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| Wednesday, 4 August 2004 |
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Galle Test not expected to last the distance by Sa'adi Thawfeeq reporting from Galle GALLE, Tuesday - A pitch devoid of grass simply tells the story of how the first cricket Test between Sri Lanka and South Africa is going to end at the Galle International Stadium beginning tomorrow. The talk here is not who is going to win but how many days the Test will last. The hardnosed Stadium curator Jayananda Warnaweera predicted the game would not last the distance. He expected it to finish in three days if South Africa batted first and four if Sri Lanka make first use of the pitch. Having tended the pitches here since 1998 Warnaweera is never far from wrong. Graeme Smith, South Africa's 23-year-old captain apparently knowing what's in store for his team said: "We don't expect this Test to go any longer than four days. We know there's going to be a lot in this Test match. In a two-match series it is important to win the first Test especially at Galle. The pitch ideally suits Sri Lanka. It is going to be a hard job for us. We discussed it and hopefully we can implement some things in this game which can come right for us." "Galle is a place where Sri Lanka have won the majority of their matches. They know the pitch suits them. For us we have our backs up against the wall. We realize we have come here to win a Test match. We are going to dig deep and show a lot of commitment. We realize it is going to be a big fight," said Smith. "The pitch looks dry with a few cracks. It is pretty much what we expected about the wicket. We realize it's going to be a challenge batting on it," he said. South Africa's biggest problem is that they are coming out of a two and a half months lay off. The 3-day warm up game against the President's XI at the CCC was not as 'intense' as Smith would have liked it to be. "It's a major challenge for us to be at top peak level without having much time," said Smith. 'We have done our homework on Murali' No challenge will be bigger for South Africa than the one posed by champion off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan who is poised to draw ahead as Test cricket's leading wicket-taker. Both he and Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne are level on 527 wickets apiece. "We have done our homework against him. We watched a lot of video tapes and obviously we have spoken to guys who performed well against him over the years," said Smith. "Our record against him is pretty decent. Facing Murali in South Africa and facing him here are totally different things. Sri Lanka has also got some clever bowlers outside Murali. Vaas and Zoysa have been bowling very well. Chandana is probably the inform bowler. We have concentrated on the entire bowling attack." The last occasion South Africa played here which was four years ago, Muralitharan destroyed the South African batting with figures of 13 for 171. Sri Lanka won that Test by an innings and 15 runs. Muralitharan's record at Galle is astounding. In 10 Tests he has captured 82 wickets at a cost of 15.10 runs apiece. Smith said the wicket being dry as it is it would be an advantage to bat first. Sri Lanka captain Marvan Atapattu said that one of the secrets for his team's success was being competitive. "Cricket is becoming very competitive today. We got to perform each and every time we walk on the field. Winning against any side in any tournament is a big thing. Today cricket is all about winning. People will always back winners. They won't back losers for that matter by an chance," said Atapattu. Having won the Asia Cup on Sunday, Atapattu said that it was important for his team to continue in the same vein although tomorrow's match was a different kind of ball game. "It is important for us to win in the short run and it is important for us to build up a team in the long run. Both forms of the game are important today. Being in form in both forms is important. We have got a chance to comeback from the one-day tournament and do well in the Test form of the game," he said. Preparation not ideal - Atapattu Atapattu said that he would have preferred playing the one-day series against South Africa before the Tests. "It is difficult to readjust from one-day to Test cricket within a matter of days. It was on the cards and we knew about it. Being an international cricketer the demand is to adjust that much faster than in earlier days. There are things you cannot control and this is one of them. We've got to live with it. It is not the ideal preparation for a Test series," said Atapattu. Atapattu said that South Africa were not at their best after the 2003 World Cup, but that did not mean they would under rate them. He rated the Australians ahead of South Africa because they were playing 'the better cricket at the moment'. The last occasion the two countries met in a Test at the Centurion two years ago it turned out to be a tense and tough match with Atapattu leading the team in the absence of Sanath Jayasuriya. "Most teams around the world are that much tougher. South Africa is no different. They are right up the ladder as one of the toughest teams," said Atapattu. Spin is bound to play a big part in the Test and Sri Lanka are likely to go in with the leg-spin of Upul Chandana to support Muralitharan. In his last Test at Cairns, Chandana took ten wickets against Australia. Although Sri Lanka will be tempted to push in a third spinner at the expense of a seamer it is most unlikely they will do that because it would dilute Test cricket. The best option for them is to play a fast bowling all-rounder like Farveez Maharoof whose inclusion will also strengthen the batting. With spin going to be the dominant factor, the second seamer to Vaas will hardly get many overs and in that context Nuwan Zoysa and Lasith Malinga may be left out. Romesh Kaluwitharana retains his place as wicket-keeper giving Kumar Sangakkara to concentrate fully on his no. 3 batting spot. "The selectors would like to see some continuity in wicket-keeping and they want to get the maximum out of Sanga whom I think is the best batter in the side at the moment," said Atapattu. The teams: SRI LANKA (from): Marvan Atapattu (captain), Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Tilan Samaraweera, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Chaminda Vaas, Farveez Maharoof, Upul Chandana, Muttiah Muralitharan, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Zoysa, Rangana Herath. SOUTH AFRICA (from): Graeme Smith (captain), Boeta Dippenaar, Jacques Rudolph, Jacques Kallis, Martin van Jaarsveld, Mark Boucher, Lance Klusener, Shaun Pollock, Nicky Boje, Nantie Hayward, Makhaya Ntini, Andrew Puttick, Alan Dawson. UMPIRES: David Shepherd (England) and Daryl Harper (Australia), TV umpire: Tyronne Wijewardene (Sri Lanka), Match Referee: Clive Lloyd (West Indies). |
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