How's that for openers?

By Paul Martin.

This Test match is still a contest - just. It's hard to believe Sri Lanka will get anywhere near this South African first innings total of 420. That's evident from the actions, and the words, of one man - Gary Kirsten. His own assessment of the Kingsmead pitch in the semi-tropical Indian Ocean city of Durban: It's got uneven bounce.

Kirsten had the effrontery to complain about the pitch after the first day's play. By then he had batted all day, and had scored an unbeaten century. He was eventually out for 180 well into day two, after nine-and-a-half hours - well short, mind you, of the 14 hours he batted when he compiled 275 against England a year ago.

The left-hander had little trouble dealing with the slow-bowling of Muttiah Muralitharan and the speed of Dilhara Fernando, until he literally handed Fernando his wicket. A ball that failed to rise as much as Kirsten expected brushed a glove as he tried to avoid it by dropping his hands. Wicket-keeper Romesh Kaluwitharana held his second catch of the innings.

Kirsten was within a whisker of being run out on 154 when Chaminda Vaas's throw hit the stumps at the bowler's end. Video replays proved inconclusive.

Being all out for 420 amounted to something of a batting collapse for South Africa, who had been 331 for 5 at lunch. Usually the South African tail wags merrily with its plethora of all-rounders including Mark Boucher, Nicky Boje, captain Shaun Pollock and the electrifying Lance ("Zulu") Klusener. This time "Zulu" came in earlier and made a good half-century.

Highlights for Sri Lanka came from Muralitharan and Fernando, who took five wickets each. This was the seventh time Muralitharan has taken five wickets in a Test innings against South Africa, and it's his 23rd five-wicket bag all told in Tests. For Fernando, it was by far his best showing in the three Test innings in which he's bowled.

If it looks a bit one-sided right now, things may get a lot worse for Sri Lanka as the series progresses.

Gary Kirsten's usual opening partner, Herschelle Gibbs, is in blistering form for Western Province, and should be back in the team for the Second Test-match, at Kirsten's and Gibbs's home ground, Newlands in Cape Town on January 2.

The two openers smashed log-leaders Eastern Province last week in a one-dayer with a run-a-ball opening stand of not far short of 200. Asked by rediff.com whether he would like to bring Gibbs straight back in to the Test side after his six months' ban from international cricket, South Africa's manager Goolam Rajah told me: "You bet!"

Mail Cricket Editor