Bruyns, McKenzie cash in as SA A plunder Lanka bowling

Centurion: If you ask Mark Bruyns if there is such a thing as the Tooth Fairy he will no doubt think of the two chances he gave in his career-best innings yesterday as he helped himself to his third century of the season.

Apart from eclipsing the 500 runs mark this season and improving an already healthy batting average, Bruyns 144 for South Africa A did much, with the other century-maker, Neil McKenzie, to establish firm control in the four-day outing against Sri Lanka A at SuperSport Park.

While McKenzie batted with more assurance and took a lot less time to reach three figures, both batsmen smartly rotated the scoring rate with accomplished ease against bowling seemingly bereft of ideas as well as penetration on a pitch which, the South Africa A captain, Dale Benkenstein had he won the toss would have also bowled first.

There is no doubt either the South Africa A bowling would have been far more organised as the wayward attack and sloppy fielding display put together by the visitors added to their misery during the Bruyns and McKenzie partnership of 177 for the second wicket. It went on to lay the foundation for the first innings total of 352 for three at the close.

Benkenstein and Ashwell Prince carried on the run spree in a blossoming partnership of 47 for the fourth wicket with Benkenstein on 15 and Prince 25 with the run rate slipping below four to the over for the first time.

A compact batsman Bruyns with an unhurried style, gave the impression he had lifted a page straight from national coach Graham Fords good housekeeping batting manual which enabled him to ignored the blemishes when he was dropped at 38 and again at 98. The first was fairly straightforward while the second was a shade more difficult and both were in the slips.

Then again it was payback time for the KwaZulu/Natal opener who was shot down in Kurunegala during the A teams tour of Sri Lanka last year and the desire to get a three-figure total was as important as his luck on the roulette tables in Colombo during that tour.

From the moment he began his innings Bruyns looked in touch and his 50 before lunch was an example of how he went after the bowling. He went to his century with a push to the mid-wicket area while McKenzie?s 12th boundary was a shade lucky as it eluded the outstretched hands of Prabath Nissanka.

McKenzie joined Bruyns with 112 runs already on the board in a first wicket partnership with Doug Watson and the Northerns batsman began his innings with a quality cover drive for four of Sanjeeva de Silva. After that he was rarely troubled by either pace or spin as the Lanka A bowlers toiled on a warmish afternoon. Like Bruyns he also unfurled a number of classy stroke to reach his second hundred of the summer.

Then again, anyone who makes the most of his opportunities by scoring a century off 121 balls indicates just how in touch he is with his game and batting fluency.

From the time Samaraweera, the Sri Lanka A captain won the toss and decided the better option was to field first, the tourists gave the impression they soon lost interest in their game plan. For a start the bowling looked weary and the fielding was not much better, although all-rounder Sajith Fernando at least bowled a tidy line.