SA WIN BY AN INNINGS TO WRAP UP SERIES

Kumar Sangakkara was denied a richly deserved century when he was last man out for 98, adjudged LBW to Makhaya Ntini as the Sri Lankans were dismissed for 252 in their second innings.

As might have been anticipated, the Sri Lankan tail offered little resistance. Nuwan Zoysa, who had a miscued pull off Makhaya Ntini drop just over Allan Donald’s head on 1, was superbly caught and bowled by Justin Kemp for 2.

The ball came off bat and pad and looped towards silly mid off for Kemp to dive forward in his follow through and take a sprawling left-handed catch at 242 for seven.

Pramodya Wickramasinghe added only a single to the total before a beautiful delivery from Ntini squared him up and took the outside edge to give Mark Boucher his 149th Test catch at 243 for eight.

Dilhara Fernando should have been caught by Kemp at third slip off Ntini on 1, a chest high catch that bounced in and out. Kemp made amends in the next over when he had Fernando caught at second slip by Jacques Kallis for 1 at 248 for nine.

Sangakkara seemed likely to run out of partners, but moved from 94 to 98 off what was to prove the last ball of the innings when he hooked Ntini for four. Two balls later, however, the match was over when Ntini rapped the left-hander on his pads and umpire Peter Willey gave the decision to the bowler.

SRI LANKA HANG ONTO THIRD TEST BY THEIR FINGERNAILS

South Africa took the wickets of Sri Lanka’s two most senior batsmen, Aravinda de Silva and Sanath Jayasuriya, during the session, and when Romesh Kaluwitharana fell shortly before the interval, South Africa’s prospects of a three-day victory were further enhanced.

Kumar Sangakkara, who opened the batting, had 85 at the break while Nuwan Zoysa was on 1. With the second new ball due six overs into the afternoon session, Sri Lanka, who needed to score 259 to make South Africa bat again, still looked to be heading for defeat.

De Silva was out to the 11th ball of the morning when he pushed forward to Jacques Kallis and a low edge flew to Shaun Pollock at third slip. De Silva, who had been 21 overnight, added only one run to his score and the fourth Sri Lankan wicket fell at 187.

De Silva was replaced by Jayasuriya who dropped himself down the order after a succession of low scores in South Africa. The change of position did little to improve the Sri Lankan captain’s fortunes, however. He survived a confident appeal for a catch at the wicket down the leg side when he was 10, but fell to Allan Donald when South Africa’s premier fast bowler came on at the Pavilion End for his first over of the day.

Donald has had a poor Test match after returning from injury, but his sixth ball swung in between bat and pad to nick the off stump and bowl Jayasuriya for 16 after an innings that lasted three-quarters-of-an-hour.

At 212 for five Sri Lanka still required a further 47 for South Africa to bat again with their last pair of recognised batsmen at the crease. Donald again struggled with his line and length, only occasionally producing a delivery that tested the batsman, but Kaluwitharana was fortunate when an inside edge flew past his leg stump and raced away for four.

He lasted until the penultimate over before lunch before he drove at Justin Kemp, got a thin outside edge and Mark Boucher held a regulation catch. Kaluwitharana was out for 10 at 234 for six.

© CricInfo

Date-stamped : 22 Jan2001 - 22:52