De Villiers puts South Africa on top
A thrilling innings of 99 by AB de Villiers put South Africa in a
strong position on the second day of the first Test against Sri Lanka at
SuperSport Park on Friday.
On a day when batsmen continued to struggle on a difficult pitch, De
Villiers played some sparkling strokes as South Africa reached 389 for
nine at the close, a first innings lead of 209.
De Villiers needed only 135 balls to make his runs before playing one
stroke too many to be caught by a diving substitute, Dimuth Karunaratne,
off Thisara Perera.
He had hit an imperious on-drive for four off the previous delivery
and then slashed a short ball hard towards backward point.
The crowd at his home ground had their cheers for his century cut
short when Karunaratne flung himself to his left to hold the ball
virtually as it went to ground. The umpires conferred before giving De
Villiers out.
De Villiers needed only 44 balls to move from 51 to 99. He hit 12
fours. On a pitch with seam movement and uneven bounce it was an innings
which compared favourably with most of his 12 Test centuries.
After being bowled out for 180 on the first day, Sri Lanka competed
well in hot conditions until a sixth wicket partnership of 97 between De
Villiers and Ashwell Prince (39) put the home side firmly in control.
Prince was dropped twice as the Sri Lankan fielders failed to match
the efforts of their bowlers.
Star South African batsman Jacques Kallis was the most notable victim
of a pitch with uneven bounce. Shortly before lunch he ducked into a
bouncer from Dilhara Fernando, which barely rose above stump height, and
took a heavy blow on the left earpiece of his batting helmet. He
collapsed next to the pitch but after receiving treatment for seven
minutes he carried on batting.
He was on 25 when he was hit, on 27 when he was dropped by
wicketkeeper Kaushal Silva off Fernando and was out for 31 shortly after
lunch, caught at third slip off Chanaka Welegedera.
Silva also dropped Prince, on 26, when the batsman got a thick edge
to an attempted cut off left-arm spinner Rangana Herath. Prince earlier
survived a chance to Thisara Perera at backward point off the luckless
Fernando when he was on 23.
Perera struck two important blows for the tourists in the morning,
having Hashim Amla (18) and Jacques Rudolph (44) caught in the slips.
But he was struck for three fours in an over by Kallis soon
afterwards. Kallis looked South Africa’s most accomplished batsman
before his injury.
SRI LANKA
1ST INNINGS 180
SOUTH AFRICA
1ST INNINGS
(overnight 88-1)
J. Rudolph c Paranavitana b Perera 44
G. Smith lbw b Fernando 61
D. Steyn run out (Herath) 0
H. Amla c Mathews b Perera 18
J. Kallis c Mathews b Welegedera 31
A. de Villiers sub (Kurunaratne) b Perera 99
A. Prince c Silva b Mathews 39
M. Boucher not out 49
V. Philander c Jayawardene b Dilshan 4
M. Morkel c Samaraweera b Welegedera 4
Imran Tahir not out 24
Extras (b1, lb1, nb11, w3) 16
Total (9 wkts, 118 overs) 389
Fall of wickets: 1-88 (Smith), 2-90 (Steyn), 3-125 (Amla), 4-136 (Rudolph), 5-173 (Kallis),
6-270 (Prince), 7-303 (De Villiers), 8-344 (Philander), 9-350 (Morkel).
Bowling: Welegedera 29-4-87 -2 (1nb, 1w), Perera 24-1-114-3 (1w), Mathews 9-4-13-1,
Fernando 26-2-115-1 (6nb, 1w), Dilshan 7-1-17-1, Herath 23-4-41-0. |