South Africa off to a winning start

For the fishing folk of Moratuwa and the touring South African's, todays warm-up match at De Soysa Stadium was a relaxed and enjoyable affair. After two months of cricket scandal it was back to business and a welcome return to the cricket.

What's more, South Africa started the tour on a winning note with a 6 run victory over a young, but nevertheless talented BCCSL XI. Whilst the margin of victory may look small the win was actually quite comfortable, and they would have won by a far greater margin if it had not been for a highly entertaining fifty from Eric Upashantha (63).

As the sun sets here, the South Africans are still busily practicing. Eager to catch every minute in the middle that they can. Times have changed and teams no longer have the luxury of a few weeks practice before their first international match. On this tour South Africa has only two practice matches scheduled, after nearly two months with their feet up.

Not that they looked particularly rusty. Most of the players play so much cricket that they could mark out their run in their sleep. The bowlers bowled well without being spectacular and the batsmen were their usual professional self.

The Sri Lankan bowling was however quite gentle. Three of the seamers - Ruchira Perera, Kaushalya Weereratne, Pramodya - were making a comeback from injury and the Sri Lankan's decided not to give the South African's much exposure to the spinners; picking Tilan Samaraweera as the sole spinner. In the real thing Sri Lanka are expected to field three spinners and just two fast bowlers.

Sri Lanka had won the toss and elected to field first on a two paced wicket that got lower and slower as the day progressed. Gary Kirsten (0) started his tour with a failure when he was caught behind off Eric Upashantha but Andew Hall (20) and Jacques Kallis (57) put on 62 for the second wicket.

When Andrew Hall was caught in the covers and Darrel Cullinan (5) was caught behind off Kaushalya Weereratne, Jonty Rhodes (46) strode to the crease to play a typically impish innings, that included one reverse sweep that was particularly well appreciated by the local spectators, who had by now crowded into the ground.

The pair had added 50 runs when Kallis decided to up the tempo, tried to swing the off spin of Tilan Samaraweera to the leg side boundary, he got a to top edge and was confidently caught by a young Ian Daniels at deep mid-wicket.

Rhodes was eventually adjudged LBW to Samaraweera, Lance Klusner hit one six but was then bowled by Ruchira Perera and Mark Boucher was caught at mid-wicket. It was then left to Shaun Pollock (25*) and Nico Boje (22*) to illustrate once again, South Africa's strength in depth. They finished on 234.

In reply the Sri Lankans got to a flyer. With the explosive Avishka Gunawardena (53) and Romesh Kaluwitharana (7) opening the batting they were never going to fall behind the run rate. Whilst Kaluwitharana stayed long enough to put on 41 for the first wicket he didn't stay long enough to placate his distracters and is in desperate need of some runs to safeguard his place in the one-day team.

Avishka Gunawardena, who has spent much of the last few weeks watching his team from the dressing room, made good use of his chance in the middle, stroking 10 boundaries in an entertaining fifty.

Sri Lanka, having raced to 88 in the 16th over, then proceeded to collapse, losing 6 wickets for 50 runs. The run rate slowed by Lance Klusner, whose eight overs cost just nine runs, the Sri Lankans generously started to waft catches into the safe hands of the South African fielders.

The cause looking lost at 138-7, Eric Upashantha (63*) then strode to the crease and did his chances of playing in the triangular series no harm at all, with a scintillating innings that included five sixes, four of which came off Nico Boje. Reaching his fifty off 41 deliveries he raised the spirits of the crowd and stretched the South Africans just enough for them to be content that they had had a suitable workout. Needing 16 runs from the final over though proved to be beyond him, despite a six off the last delivery.