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Jayasuriya hits sparkling ton

Sanath Jayasuriya hit a superb century - - 148 off 156 balls - - as Sri Lanka piled a huge score against South Africa on the opening day of the first Test at Galle on Thursday.

Choosing to bat first on a grassless pitch after winning the toss, the Sri Lanka captain took the South African bowling by the throat, smashing 24 fours and a six as his side finished the day at 341 for five wickets.

He was particularly severe on medium-pacer Jacques Kallis and left-arm spinner Paul Adams, but narrowly missed scoring a century before lunch when he was unbeaten on 96 out of a total of 145.

Only Australians Victor Trumper, Charlie McCartney and Don Bradman and, Pakistan's Majid Khan have achieved this feat on the first day of a Test.

Jayasuriya eventually completed his seventh Test hundred in the fourth over after lunch with a single to mid-off off Shaun Pollock. It came in 132 minutes, off 103 balls.

The left-hander's innings was finally terminated at 211 when he went to hit left-arm spinner Paul Adams once too often and holed out to Neil McKenzie at deep mid wicket. He batted for 192 minutes and with Atapattu who scored 54, shared a first wicket partnership of 193.

Atapattu fell to Makhaya Ntini when he cut uppishly off the back foot only to see the ball fly to Nicky Boje at gully.

Adams also took the wickets of Russel Arnold, who got an inside edge on the sweep to wicket-keeper Mark Boucher for five, and Arjuna Ranatunga for 13 when he drove uppishly to be caught by a diving Pollock at wide mid-off.

Ranatunga, a veteran of 91 Tests, announced at the start of the test that he was retiring from international cricket at the end of the series.

South Africa also took the wicket of debutant Kumar Sangakkara for 23, when he was trapped lbw by left-arm spinner Nicky Boje, ending a fourth wicekt stand of 81 with Mahela Jayawardene.

Jayawardene was unbeaten on 78 at the close having batted 172 minutes and hit one six and 11 fours.

Adams, who successfully came through a fitness test this morning, took three wickets but was expensive conceding 122 runs off 24 overs which included 19 fours and two sixes. He was unlucky on two occasions when wicket-keeper Mark Boucher failed to stump Sangakkara at five and missed a catch offered by Jayewardene at 23.

The usually reliable South African fielding was nowhere near its best with Jonty Rhodes letting off Jayasuriya at cover point off Pollock when the batsman had made only 20.