S Africa seek to step up against Sri Lanka
South Africa will seek to end a sequence of disappointing results in
home series when they take on Sri Lanka in the first of three Tests at
SuperSport Park on Thursday.
South Africa have lost one and shared three of four most recent home
series, with a loss against Australia in 2008/09 followed by drawn
series against England, India and Australia.
Sri Lanka, though, should not provide too stiff a challenge for the
home side. The tourists have had more than a year of poor results and
appear to be particularly vulnerable in bowling since the retirement of
world record-breaking off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, whose last Test
match, against India in Galle in July 2010, marked Sri Lanka's most
recent win.
Since then Sri Lanka have lost four and drawn 10 of 14 Tests.
Drawn games
The large number of drawn games is an indication that Sri Lanka's
batting is stronger than their bowling - but they will be up against a
strong South African bowling attack in conditions expected to favour
pacemen.
"The main thing we need to adapt to is the bounce and the pace," Sri
Lanka vice-captain Angelo Mathews said.
He admitted the team had not played well recently but said there was
a confident mood in the side.
"The team is in a good mood but we need to show it out there on the
field."
Much would appear to depend on the form of Kumar Sangakkara and
Mahela Jayawardene, who have been Sri Lanka's leading batsmen for the
past decade - and who shared a world-record third-wicket stand of 624
when the sides last met five years ago in Sri Lanka.
Hand injury
Sangakkara suffered a hand injury in his team's only warm-up match at
the weekend but is expected to play.
South African fast bowler Dale Steyn refused to go as far as to say
it was "payback time" for the bowlers, including himself, who had
struggled in steamy Colombo five years ago, but he said the South
Africans had made a close study of the Sri Lankan batsmen on video.
Steyn said he had been building up his pace during the season after a
long break and was feeling no twinges from a troublesome right elbow.
"In the last two domestic games I bowled the quickest I have this
season. The elbow is fine and my rhythm is good." Steyn said his new
ball combination with the steady Vernon Philander was working well.
Thunderbolts
"Then you have Morne Morkel bowling thunderbolts from about 10 feet
high and Jacques Kallis is bowling well too." Rain restricted Sri
Lanka's only warm-up match, against a South African Invitation XI, to
less than two days.
Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath was the only bowler to impress, with
unorthodox spinner Ajantha Mendis taking only two wickets and conceding
142 runs in 31 overs. But Mathews said he was not concerned about
Mendis' form.
"He was coming back from two or three months of injury.
"We all know what a good spinner he is. He can turn a match around."
Firepower
Sri Lanka's pace bowling resources have been hit hard by injuries,
with four players ruled out before the tour and Nuwan Pradeep suffering
a tour-ending injury in the warm-up game.
They do not have the fast bowling firepower of the hosts but Proteas
batsman Hashim Amla warned that in South African conditions no seam
bowlers could be taken lightly.
"We haven't seen them before so that makes them dangerous and our
task a bit more challenging."
Teams:
South Africa (probable): Graeme Smith (capt), AB de Villiers (vice-
capt), Jacques Rudolph, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, Ashwell Prince,
Mark Boucher (wkt), Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Imran
Tahir.
Sri Lanka (from): Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), Angelo Mathews (vice-
capt), Tharanga Paranavitana, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene,
Dinesh Chandimal, Kaushal Silva (wkt), Lahiru Thirimanne, Dimuth
Karunaratne, Chanaka Welegedara, Dilhara Fernando, Thisara Perera,
Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath, Thilan Samaraweera. CENTURION, South
Africa, Wednesday AFP
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