Sri Lankan batting gives cause for concern

Another abbreviated day for Sanath Jayasuriya's Sri Lankans and another day of frustration for the tourists' senior batsmen as time starts to run out ahead of the first Test match against South Africa at Kingsmead on Boxing Day.

With the whole of the first day's play against KwaZulu-Natal at the Oval in Pietermaritzburg washed out on Thursday, the best Jayasuriya could have hoped for on Friday was a full day's play and time out in the middle for his top order. He was granted neither wish. The game started an hour late after the outfield had been allowed to dry and ended 17 minutes after tea because of bad light.

In between Sri Lanka made 238 for eight, but, significantly, neither Jayasuriya nor vice captain Marvan Atapattu stayed barely long enough to introduce themselves to the home team. Atapattu made 4 and Jayasuriya 14 as Sri Lanka collapsed to 46 for four against Natal's left-arm new ball pairing of Gary Gilder and Shaun Adam.

Gilder, who has been struggling to keep his Natal place this season, was particularly penetrating in an opening spell which accounted for the Sri Lankan captain and vice captain as well as Russel Arnold for 5. Briefly there was speculation that two days might be enough to produce a result, but a spirited 87 from Mahela Jayawardene and 54 from Tillekeratne Dilshan in a fifth-wicket stand that produced 134 spared the tourists further embarrassment.

Even so, Sri Lanka did not bat well with Romesh Kaluwitharana's 40 the only other innings of significance until Nuwan Zoysa made a brisk unbeaten 24 towards the end of the day.

The fact is that Sri Lanka batted poorly, albeit entertainingly, in their last chance of serious practice ahead of the Test. Jayasuriya, on whose shoulders so much will rest during the series, simply has not adjusted yet to South African conditions and neither, it seems, has Atapattu. They must both be short of confidence and the problem is that, Jayawardene apart, none of the other batsmen are playing with sufficient consistency to paper over the problems.

Even at full strength Natal have struggled to bowl provincial sides out this season and this is a weakened Natal team with an attack that would give few first-class teams sleepless nights. Yet they had Sri Lanka in trouble for long periods of the day.

The tourists are by no means downcast, but they have very real problems and on the evidence of their batting in this country so far, they are going to struggle to stay with South Africa over three Test matches.