the leg-side and there was confusion between him and Jacques Rudolph, allowing Rangana Herath at mid-wicket to score a direct hit on the stumps.
Rudolph and Hashim Amla (18) added 35 for the third wicket, but the Sri Lankan bowlers kept plugging away and Perera reaped the reward.
Bowling a consistent line and length outside off stump, Perera found the edge of Amla’s bat and Mathews took a fine diving catch at third slip.
Opening batsman Rudolph, battling the pain of a dislocated little finger on his left hand, showed tremendous determination in a 228-minute vigil at the crease, but Perera ended his resistance on 44, nipping away a delivery that found the edge and travelled low to Tharanga Paranavitana at first slip.
Kallis’s 56-ball stay was not without incident.
He ducked into a bouncer from fast bowler Fernando and was struck a disorientating blow on the earpiece of his helmet. Kallis received treatment for seven minutes before resuming his innings on 25 and was lucky as he prodded at the first delivery of Fernando’s next over and edged a catch which diving wicketkeeper Silva should have taken.

Graeme Smith scored a half-century as South Africa halved their first-innings deficit with nine wickets in hand at stumps on the first day of the first test against Sri Lanka at Centurion on Thursday.

    Seam bowler Vernon Philander had earlier claimed five wickets as South Africa dismissed Sri Lanka for 180 at tea, before replying with 90 for one by the close of play.

    Smith and opening partner Jacques Rudolph batted out 32.5 overs, the pair of left-handers putting on 88 in that time.

    Smith looked in fine form as he stroked seven fours in his 61 off 105 deliveries, while Rudolph struggled with his timing and reached 27 not out off 98 balls at stumps.

    Captain Smith fell just six minutes before the close, playing around a full delivery from Dilhara Fernando to be trapped lbw.

    He had gone to his 30th half-century in his 94th test off 80 balls by driving medium-pacer Thisara Perera beautifully through mid-on for four.

    Sri Lanka’s bowers were steady, but they struggled to obtain the same assistance the South Africans did, even though the home attack sprayed the ball around disconcertingly at times.
South Africa’s much-vaunted attack were struggling in helpful conditions as Thilan Samaraweera and Angelo Mathews added 65 for the fifth wicket off just 80 balls.
The pair took Sri Lanka to 156 for four before Philander struck three times in four overs to complete his third five-wicket haul in three tests.
Philander’s destructive burst began with two wickets in successive deliveries, both given out on review, as Samaraweera (36) edged an excellent delivery that nipped away off the seam and Kaushal Silva was adjudged to have brushed the ball with his glove as it flew to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher down the leg side.
Perera took a single off the hat-trick ball, but only lasted till the next over when he failed to read an Imran Tahir googly and Jacques Kallis made a stunning reflex catch at slip as the edge bounced off Boucher’s thigh.
Sri Lanka had lost three wickets in five balls to slump to 157 for seven and Philander struck again to have Mathews caught by Kallis for 38.
Philander made full use of the grass on the pitch to claim five for 53 in 13 overs, becoming the first South African to claim three five-wicket hauls in his first three tests.
Dale Steyn produced a couple of top-class away swingers to bowl Chanaka Welegedara (4) and Fernando (0) with successive deliveries, ending the Sri Lankan innings on the stroke of tea.
Steyn had earlier removed Tillakaratne Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardene, who edged a back-foot drive into the slips for 30, the fast bowler finishing with impressive figures of four for 18 in 10.4 overs.
Captain Dilshan’s rash shot gave Sri Lanka a poor start and they battled to 76 for three at lunch after being put into bat.
Dilshan, on six, tried to on-drive a swinging delivery from Steyn on the up and looped a catch to Philander at wide mid-on.
Former captain Kumar Sangakkara lasted just three balls before Philander made a delivery rear up and inducing an edgel to second slip, where Kallis took a well-judged catch.
Sri Lanka were reeling on 12 for two, but Tharanga Paranavitana and the experienced Jayawardene batted with intense concentration in a sensible third-wicket stand of 54.
Steyn’s first wicket was his 250th in tests, the 28-year-old reaching the landmark in his 49th game.
Only Dennis Lillee has taken 250 wickets in fewer tests, the Australian fast bowler reaching the milestone in his 48th match.