First Test: South Africa v/s Srilanka

Entertainment Cricket and Other Sports
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**Johannesburg. Play starts Friday, Nov 8, 0800 GMT. **

South Africa: Shaun Pollock (captain), Herschelle Gibbs, Graeme Smith, Gary Kirsten, Jacques Kallis, Neil McKenzie, Ashwell Prince, Mark Boucher, Andrew Hall, Claude Henderson, Makhaya Ntini, Steve Elworthy, Mornantau Hayward.

Sri Lanka: Sanath Jayasuriya (captain), Marvan Atapattu, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Russell Arnold, Hashan Tillekaratne, Jehan Mubarak, Hasantha Fernando, Chaminda Vaas, Dilhara Fernando, Sujeewa de Silva, Chamila Gamage, Thilina Thushara, Tharanga Laksh!tha, Muttiah Muralitharan, Prasanna Jayawardene.

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Sri Lanka Seek First Win

Sri Lanka will be looking for their first Test win in South Africa when they take on the home side at the Wanderers for the first of two matches on Friday.

**Five Tests in three tours have brought four defeats and a draw for the Sri Lankans. **

Their batsmen prospered in the first two warm-up matches.

But the flat pitches in Kimberley and Lenasia will bear little resemblance to the seam-friendly Wanderers strip.

Captain Sanath Jayasuriya believes the tourists are better prepared this time.

**“It’s really great to be able to play five one-day internationals in South Africa with the World Cup coming up,” **Jayasuriya said.

**"But our emphasis on this tour is the Test matches because we have never done well here.

The pitches haven’t suited us in the past but this time we are better prepared." **

South Africa, meanwhile, are more concerned with getting useful World Cup preparation under their belts during the one-day series.

“Every Test match and every Test series is obviously important,” said opening batsman Herschelle Gibbs.

**“But this is World Cup year and we’re not pretending that everything isn’t focused around that.” **

The inclusion of veteran all-rounder Steve Elworthy, 37, in the Test squad shows evidence of this thinking.

He will compete with spinner Claude Henderson for the last bowling place in the side.

Jacques Kallis will play after passing a fitness test on a sore hamstring.

South Africa captain Shaun Pollock said Sri Lanka will pose a far greater threat than Bangladesh, who toured last month.

“It is definitely a step up for us this series. Bangladesh are the minnows of world cricket while Sri Lanka are far more established with some quality players,” he said.

**“They have a pretty balanced side and are going to be a tough nut to crack. We are going to have play some good cricket.” ** :k:

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SL booked for 192 atleast I wasn't expecting this from the SL's well goodluck to SL.

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Stumps Day-1

Srilankan 1st inning



Sri Lanka 1st innings                                           R   M   B  4 6
MS Atapattu                              b Pollock             34 160 117  5 0
RP Arnold             c Smith            b Ntini                0   9   6  0 0
+KC Sangakkara        c Smith            b Elworthy            26  66  51  5 0
DPMD Jayawardene      c Boucher          b Kallis              39 151 100  7 0
*ST Jayasuriya        c Smith            b Kallis              32  72  46  5 0
HP Tillakaratne       run out (Ntini)                          24      65  3 0
KHRK Fernando         c Kirsten          b Kallis               0   3   3  0 0
WPUJC Vaas            c Kallis           b Hall                 1   5   5  0 0
CRD Fernando                             b Pollock              7  43  36  1 0
M Muralitharan        c Ntini            b Hall                10   5   3  1 1
PDRL Perera           not out                                  11      22  2 0
Extras                (b 4, lb 2, w 1, nb 1)                    8
Total                 (all out, 75.3 overs)                   192

FoW: 1-2 (Arnold, 1.5 ov), 2-46 (Sangakkara, 17.4 ov),
     3-86 (Atapattu, 38.2 ov), 4-137 (Jayawardene, 52.5 ov),
     5-140 (Jayasuriya, 54.1 ov), 6-140 (KHRK Fernando, 54.4 ov),
     7-141 (Vaas, 55.3 ov), 8-152 (CRD Fernando, 66.5 ov),
     9-165 (Muralitharan, 67.3 ov), 10-192 (Tillakaratne, 75.3 ov).

