Jayawardene, Vaas heighten SA agony

They made a poor beginning against off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan who is the real danger man for South Africa on a dusty wicket. Muralitharan struck two early blows by dismissing both openers within six balls to have them struggling at 30 for 2, but Jacques Kallis and Darryl Cullinan with 27 apiece put together a stand worth 51 runs to see South Africa through for the day.

Debutant Neil McKenzie was bowled off his pads by Muralitharan for 11 and Gary Kirsten gave a catch behind the wicket to Kumar Sangakkara also off Muralitharan at 12.

Earlier, Sri Lanka were dismissed for their highest-ever total against South Africa shortly before tea with Mahela Jayawardene joining Sanath Jayasuriya (148) by scoring a century. Jayewardene made 167, his third Test century and shared in an eighth-wicket stand of 117 with Chaminda Vaas which was a record for Sri Lanka against any country. The stand improved the previous highest of 76 between Aravinda de Silva and Vaas against Pakistan at Sinhalese SC grounds in 1996-97.

Vaas’s contribution was a patient knock of 54, his fourth Test fifty, which occupied 170 minutes. He frustrated the South African bowlers hitting seven fours and saw Sri Lanka top 500 for the first time in a Test against South Africa. The previous highest was 331 at Moratuwa in 1993-94.

Shaun Pollock finally brought Sri Lanka’s innings to an end, when he bowled Vaas, 22 minutes before tea. Jayewardene who had made the identical score of 167 against New Zealand on this ground three years ago, was also dismissed by Pollock when he chased a wide delivery and edged a catch to wicket-keeper Mark Boucher. Jayewardene occupied the crease for 331 minutes and faced 288 balls, hitting 22 fours and two sixes.

Pollock ended up with figures of three for 73, but left-armer Paul Adams failed to add to his first-day tally of three wickets and conceded 184 runs, the second most expensive bowling figures by a South African since Cyril Vincent took two for 188 off 42 overs against England at the Oval in 1935.

SRI LANKA: (1st innings)

M Atapattu c Boje b Ntini 54
S Jayasuriya c McKenzie b Adams 148
R Arnold c Boucher b Adams 5
M Jayewardene c Boucher b Pollock 167
K Sangakkara lbw Boje 23
A Ranatunga c Pollock b Adams 13
K Dharmasena c Klusener b Pollock 4
U Chandana c Cullinan b Kallis 8
C Vaas b Pollock 54
N Zoysa c&b Cullinan 10
M Muralitharan not out 2
Extras (b-15, lb-16, nb-3) 34
Total (all out, 150.4 overs) 522
Fall of wickets:1-193, 2-211, 3-216, 4-297, 5-318, 6-341, 7-365, 8-482, 9-500

Bowling: Pollock 30.4-8-73-3 (1nb), Kallis 17-7-41-1 (2nb), Ntini 19-1-73-1, Adams 45-6-184-3, Klusener 15-4-38-0, Boje 22-2-72-1, Cullinan 2-0-10-1

SOUTH AFRICA: (1st innings)

G Kirsten c Sangakkara b Muralitharan 12
N McKenzie b Muralitharan 11
J Kallis not out 27
D Cullinan not out 27
Extras (nb-4) 4
Total (2 wkts, 32 overs) 81
Fall of wickets: 1-25, 2-30

Bowling: Vaas 8-5-5-0 (2nb), Zoysa 4-1-12-0, Dharmasena 11-3-18-0, Muralitharan 13-2-29-2 (2nb), Chandana 6-2-17-0.