South Africa in the ascendancy

Graeme Smith's South Africans were justifiably elated after securing a draw in the first Test at Galle last week, the one venue where Sri Lanka have proved to be virtually unbeatable. But now, with the series up for grabs in the second and final match in Colombo, which starts tomorrow, the momentum is with South Africa as they seek to inflict a rare home defeat on their hosts.

Galle was Sri Lanka's banker venue, with a pitch that played right into the hands of their spin attack, and Muttiah Muralitharan in particular. The Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo, by contrast, is expected to be a much livelier surface, and given that South Africa have never lost there in three visits, their seam bowlers will be eager to exploit any assistance.

"The wicket is devoid of grass but it should have a little bit more pace and bounce," said Smith, who warned his side not to get complacent after their escape at Galle. "Instead of looking at the draw as an achievement, we are looking at it as an opportunity to go on and win. The guys are hungry, and I'm sure [Sri Lanka] must have some questions about their spinners."

Smith, who added that he was back to full fitness after being laid low with viral flu in the first Test, was also pleased to have Herschelle Gibbs back alongside him at the top of the order, after recovering from his ankle injury. "It's always nice to have a great batter back," said Smith. "He's certainly worked hard to get back, and it is a good sign that he is hungry to do well." Gibbs's return may come at the expense of a bowler, but that decision will not be made until the pitch has been inspected.

South Africa can also call upon the services of Andre Nel once again, now that his back injury has cleared up, and with the likes of Jacques Rudolph, their first-innings hero at Galle, in the best form of his career, it is a full and competitive squad from which Smith and Eric Simons, the coach, must choose.

Sri Lanka, by contrast, have everything to prove in this final match, although their captain, Marvan Atapattu, insisted they would be going in with a positive frame of mind. "We will go all out to win," he said. "I personally don't mind losing as long as our mindset is to win. That's our thinking. I don't think we should play negative cricket at all. Whether it is a fast or slow track, we will have the resources to do well."

"The Galle pitch wasn't the one we expected," admitted Atapattu. "But the SSC pitch normally does a bit in the first hour or so, but then turns into a good batting track. It depends on how much grass you have left and what sort of moisture it has in the morning."

Atapattu added that there were one or two concerns about the form of Muttiah Muralitharan, who managed a solitary scalp on the final day at Galle. "Everybody goes through matches like this," said Atapattu. "Batters go through matches where they don't score a single run. Bowlers also go through it. Murali is one of the most experienced bowlers in the world. I think he should overcome it faster than anybody else."

No wholesale changes are expected from Sri Lanka, although Romesh Kaluwitharana may find himself back on the sidelines. He played as a specialist wicketkeeper at Galle, to take some pressure off Kumar Sangakkara and allow him to bat to his full potential. "Having said that, Sanga is the fittest in the side," said Atapattu. "For the time being, he can keep and do the No. 3 job for us without a problem."

Atapattu concluded: "We would like to change the fact that we have not won a series against South Africa. We have spoken about it, and are working harder towards that goal. With good teams all around the world, Test victories don't come easily."

Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Marvan Atapattu (capt), 2 Sanath Jayasuriya, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Thilan Samaraweera, 6 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 7 Upul Chandana, 8 Chaminda Vaas, 9 Farveez Maharoof, 10 Muttiah Muralitharan, 11 Nuwan Zoysa.

South Africa (probable) 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Herschelle Gibbs, 3 Jacques Rudolph, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 Martin van Jaarsveld, 6 Mark Boucher (wk), 7 Lance Klusener, 8 Nicky Boje, 9 Shaun Pollock, 10 Makhaya Ntini, 11 Andre Nel.