Sri Lanka lack form ahead of South Africa Test
Sri Lanka go into the first of three Tests against South Africa at Kingsmead Tuesday with several of their key players lacking form.
Only Mahela Jayawardene of the touring teams batsmen has been a consistent scorer and the tourists will face a searching examination from South Africas fast bowlers on a pitch which usually offers plenty of pace and bounce.
South Africa, though, will be without star fast bowler Allan Donald, who has not recovered from a stomach muscle injury.
Sri Lanka won the first match of the tour against Eastern Province inside two days but since then their bowlers have seldom been threatening.
Sri Lanka will put a lot of faith in their world-class offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who has been lightly used on the tour.
Muralitharan and left-arm opening bowler Chaminda Vaas were both rested when Sri Lanka played their final warm-up match, a rain-hit drawn game against KwaZulu-Natal in Pietermaritzburg.
Nuwan Zoysa, another left-arm fast bowler, was struggling with a right knee injury during the KwaZulu-Natal match.
Muralitharan and South African captain Shaun Pollock are on the verge of significant bowling milestones. Muralitharan has taken 288 wickets in 57 Tests and is set to become the second-fastest man in Test history to take 300 wickets.
Dennis Lillee of Australia reached the landmark in 56 matches but the next best, Richard Hadlee of New Zealand and Malcolm Marshall of West Indies, needed 81 matches.
Muralitharan has been particularly effective against South Africa, taking 58 wickets in eight matches against them.
Pollock, who will be captaining South Africa for the first time in a Test match in his home town, has taken 198 Test wickets and is set to join Donald (308) as the only other South African to notch 200 victims.
If there is hope for the out-of-form Sri Lankan batsmen it is that Pollocks frontline support lacks experience. Mfuneko Ngam, who will open the bowling with Pollock, has played in only one Test. Makhaya Ntini and Nicky Boje have appeared in eight apiece.
South Africa, though, have experienced allrounders in Jacques Kallis and Lance Klusener to back up the specialist bowlers.
South Africa won a three-match series against New Zealand 2-0 and had the better of a rain-hit drawn third Test.
During the New Zealand series, young batsmen Neil McKenzie and Boeta Dippenaar scored centuries as they stepped into gaps vacated by the disgraced Hansie Cronje, the retired Jonty Rhodes and the suspended Herschelle Gibbs.
Teams:
South Africa: Shaun Pollock (captain), Gary Kirsten, Boeta Dippenaar, Jacques Kallis, Daryll Cullinan, Neil McKenzie, Lance Klusener, Mark Boucher, Nicky Boje, Makhaya Ntini, Mfuneko Ngam, Justin Ontong (12th man).
Sri Lanka (probable squad): Sanath Jayasuriya (captain), Marvan Atapattu, Russel Arnold, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Tillekeratne Dilshan, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Chaminda Vaas, Nuwan Zoysa, Muttiah Muralitharan, Pramodya Wickremasinghe, Dilhara Fernando, Upul Chandana.
Umpires: Riazuddin (Pak) and Dave Orchard (Rsa). TV umpire: Ian Howell (Rsa). Match referee: Raman Subba Row (Eng).
Mail Cricket Editor