Bowling                      O      M      R      W
Pollock                     18      8     45      2
Ntini                       14      5     45      1 (1nb, 1w)
Elworthy                    15.3    3     42      1
Kallis                      17      8     35      3
Hall                        11      6     19      2

South Africa 1st inning



South Africa 1st innings                                        R   M   B  4 6
GC Smith              not out                                  15  63  33  2 0
G Kirsten             not out                                  21  63  49  3 0
Extras                (w 1, nb 14)                             15
Total                 (0 wickets, 12 overs, 63 mins)           51

To Bat: M van Jaarsveld, JH Kallis, AG Prince, ND McKenzie,
        +MV Boucher, AJ Hall, *SM Pollock, S Elworthy, M Ntini.

Bowling                      O      M      R      W
Vaas                         3      1      7      0 (2nb)
Perera                       5      2     11      0
CRD Fernando                 3      0     28      0 (8nb, 1w)
Muralitharan                 1      0      5      0
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Well Played South Africa :hula:

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Unfortunately Gibbs is injured, but I think Smith may be young, but he has potential in becomming a good opener for RSA.

It will be good to see how Murali does futher into the 1st innings.

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SA Seize Initiative

South Africa finished on top at the Wanderers after dismissing Sri Lanka for a disappointing first innings score of 192.

Jacques Kallis took three cheap wickets as the tourists failed to come to terms with a lively pitch.

**Gary Kirsten then became the first South African batsman to pass 6,000 Test runs as the home side cruised to 51-0 at stumps. ** :k:

Sri Lanka made slow but solid progress for the loss of Russel Arnold and Kumar Sangakkara in the morning session after captain Sanath Jayasuriya won the toss and elected to bat.

But Marvan Atapattu played on to a delivery from South African captain Shaun Pollock soon after lunch for 34 to spark a collapse.

Jayasuriya joined Mahela Jayawardene to put on 51 for the fourth wicket before Kallis struck to dismiss both batsmen in the space of three deliveries.

Jayawardene edged to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher on 39 and Jayasuriya was surprised by a short-pitched delivery and could only fend the ball to Graeme Smith after hitting 32.

Hasantha Fernando had a rush of blood on his Test debut and mis-timed a hook off Kallis to Kirsten at square leg.

Kallis then pouched a catch at second slip as Andrew Hall found the shoulder of Chaminda Vaas’s bat.

Dilhara Fernando played on to Pollock and Muttiah Muralitharan struck a six and a four before hooking Hall to a diving Makhaya Ntini at deep fine leg.

Hashan Hashan Tillekeratne scored a useful 24, but was run out to end Sri Lanka’s innings.

Ruchira Perera beat the bat several times in the gloom as South Africa started their reply.

But Dilhara Fernando bowled eight no-balls and a wide in three dismal overs that cost 28 runs.

Kirsten finished the day unbeaten on 21 with Smith 15 not out.

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Another example of good teams being beaten badly here, just like how Pakistan batsman recived against a better Australian bowling lineup.
Srilanka with their best batsman in hand and all of them in good form were beaten badly, does that mean they are a bad team and they suck as someone mentioned about the Pakistani team.

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WEll bowled SA..

Lankans have themselves to blame too, they were so defensive , its okay you have to show patience but they scored 192 in 78 overs,,,,

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Extras by SL so far



Extras                (b 14, lb 9, w 4, nb 31)                 58
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South Africa First Innings 
 Batsman Runs  Balls  4s  6s  
 **G C Smith c H P Tillakaratne b K H R K Fernando 73  92  14  0 ** 
 G Kirsten c M Muralitharan b K H R K Fernando 55  139  9  0  
 M van Jaarsveld b K H R K Fernando  3  11  0  0  
 **J H Kallis not out   75  212  8  0**  
 A G Prince c P D R L Perera b W P U J C Vaas 3  8  0  0  
 N D McKenzie lbw  b W P U J C Vaas 0  1  0  0  
 M V Boucher c K C Sangakkara b M Muralitharan 38  66  4  0  
 S M Pollock c K C Sangakkara b C R D Fernando 38  65  5  0  
 A J Hall not out   31  45  4  0  
 **Extras 16b 10lb 5w 31nb 62   **
 
** TOTAL 102.0 overs (for 7 wickets) 378   **

South Africa :k:

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Srilanka's pathetic display outside of subcontinent continues!
Its amazing that I have been following Srilankan cricket for a long time now but I have yet to remeber them winning a major series or tournament outside subcontinent.
Murali is also looking very quite!

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South Africa beat Sri Lanka by an innings and 64 runs

SA Stroll To Victory

South Africa sealed victory within three days at the Wanderers as Sri Lanka again suffered a humiliating batting collapse.

