Centurion (South Africa) - Bad light and rain came to South Africa's rescue yeterday as two of Sri Lanka's more experinced batsmen slowly stitched together a shaky batting performance on a shortened first day of the second test.
When Arjuna Ranatunga joined Roshan Mahanama shortly before lunch at SuperSport Centurion, the tourists were battling at 68 for three with Aravinda de Silva back in the pavilion and only a single to his name.
But when Shaun Pollock limped off the field with a groin injury straight after lunch, the sting was suddenly removed from the South African attack. And with Allan Donald also favouring an ankle the pressure so obvious before lunch was eased. All of which made the tourists a little more relaxed as they nursed the score to 165 for three when the threat of bad light, which had loomed during the tea break, finally forced an early closure immedately after tea. It means a loss of 30 overs.
Ranatunga, happy enough with his decision to bat first on a green tinged surface as South Africa opted for the same attack which had won the game at Newlands in Cape Town, found himself undefeated on 40 while Mahanama was 44 not out.
Between them they had added 97 for the fourth wicket as Jacques Kallis, Makhaya Ntini, Paul Adams and later Hansie Cronje did what they could to fill the gaps in the attack which looking decidedly threadbare.
For South Africa all the fireworks came in the second hour of the first session when Gary Kirsten ran out Marvan Atapattu with a brilliantly directed throw from the covers. It was the sort of inspirational piece of fielding which can turn an innings.
An so it proved as neither the solid Atapattu nor the more attacking Sanath Jayasuriya looked to be in serious touble as Pollock and Donald probed the defences for a breakthrough.
And then Ntini, with two wickets in five balls for only two runs, first induced Jayasuria, shortly after scoring half-century, to drive outside the off. It was the first and only mistake he made in his innings as wicket keeper Mark Boucher snapped up a brilliant acrobatic catch in front of the second slip.
It could be called just retribution for the young man who had been thrashed ominously for consecutive fours by Jayasuriya who was quickly on to anything loose and presented him with a run-scoring opportinity. But the Sri Lankan's eagerness undid all his good intentions when he went for one drive too many after reaching 51 off 77 balls with seven fours and a six.
Bowling in tandem with left-arm wrist spinner Adams, joy quickly consumed Ntini. And barely had Jayasuriya unstrapped his pads when De Silva to spoon a catch to Adams in the covers after failing to read the slower ball.
But with lunch, and Pollock, out of the way, Ranatunga and Mahanama deftly worked the ball around with clever strokeplay as Ntini and Adams felt the brunt of the tourists fightback.
More: One test too many for South Africa's body weary pacemen
Trevor Chesterfield
Centurion (South Africa)- South Africa's ambitious if punishing plan of playing 11 Tests over six months has been cruelly exposed as their prized new-ball attack of Shaun Pollock and Allan Donald, were left nursing injuries yesterday.
And plunging the side into a deeper crisis at SuperSport Centurion yesterday was Makhaya Ntini's hamstring cramp scare shortly before tea on the opening day of the second Test against Sri Lanka.
In an afternoon of drama and intrigue, Peter Pollock, Shaun's father and connvener of the national selection panel, watched with disquiet as the young tireless all-rounder limped off with a groin in jury after bowling only one ball of the second session.
Donald later injured his ankle seriously enough to cause added concern in the South African dressing room while Ntinu, responsible for two of the three Sri Lanka wickets to fall had a hamstring twinge, brought about by cramp, which forced him out of the attack after bowling a no ball.
So, while the tourists were comfortably placed at 165 for three after 60 overs when bad light and later rain wiped out the remaining 30 overs, Bob Woolmer, the South African coach, defended the decision to play an extended season across three continents in a space of six months.
The seriousness of the injuries to the three players will be evaluated before play, weather permitting, starts today. Pollock pulled up short after bowling one ball in the first over after lunch and the Sri Lankans, under pressure, were given a chance to recover from 72 for three.
It has been estimated that between them Pollock and Donald have been involved in an extra long ulrta marathon this test season, running between 80 and 120 kiloimetres a test. Possibly a bit further for Pollock if his.
Ntini was brought on for Paul Adams at the Hennops end, delivered a no ball and pulled up short, flexing the hamstring in his right leg.
Woolmer was a worried man and peered through his glasess at the developments which must have caused him serious concern. South Africa opted for the same attack which won the game by 70 runs at Newland on Monday, but there was always the feeling the team was a fast bowler kight. And so it emerged yesterday.
Pre-match predictions, after a good look at the green tinged surface suggeted South Africa should have considered the option of four fast bowlers and Paul Adams and leaving out HD Ackerman.
