Hayward (5/32) puts himself in line for Test recall

South Africa's fastest bowler Nantie Hayward put himself in line for a Test recall when he crashed through the Board XI batting taking five wickets for 32 runs on the opening day of the two-day practice match played at the De Soysa Stadium, Moratuwa yesterday.

The 23-year-old quickie from Eastern Province helped dismiss the Board XI for a disappointing total of 135 .

By the close, the South Africans had batted themselves into a position of strength replying with 152 for one wicket of which Neil McKenzie, had made an unbeaten 75.

Hayward, seen as the heir apparent to Allan Donald, when the great bowler retires, fired away at great pace on a newly prepared pitch, which Board XI captain Romesh Kaluwitharana chose to bat first.

Following a disappointing start to the tour, when he was dropped from the team after three matches of the Singer Triangular Series for being wayward, Hayward was on target yesterday reducing the Board XI to 86 for 6 at lunch with a first spell of three for 30 off seven overs.

He returned after lunch to clean up the innings with a second burst that fetched him a further two wickets for two runs off 10 balls.

"I am bowling much better than at the beginning of the season. Coming back from the pre-season, it's quite difficult just to come and bowl from ball one and put it on the right area," said Hayward after his excellent bowling.

"I wanted to come over here and play in all three test matches. It's one of those things that I had to overcome injury.

It's something that you can do nothing about. I worked more on my bowling in the last few days. With days of hard work I think I can bowl more than ten overs," he said.

Apart from bowling a great many wides and no-balls, Hayward had been fighting hard to overcome shin splints which virtually every fast bowler carries when bowling on hard wickets.

"Indian wickets were more like South African wickets, you can dig one short and it will carry nicely, but here I think you must bowl a bit fuller length. If you put the ball in the right area you can get your wickets. All the guys are getting on top of their game from pre-season. I think its gonna come right for me now," said Hayward.

It was another feeble batting display against pace by Sri Lanka's young hopefuls that saw them being shot out for a paltry total.

None of them displayed the staying power to counter South Africa's four pronged pace attack which exploited the early morning dampness to extract movement and bounce.

Top scorer for Board XI was Tillekeratne Dilshan with 37. He batted 104 minutes and hit five fours in his 81-ball innings. Just as when he looked like getting on top of the bowling he played a rather loose shot to be dismissed. Attempting to hook a bouncer from Lance Klusener, Dilshan only knicked a catch to wicket-keeper Mark Boucher who was leading the side in the absence of Shaun Pollock. Schoolboy Nisal Randika had a fiery international debut, when he was hit on the chest by a Roger Telemachus `climber' . Showing no signs of the knock, he was a caught and bowled off the next delivery which was a no-ball and then pulled the third ball to long leg for four. He made 17 in an hour's batting before putting up an easy catch to cover off Hayward.

Later, during the day he came on to bowl left-arm spin with a mixture of googlies and chinaman, which McKenzie and Boeta Dippennar played with great circumspection. Mckenzie and Gary Kirsten virtually wiped out the Board XI total in an opening stand of 124. Dinuk Hettiaratchi took Kirsten's wicket for 53, when Suresh Perera brought off a superb diving catch at cover. Kirsen batted 116 minutes and hit nine fours.

McKenzie whose innings of 181 in the first two-day practice match against a Board XI at Sara Stadium brought him his first Test cap, had 11 fours and a six in his unbeaten knock of 75 at the close.