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Proteas fight to
live yet another day |
July 31, 2006
 The
inevitable Sri Lankan win took quite a long time
and they won the 1st test match at SSC, Colombo
by an innings and 53 runs, but not before
toiling hard in the field for more than 157
overs! It has been a good fight from South
Africa, they went down fighting till the end and
the Sri Lankans had to sweat it out to take the
10 wickets. Muttiah Muralitharan took his 54th
five wicket haul today, he took six wickets in
this innings, but he had to bowl as many as 64
overs, which was one short of what Nicky Boje
had bowled in the Sri Lankan innings. So what a
Test Match it has been, we were fortunate to see
the record breaking 624 runs partnership between
Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene which is
the highest for any wicket in both test and
first class cricket. Great job boys and not sure
if Mahela Jayawardene would get another
opportunity like this in getting close to the
400 not out by Brian Lara. Anyway his innings of
374 would stay for sometime as the highest
individual score in Sri Lankan Cricket.
The Proteas had started the day at a promising
311 for 4 with the stiff fight from Skipper
Ashwell Prince and Mark Boucher expected to
continue. But Ashwell Prince, who batted with
plenty of determination yesterday, got a good
delivery from Muralitharan to end his innings.
It was a top spinner from round the stumps to
force the left hander to play at that and it was
an equally good catch from Mahel Jayawardene at
slips moving smartly to his right to take a low
one. It was just the 2nd over of the day in
which Murali had got the breakthrough and that
got Herschelle Gibbs finally into the middle at
No.7. A busy partnership followed between
Boucher and Gibbs and Sri Lanka were made to
wait for the next wicket which had come in the
form of a low full toss. It was Murali once
again surprising Gibbs with that low full toss
that had hit the bottom of the blade with the
right hander looking to work it to the onside
and in the end was a pat back to the bowler.
Herschelle Gibbs (18) fell in the 14th over of
the day with South Africa at 350 for 6. Nicky
Boje, the all rounder with two Test hundreds
knocked the ball around safely to take South
Africa to the lunch break at 392 for 6. Mark
Boucher was on 80 and he truly deserved a
century for staying at the crease for more than
three hours.
The lunch break had its effect in Boucher losing
his concentration and going for the drive to a
delivery that wasn't there for the drive and was
dipping, it was another caught and bowled
dismissal, this time the bowler being Sanath
Jayasuriya. Boucher fell 15 runs short of what
would have been his 5th Test Match hundred.
Muralitharan then sent back Andre Nel and Dale
Steyn with his quick turning off breaks in quick
time. The obvious defeat was delayed with No. 11
Makhaya Ntini putting up a price on his wicket
and the two spinners Sanath Jayasuriya and
Muttiah Muralitharan had failed in breaking the
stubborn last wicket stand between Boje and
Ntini. It was only a bowling change, a sensible
one with the slinging Lasith Malinga brought
into the attack to possibly clean up Ntini with
a fast inswinging yorker. It wasn't a yorker but
a short of length delivery on stumps that kept
low and knocked the furniture down in the second
ball and Ntini could no way connect that and it
was the end of the Test Match.
The focus now shifts to P Saravanamuttu Stadium
in this same city, Colombo and South African
line up would see atleast one change. It is an
important one with all rounder Shaun Pollock
expected to play. Sri Lanka might go in with
this same team and they would like to keep the
momentum going and would go all guns blazing to
inflict the clean sweep. The only way South
Africa can win is by sheer pace, take the pitch
out of the equation and keep bowling the full
Yorkers at 145kmph. Makhaya Ntini and Dale Steyn
are capable of doing just that but the
confidence may not be there; anyway the second
Janashakti Insurance Test Match begins on the
4th of August.
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