Hansie Cronje, who may yet find himself in the unusual sharing the new ball later today with Jacques Kallis, indicated on Wednesday the decision of a five/five or six/four side depended largely on the prediction s of how the pitch was likely to play in relation to match's long-term.
Woolmer told a hastily convened media conference that the full extent of Pollock's injury would only be known after a night's rest.
``At this stage it is a minor groin injury, but we will only know in the (Saturday) morning how srious it is,'' he said. ``The extent of injuries of this nature only emerge after a rest.''
Although he defended the programme of playing 11 tests this season - 40 days play in all - he pointed out how Australia had also run into major problems. Their new-ball specialists of Glen McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Paul Rieffel have all been sidelined and ``are now no where to be seen''.
He said the decision to play Sri Lanka was more of a helping hand as the islanders were in need of playing more test and the UCB had agreed to meet this commitment.
But it means that South Africa could end up with a serious problem and may have to restructure their bowling attack for the limited overs series which begins in Durban against Pakistan on Friday. Names such as Steve Elworthy, Mornantau Hayward, Greg Smith Herman Bakkes have alrday been mentioned along with Charl Langeveld and Roger Telemachus.
A couple of interesting names in that lot but desperate measures may yet lead to desperate, if short-term, solutions.
A decision by the UCB not to utilise the floodlights at all test centres yesterday has caused a little embarrassment during the second test between South African and Sri Lanka.
The playing conditions for the five tests over the past seven weeks allow for only the more powerful lights at the Wanderers (Johannesburg), Newlands (Cape Town) and Kingsmead (Durban) to be switched on. Which has created a problem at venues such as SuperSport Centurion and St George's Park in Port Elizabeth. Lighting is far below that availabl at the other two centres.
What is likely to cause an added problem, however, is the openness of venues such as Centurion where large areas of grassy banks leads to a dispersement of light. Which in turn adds needless cost to turn on the lights.
Day 3: Cullinan century saves South Africa
Centurion (South Africa) - Daryll Cullinan's ability to score runs against anyone but Autsralia was underlined yesterday when he lifted an uncertain and decidedly scrappy South African batting performance out of the ordinary against Sri Lanka.
On a day of high drama where 14 wickets fell at SuperSport Centurion, Cullinan's cultured strokeplay along with Muttiah Muralithara's five wicket haul and Allan Donald's explosive bowling, provided great theatre and entertainment for a record crowd.
The end result saw Sri Lanka take an overall lead of 196 on a wearing pitch and where Cullinan's domination could again, today, rescue South Africa on a wearing pitch as the bounce outside the off stump becomes increasingly variable.
At the close Sri Lanka found themselves in trouble at 93 for seven in their second innings after South Africa were blown away for 200 in a batting display which, Cullinan apart, was technically deficient and decidedly mediocre.
Yet South Africa last night were, thanks to Donald, left sniffing at the possibility of victory and a 2-0 series whitewash to round off a summer of mixed success.
Had it not been for Donald's own version of the motion explosion and some quality fielding along with two superb run out performances, one involving substitute Derek Cookes, South Africa might not where they are as they go into the fourth day.
With his partner Shaun Pollock injured it was left to Donald to shoulder South Africa's cause in trying conditions. And there was great support from Makhaya Ntini and the skipper, Hansie Cronje, chipped in with two quick wickets.
For Cullinan it was the second consecutive century against the tourists in this two-match series and takes his run haul to 284 with another innings looming today.
All of Cullinan's run-making qualities were too obvious and in a first innings total of 200 where the next best was 13 - Gary Kirsten and Mark Boucher would you believe - the diamond studded strokes carried their own special patent markings.
He was left to nurse the South African innings through some rough patches, and at the halfway stage of the match when he watched Boucher depart, he felt the need, with his score on 95, to get on with reaching the coveted mark.
He did so with a square drive that earned him his 13th boundary before paying for the only real error of his innings - a mistake which no doubt made him blush. Yet, the way the rest of the South African batsmen capitulated, he had spared their blushes more than once yesterday.
Yet, an examination of the scorecard quickly shows who was the dominant protagonist among the Sri Lankan bowlers. Muralitharan who became the third bowler to take five wickets at this test venue teased and tormented his way to five for 63 off 30 overs. And the ball he bowled Kirsten with on Saturday night was still all the buzz among the media last night.
Had he done it before? Yes. He had bowled Stepehn Fleming, now the New Zealand captain, with a similar delivery.
