Related Links : Sri Lanka Vs South Africa : 1st Test Scorecard
The inevitable Sri Lankan win took quite a long time and they won the 1st test match at SSC, Colombo by an innings and 53 runs, but not before toiling hard in the field for more than 157 overs! It has been a good fight from South Africa, they went down fighting till the end and the Sri Lankans had to sweat it out to take the 10 wickets. Muttiah Muralitharan took his 54th five wicket haul today, he took six wickets in this innings, but he had to bowl as many as 64 overs, which was one short of what Nicky Boje had bowled in the Sri Lankan innings. So what a Test Match it has been, we were fortunate to see the record breaking 624 runs partnership between Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene which is the highest for any wicket in both test and first class cricket. Great job boys and not sure if Mahela Jayawardene would get another opportunity like this in getting close to the 400 not out by Brian Lara. Anyway his innings of 374 would stay for sometime as the highest individual score in Sri Lankan Cricket.
The Proteas had started the day at a promising 311 for 4 with the stiff fight from Skipper Ashwell Prince and Mark Boucher expected to continue. But Ashwell Prince, who batted with plenty of determination yesterday, got a good delivery from Muralitharan to end his innings. It was a top spinner from round the stumps to force the left hander to play at that and it was an equally good catch from Mahel Jayawardene at slips moving smartly to his right to take a low one. It was just the 2nd over of the day in which Murali had got the breakthrough and that got Herschelle Gibbs finally into the middle at No.7. A busy partnership followed between Boucher and Gibbs and Sri Lanka were made to wait for the next wicket which had come in the form of a low full toss. It was Murali once again surprising Gibbs with that low full toss that had hit the bottom of the blade with the right hander looking to work it to the onside and in the end was a pat back to the bowler. Herschelle Gibbs (18) fell in the 14th over of the day with South Africa at 350 for 6. Nicky Boje, the all rounder with two Test hundreds knocked the ball around safely to take South Africa to the lunch break at 392 for 6. Mark Boucher was on 80 and he truly deserved a century for staying at the crease for more than three hours.
The lunch break had its effect in Boucher losing his concentration and going for the drive to a delivery that wasn’t there for the drive and was dipping, it was another caught and bowled dismissal, this time the bowler being Sanath Jayasuriya. Boucher fell 15 runs short of what would have been his 5th Test Match hundred. Muralitharan then sent back Andre Nel and Dale Steyn with his quick turning off breaks in quick time. The obvious defeat was delayed with No. 11 Makhaya Ntini putting up a price on his wicket and the two spinners Sanath Jayasuriya and Muttiah Muralitharan had failed in breaking the stubborn last wicket stand between Boje and Ntini. It was only a bowling change, a sensible one with the slinging Lasith Malinga brought into the attack to possibly clean up Ntini with a fast inswinging yorker. It wasn’t a yorker but a short of length delivery on stumps that kept low and knocked the furniture down in the second ball and Ntini could no way connect that and it was the end of the Test Match.
The focus now shifts to P Saravanamuttu Stadium in this same city, Colombo and South African line up would see atleast one change. It is an important one with all rounder Shaun Pollock expected to play. Sri Lanka might go in with this same team and they would like to keep the momentum going and would go all guns blazing to inflict the clean sweep. The only way South Africa can win is by sheer pace, take the pitch out of the equation and keep bowling the full Yorkers at 145kmph. Makhaya Ntini and Dale Steyn are capable of doing just that but the confidence may not be there; anyway the second Janashakti Insurance Test Match begins on the 4th of August.