Jayawardene plays a lone hand

Sri Lanka 279 for 7 (Jayawardene 116*, Sangakkara 58, Pollock 4-24) v South Africa

It was a tough and tiring return from the summer break for South Africa, but it wasn't a fruitless day. Their bowlers, led by the magnificent Shaun Pollock, restricted Sri Lanka to 279 for 7, rather better returns than they would have hoped for after losing the toss and being asked to field on a bare and grassless pitch. Sri Lanka's batsmen were shown the way Mahela Jayawardene, who played a polished, elegant knock to finish on an undefeated 116, but apart from useful contributions from Kumar Sangakkara (58) and Romesh Kaluwitharana (33), it was a largely uninspiring performance from the rest of the cast.

Jayawardene made amends for his duck in the Asia Cup final, playing himself in carefully in the morning and blossoming in the afternoon. Sharing useful stands of 86 with Sangakkara, 37 with Thilan Samaraweera, 44 with Tillakaratne Dilshan and 85 with Kaluwitharana, he manoeuvred Sri Lanka into a comfortable position before South Africa struck twice, including off the last ball of the day. Jayawardene's 249-ball innings included 15 fours - most of them sweetly timed drives and flicks - and one gorgeous straight six.

Just how good Sri Lanka's score is will remain unclear until their spinners are let loose some time on the second day. Worryingly for South Africa, Nicky Boje, a left-armer renowned for his allround skills but not for the power of his spinning finger, turned the ball square at times on a pitch that the curator predicts, with a glint in his eye, will not last the distance.

It promised to be a long day in the field for South Africa after they lost the toss - the South Africa media sighed in unison as the television cameras turned to Atapattu after the flip of the coin. Fortunately for them, they struck early. Sanath Jayasuriya, in one-day mode, flicked an innocuous leg-side delivery straight to Lance Klusener at square leg (13 for 1). Pollock produced a far better delivery in the next over; it curved away gently from Atapattu's off stump, took the outside edge, and nestled in the wicketkeeper's gloves.

But Sangakkara, relieved of the gloves in this game so that he could concentrate entirely on his batting, started to flow. Meanwhile, Jayawardene gritted his teeth and played himself in, contributing just nine runs of the first 50 runs in their stand. At the other end, Sangakkara whizzed off a nearly a run-a-ball. A couple of his eight fours were streaky, flashed through an empty-looking slip cordon, but some were classics: his signature square-cut and checked cover-drive worked beautifully. They added 86 in 117 balls either side of an early rain-induced lunch.

It was a far cry from when South Africa and Sri Lanka last met in Galle, back in 2000 in the immediate aftermath of Cronjegate, when Jayasuriya biffed 96 not out before the first lunch. South Africa's bowlers were murdered and the home team tucked into their chicken biryani on 146 without loss. Sri Lanka won by an innings and 15 runs. For Pollock, the debut captain then, the memory hurt. But this time, thanks to his opening gambit, Sri Lanka were knocked out in the first round.

Graeme Smith deployed his seamers in neat six-over bursts, protecting them on a day suited for airconditioning and ice lollies, not bowling fast bowling and fielding. But finally, after lunch, he tossed the ball to Boje, his solitary spinner. Immediately, the ball turned so extravagantly that Smith might have wondered why he hadn't included Robin Peterson too. Boje broke through soon, as Sangakkara, who had scored his 58 from just 68 balls, went back to cut and edged to Mark Boucher (108 for 3).

Jayawardene, meanwhile, had long since settled and, apart from one missed pull off a low-bouncing short ball that left him doubled up in pain, looked entirely comfortable. There was the occasional dangerous flirt - the dab to third man and an airy swish or two - but also some fine strokes, including one resplendent cover-drive off Lance Klusener and a lofted drive for six off Boje that oozed quality.

Klusener proved a little expensive, conceding 28 from his six after a flurry of fours, so Smith pressed Pollock into service again. With a 33-over old ball, Pollock cut down his run-up and asked Boucher to stand up-front for a five-over spell of old-fashioned wobblers. It was a sensible strategy in the conditions and soon brought success, as Thilan Samaraweera (13) lost his balance and played all around an indipper (145 for 4).

After tea, South Africa tossed the ball back to Nantie Hayward, their most expensive seamer. He was once again costly, conceding 27 runs in four overs, but he also conjured up a wicket as Dilshan, apparently in two minds as he prepared to punish a long-hop, dragged it onto his stumps (189 for 5). Then came the final twist to the day which tilted the scales in South Africa's favour. First, Pollock produced a corker which pitched on middle and off, and straightened marginally, clipping Kaluwitharana's off stump even as he attempted a flick (274 for 6). Makhaya Ntini, wicketless so far, struck off the last ball of the day, getting through Upul Chandana's defences.

Earlier, South Africa's opening dilemma finally ended when Boeta Dippenaar was named as Smith's partner. Andrew Puttick, the like-for-like replacement called up after Herchelle Gibbs injured his ankle, was left out. Klusener made a comeback to the Test team after a two-and-a-half-year absence, while Nantie Hayward returned 18 months after turning his back on international cricket in frustration and packing his bags for Worcestershire.

Sri Lanka, who seriously considered playing a solitary seamer, settled for a bowling attack with two fast bowlers, Chaminda Vaas and the allrounder Farveez Maharoof, plus two spinners, Muttiah Muralitharan and Chandana.