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Change Your Life! |
Blazing century from Sanath Jayasuriya |
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July 21, 2000
The Portuguese fort that forms that backdrop to the picturesque Galle International Stadium, may well have been overrun by foreign invaders before but surely none of them can have created as much carnage as Sanath Jayasuriya did to the South African’s today. Buoyed by his teams victory in the Singer Triangular he batted South Africa out of this match, and conceivably the series, in the space of two hours of electrifying batting.
It was a morning to relish, a truly brilliant innings from one of the worlds most entertaining batsmen. Happy to have won the toss he scored 96* from just 96 balls in the morning session and 148 from 156 in all, his seventh test century and his second in successive matches. By the end of the first day of this test match Sri Lanka had established firm control and are currently 341 for five.
For Sanath Jayasuriya was no big deal, just a lucky collusion of fate and a natural consequence of the manner in which he plays. Speaking afterwards he said: “It went really well today and I enjoyed myself. I always bat in the same positive manner and am feeling in really good form at the moment. If the ball is the right place I will always go for my shots.”
Paul Adams would testify for that. Picked today despite not having fully recovered from his injury he was not shown any pity by Jayasuriya, who smashed his first three deliveries for four: a full toss slapped to the cover point boundary, a lofted straight drive and an extra cover drive.
Adams never recovered, conceding 122 runs from his 24 overs. He did though pick up three valuable wickets. Sanath Jayasuriya denied afterwards that he had singled out Paul Adams for special treatment, but it doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes to reveal that he was desperate to dominate him from the start: “Paul just bowled a few balls in the wrong places and I went after them.”
For the second game in a row it was Sri Lanka’s openers that set the tone for the day, putting on 193, the second highest opening stand by Sri Lanka. Marvan Attapattu may have positively pedestrian in comparison to his free spirited partner but he was still brisk by normal standards. His 56 came from 120 balls and included nine boundaries.
Conceding five runs an over, the South African bowlers were clearly fretting before Marvan Attapattu finally gave them something to cheer about, when he cut powerfully but uppishly straight to a cool Boje in the gully.
Three overs later his partner followed him back to pavilion. Having just swung Paul Adams over mid-wicket for six and then swept for another four, Sanath Jayasuriya, was suckered by a full toss, which he smashed straight to Neil McKenzie on the mid-wicket boundary. Adams celebrating with an impromptu jig of relief.
Russel Arnold (5), having watched patiently from the dressing room was strangled as well. Caught off his glove as he tried to paddle a delivery down the leg. Sri Lanka had slipped to 216 for 3 and the Proteas were suddenly back in the game.
Alas for them it was but a mirage as Mahela Jayawardene (78*) and debutante, Kumar Sangakkara (23), put on 81 for the fifth wicket. Kumar Sangakkara batted diligently, like the student he was to be before his sudden elevation in Sri Lanka’s cricketing hierachy, but never fully blossomed like he had in the one-day series. Mahela Jayawardene on the other hand mixed determined concentration with some glorious strokes. Undefeated to the end he looks well set for his century, the first since his double hundred against Pakistan in the Asia Cup.
Earlier in the day South Africa had surprised many by asking Neil NcKenzie to open the batting, a position in which he has scant experience, on his debut. Sri Lanka too caused some consternation when the opted to go into the game without a full-time wicket keeper. Electing instead to rely on the less polished skills of Kumar Sangakkara and reap the benefits of playing three spinners. On a wicket that is unashamedly dry, grassless and cracked. Clearly prepared for the Sri Lankan spinners and expected to break up by the end of the second day, the Sri Lankan spinners will clearly be licking their fingers in anticipation. Sanath Jayasuriya was though determined though that the tail-enders apply themselves and score as manner as possible: “On this wicket we don’t want to have to bat again.” One suspects that they won’t.
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