Hayward, Dilshan enhance Test claims

The two-day practice match between the touring South Africans and the Board XI which ended in a draw at the De Soysa Stadium yesterday saw fast bowler Nantie Hayward and batsman Tillekeratne Dilshan enhancing their claims for places ahead of Sunday's second Test at Kandy.

Hayward followed his first innings burst of 5 for 32 with two further wickets when the Board XI, trailing South Africa on the first innings by 167 runs, finished on 141 for six wickets.

Hayward took the wickets of Romesh Kaluwitharana for an aggressive 32 and Avishka Gunawardana for 22, to have match figures of seven for 76. Dilshan celebrated his recall to the Sri Lanka squad for the second Test by scoring an unbeaten half-century.

Dilshan top scored for the Board XI with 37 in the first innings and 53 not out in the second. He completed his fifty shortly before the game ended, by pulling a short delivery from left-arm spinner Paul Adams to the mid wicket boundary for his eighth four. It took him 90 minutes and he faced 70 balls. He looked the only batsmen to play the South African bowlers with any comfort.

Nicky Boje, the other left-arm spinner in the South African side, gave a glimmer of hope of pulling off an unlikely victory when he grabbed two wickets off consecutive deliveries to reduce the Board XI to 67 for 4, with 26 overs still remaining.

Boje coming for his first bowl in the 12th over sent back Indika de Saram for two, caught off an edge at slip and then trapped Chamara Silva lbw off the next ball. Suresh Perera played down the hat-trick ball, depriving Boje of the honour.

The Board XI began their second innings well when Gunawardana and Kaluwitharana shared a first wicket partnership of 58 off nine overs. Kaluwitharana opened the batting after Pradeep Hewage was rendered hors-de-combat after he trod on the ball at warm-up and twisted his right ankle. He took no further part in yesterday's play.

The tourists no doubt bagged all the honours in this encounter with their top four batsmen all scoring half-centuries. Boeta Dippenaar and Darryl Cullinan followed openers Gary Kirsten and Neil McKenzie in completing fifties as South Africa closed their first innings at 302 for five at tea.

Dippenaar scored 60 in a stay of 193 minutes off 171 balls hitting six fours and a six, and Cullinan, the century-maker in the first Test, continued his good form to make 66 in 191 minutes off 127 balls with nine fours. The pair added 109 for the third wicket, after McKenzie was out to the first ball of the day without adding to his overnight total of 75, when he pushed tentatively forward to Indika Gallage and was ruled lbw.