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Kumar Sangakkara: typical stylish but unusually hardworking century
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Sri Lanka recovered from the disappointment of Muttiah Muralitharan's
last-minute withdrawal, with a shoulder injury, to take control of the second
and final Test against South Africa. They did so thanks to a typical stylish
but unusually hardworking century from Kumar Sangakkara, who scored 157 not
out from 263 balls, and another solid contribution from Mahela Jayawardene.
Sri Lanka closed on 303 for 3.
Sri Lanka had toyed with the idea of handing the gloves back to Sangakkara
to make room for an extra bowler - a debate that is sure to run and run, because Sangakkara's wicketkeeping skills are equal now to Romesh
Kaluwitharana's, and his fitness is second to none in the team - but the
decision to retain him as a specialist No. 3 produced a particularly
focused innings on this occasion.
Coming to the crease after the first-over loss of Marvan Atapattu, who
snicked a perfectly pitched outswinger from Shaun Pollock, Sangakkara
counter-attacked first with Sanath Jayasuriya, adding 95 in 187 balls, and
then 192 from 383 balls with his close buddy, Jayawardene, who scored
82 from 210 balls before falling to the second new ball.
All too often in the past, Sangakkara has thrown his wicket away having
stolen the initiative from the opposition bowlers. But, this time, he kept
his adrenaline levels under control, and refused to be suckered into a rash
stroke by South Africa's employment of defensive runsaving fields
throughout much of the day.
Like most centurions, though, he needed some good fortune. Soon after lunch,
midway through another probing spell from Pollock, he pushed at a wider
delivery and edged to the normally bucket-handed Jacques Kallis at first
slip. It was a simple low chance, the kind that Kallis would expect to take
99 times out of 100, but it spilled out and Sangakkara made the South Africa
pay.
It was not South Africa's only blip in the field either, as Mark Boucher
muffed an admittedly difficult chance off a thick edge from Jayawardene - on
16 at the time - shortly afterwards. Earlier, Jayasuriya split Boucher and
first slip with a nick that whizzed off a top edge.
But the luck did not all fall Sri Lanka's way, as Jayasuriya, who scored 43
from 59 balls, was the victim of a rotten lbw decision from Billy Bowden to
a delivery from Nicky Boje that was sliding down the leg side and going over
the top as well (99 for 2). Jayasuriya, however, could not moan too loudly, since he had been trapped plumb in front in the third over but not given.
After fluffing their afternoon chances, South Africa settled for a policy of
containment. Boje bowled to Sangakkara with six fielders on the leg side,
three of whom were patrolling the boundary, while Kallis was also employed
as a defensive stock bowler, this time with a 7-2 field and two short covers
to Sangakkara.
But Sangakkara and Jayawardene remained patient. Only 79 runs were added in
the afternoon session, but after tea, as South Africa resorted to their
part-timers in a desperate search for a breakthrough, they pushed the foot
down on the accelerator and passed their own 168-run third-wicket record
against South Africa, set at Durban in 2000-01.
Their 192-run stand was ended minutes before the close when Smith took the new
ball. Makhaya Ntini struck almost immediately, with the sixth delivery, as
Jayawardene's off stump was knocked back by an inswinger that swerved back
through the gate. Chaminda Vaas, the nightwatchman, survived until stumps.
Earlier, Murali's strangely below-par performance at Galle - especially on
the last day when he took just one wicket and bowled only 20 overs, an
unusually low workload - was explained when he was forced out of the match,
and probably the one-day series that follows, with severe shoulder pain.

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No world-record holder to trouble South Africa
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The team management had toyed with the idea of playing him but, one hour
before the start, they sensibly decided not to risk further damage. He is
now awaiting guidance from his Melbourne-based surgeon, Dr David Young, on
whether he needs an immediate operation to drain fluid from the shoulder.
The loss of Murali provided an opportunity for Rangana Herath, a steady
left-arm spinner. Sri Lanka also included Lasith Malinga, who bowls with a
strange roundarm action, in place of the allrounder Farveez Maharoof. They
decided to retain Romesh Kaluwitharana as a specialist wicketkeeper.
South Africa, boosted after their Galle escape, welcomed back Herschelle Gibbs, who has recovered from an ankle injury. He replaced Lance Klusener, rather than Boeta Dippenaar, the stand-in opener at Galle.