**The visitors slumped to an innings-and-64-run defeat in the first of two Tests after being bowled out for 130 in their second innings. **

Andrew Hall took three for one and Makhaya Ntini three for 22 as eight of Sri Lanka’s batsmen failed to get into double figures.

After earlier bowling South Africa out for 386, Sri Lanka’s chase of 256 to make South Africa bat again began disastrously.

Russel Arnold completed a pair by edging Makhaya Ntini’s first ball to Jacques Kallis at second slip to depart for a golden duck.

Ntini then struck again in his fourth over with Kumar Sangakkara (seven) turning him down the leg side only to see wicketkeeper Mark Boucher take a spectacular leaping catch.

Shaun Pollock claimed the third wicket when Mahela Jayawardene was snapped up by Gary Kirsten at short leg for one.

Pollock took his second wicket just before lunch when captain Sanath Jayasuriya edged onto his stumps for a duck.

Resistance after the interval came in the form of Hashan Tillakaratne (27) and Chaminda Vaas (32), but wickets tumbled around them with Hall wrapping up the tail in a two-over spell.

Earlier, South Africa added just eight runs to their overnight 378 for seven.

Muttiah Muralitharan dismissed Hall to overtake New Zealand’s Richard Hadlee into fourth place on the all time list of Test wicket-takers with 433.

Vaas produced a fine lifter to Jacques Kallis that took the edge through to 'keeper Sangakkara.

Kallis, who did not add to his overnight 75, now averages over 50 for the first time in his career.




Sri Lanka          Second Innings 
 Batsman           Runs  Balls  4s  6s  
 M S Atapattu      c G C Smith b S Elworthy 43  92  8  0  
 R P Arnold          c J H Kallis b M Ntini 0  1  0  0  
 K C Sangakkara c M V Boucher b M Ntini 7  18  0  0  
 D P M D Jayawardene c G Kirsten b S M Pollock 1  13  0  0  
 S T Jayasuriya b S M Pollock  0  3  0  0  
 H P Tillakaratne c S Elworthy b A J Hall 27  66  5  0  
 K H R K Fernando lbw  b S Elworthy 0  4  0  0  
 W P U J C Vaas c G Kirsten b M Ntini 32  30  3  0  
 C R D Fernando not out   4  4  0  0  
 M Muralitharan b A J Hall  0  3  0  0  
 P D R L Perera b A J Hall  4  11  1  0  
 Extras 4b 7lb 1w 0nb 12   
 
 **TOTAL 41.0 overs (all out) 130   **
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Pollock Hails ‘Clinical’ Win

Shaun Pollock hailed South Africa’s performance as “clinical” after they drubbed Sri Lanka by an innings and 64 runs at the Wanderers.
South Africa won before tea on day three after dismissing the hapless visitors for 192 and 130 on a pitch which offered assistance to the seam bowlers throughout.

The victory gave South Africa a 1-0 lead in the two-Test series with the second Test starting at Centurion on Friday.

Pollock said winning within three days exceeded his expectations despite the lively pitch.

“You never go in thinking that way but you always like to win it that way,” Pollock said.

**“It was clinical which was great - all credit to them.” **

After losing the toss on the first day, Pollock was delighted with the application South Africa displayed in the field.

**"We bowled well throughout but after lunch on the first day we really did tighten things.

"We were unlucky and went past the bat a few times but we talked about hanging in there and waiting for things to happen.

"We called it an ‘investment session’ - we put our investment in and reaped our rewards later.

"Also to get out there and bat as well as we did was pleasing.

“There was always something happening for the bowlers out there so to get a big score and put them on the back foot was important,”** Pollock said.

For Sri Lanka it was a demoralising loss, doing nothing to disprove the notion that they are a shadow of themselves away from home.

Skipper Sanath Jayasuriya singled out his side’s inability to make runs on the first day after winning the toss.

“We didn’t get it right on the first day,” Jayasuriya said.

**“South Africa got their length and direction right from the start.” **

Jayasuriya also bemoaned the loss of seamer Ruchira Perera after three warnings for running on the wicket, as well as his bowlers’ general lack of discipline.

In South Africa’s innings, 62 extras, including 31 no balls and five wides, were conceded.

**"It was disappointing as a captain because the bowlers didn’t bowl well at all.

"They were all over the place and bowled on both sides of the wicket.

“And also it was unfortunate to lose Ruchira for running on the wicket as well as Dilhara Fernando having trouble with his run-up.” **