Although not quite in the category of Shane Warne's ``ball from hell'' which bowled Mike Gatting in 1993 and set up the Warne Wizard of Oz theme, Kirsten failed to cover his leg stump as the ball spun back; a yo-yo attached to a string.
It was the off-spinner's 12th five wicket haul and again exposed South Africa's frailties against spin.
Then again, Sri Lanka were also found wanting as they plunged to 42 for six by the end of the 17th over as Donald rattled their confidence with several fiery bursts which put the tourists under pressure.
Day 4: Hansie flays the Lankans
Centurion (South Africa) - Hansie Cronje has finally exploded the myth that South African batsmen cannot play spin with a test innings of impressive and explosive power which yesterday destroyed Sri Lanka's own fields of dreams.
Such was the frenetic pace of Cronje's performance it enabled South Africa to sweep aside the threat posed by Muttiah Muralitharan and lead to a six-wicket victory over the toursist at SuperSport Centurion.
Apart from setting up a 2-0 series triumph against the tourists put a gilt edge on South Africa's summer of mixed fortunes, Cronje's assault on the off-spinner was as dramatic as it was dramatic.
Yet the abiding memory of Cronje yesterday was the way he earned two quite remarkable batting records at test level.
First was the second fastest 50 in terms of balls faced and second was minutes at the crease by a South African. His 31 balls to reach 50 was two balls short of Kapil Dev's onslaught against Pakistan 15 seasons ago. The time spent reaching 50 was 31 minutes, places him fifth on the list occupied by an Englishman, Indian, West Indian and New Zealander.
The tall South African captain took 31 balls and 32 minutes to reach 50, savaging Muralitharan's 17th over in a rare display of limited-overs style hitting: two dot balls were followed by a four and three consecutive sixes, all over mid-wicket as he employed his favourite slog-sweep shot.
Which means he is now second to Dev, the great Indian all-rounder and fifth on the list of 50s scored in balls faced. And he joined Sylvester Clarke and Wally Hammond of batsmen who have hit three consecutive sixes in an over.
An impressive list which began the third over after his arrival and South Africa looking a little suspect at 99 for three.
Cronje, after a couple of dot balls, was quick to hit the turbo booster as he indicated that was going to take on Muralitharan's spin threat by taking 11 off the Sri Lankan off-spinner's 14th over. Before that stage the bowler had three for 22 in 13 overs of tidy bowling. Just the sort of strategy to keep South Africa battling unless they became more positive.
So, by taking the bowling by the scruff of the neck and giving it a good shaking, the South African captain played one of the innings of his test career. There was some glorius strokes, too. An inside-out lofted drive over Jayasuriya's head; an impudent reverse sweep off the same bowler later in the over, and a majestic on-drive which beat the patrolled cover-field.
``All we wanted was for him to make a mistake,'' said Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga, ``but he took us apart and the game away from us. Had we dismissed him early on I would have fancied our chances of winning the game as the rest of the South Africa batting was suspect.''
Yet South Africa also owe their success to the opening stand of 89 between Gary Kirsten and Gerry Liebenberg. Test debutant Liebenberg was fortunate to escape starting his career with a king pair. He was put down by Marvan Atapattu at wide third slip. And when he was dismissed for 45, the lbw decision seemed a little high. But the runs, and solid contribution, were noted as they went on the board.
Only, Kirsten, who anchored the innings, watched from the other end, must have wondered what battle was ahead when HD Ackerman was bowled after an embarrassing display against Muralitharan followed by Daryll Cullinan's lbw decison which seemed to be going down leg.
When he was joined by his skipper, the thought was that we would return today for about an hour and see either the celebrations or last rites. But Cronje had other thoughts and was so dismissive in his assault he did not seem put out when dropped off a slog shot at long on by Aravinda de Silva.
Sri Lanka, when they resumed at 93 for seven in the morning, soon showed there was no intention of plodding along merely to stretch the lead to around the 250 mark Ranatunga had in mind on Sunday night.
From the second ball when Pramodya Wickramasinhge thrashed, windmill style, at a Donald delivery, the intentions to score quick runs was clear enough. The result was an addition of only 29 to the total in 26 minutes with Donald taking two wickets in 3.3 overs, giving away nine runs while Paul Adams removed Wickramasinghe.
It gave Donald his second five wicket haul at SuperSport Centurion and created a little history of his own making.
Yet, when South Africa began their quest for victory, the 226 runs needed seemed to stretch a lot further down the road, signposted with batting uncertainty and the meanace of Muralitharn's off-spin on a wearing pitch.