Close South Africa 183 for 2 (Gibbs 76*, Kallis 69*) trail Sri Lanka 323 (Tillekeratne 104*) by 140 runs
scorecard

An unbeaten third-wicket partnership of 112 between Herschelle Gibbs and Jacques Kallis carried South Africa to a strong position at stumps on the second day at Centurion. The pair batted throughout the final session of the day, to turn an uncomfortable tea-time score of 87 for 2 into something considerably more palatable.

Gibbs, back in the side after missing the first Test through injury, was his usual forceful self at first, punching the ball through the covers and latching onto anything short, until he shut up shop in the final session. At the other end, the barnacle-like Kallis cut out all risks in a characteristically obdurate display. He has now scored 419 runs in his last five innings, and has been dismissed just the once. A lot was resting on these two – the other recognised batsmen, Ashwell Prince and Neil McKenzie, have been in particularly poor form recently - and they duly delivered.

With Muttiah Muralitharan off the boil due to his hernia problem, Sri Lanka were unable to press home their early initiative. In the morning, Hashan Tillekeratne's tenth Test century had carried them to a useful total of 323, and when Dilhara Fernando followed up with two important, if contentious wickets, South Africa had plenty to think about at 71 for 2.

Fernando, who came on as first change, struck with his very first ball, although replays suggested that Graeme Smith (15) was slightly unfortunate to have been adjudged lbw – the ball appeared to pitch outside leg (45 for 1).

Then, eight overs later, Fernando took Gary Kirsten by surprise with a leaping delivery that cannoned off the shoulder of the bat towards a diving Hasantha Fernando in the gully. The Sri Lankans were unanimous in their appeal as Hasantha scooped the ball off the turf, but Kirsten was not best pleased to be given out for 11 (71 for 2).

Earlier, Tillekeratne had made history by becoming the first Sri Lankan to score a Test century in South Africa. He also passed 4000 Test runs in the course of the innings, but he was indebted to a lusty bout of tailend slogging from Muttiah Muralitharan, after Makhaya Ntini had blown away the rest of the tail with a spell of three wickets in five balls.

Tillekeratne was stranded in the 90s when Ntini sent Sri Lanka spinning from 277 for 6 to 281 for 9 with the wickets of Chaminda Vaas, Chamila Gamage and Dilhara Fernando. But, with a mixture of determined defence and old-fashioned slogs, Muralitharan helped Tillekeratne reach three figures. The pair added 42 for the final wicket, a record for Sri Lanka against South Africa, and Murali slammed 27 off 26 balls, with five fours and one six. That six, slapped over midwicket, came straight after he had been struck a painful blow on the left wrist by Ntini. In the previous over he had hit three fours off Steve Elworthy.

Kallis, who continued his extraordinary allround form with 3 for 71, eventually wrapped the innings up by bowling Murali, who played down the wrong line when he attempted a rare textbook forward-defensive stroke. Tillekeratne was left not out on 104, from 223 balls with 17 fours.

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd