The Hindu : Sport : De Villiers and Kallis shine

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Wednesday, Oct 25, 2006
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De Villiers and Kallis shine

G. Viswanath

Fourth-wicket partnership yields a vital 80 runs

— Photo: K.R. Deepak

CAUGHT OFF GUARD: Jacques Kallis is smartly stumped by Kumar Sangakkara off Sanath Jayasuriya.

AHMEDABAD: It was a classic dismissal by a left-arm spinner. A true specialist like Daniel Vettori would have exulted in similar fashion as Sanath Jayasuriya celebrated like a child at the downfall of Jacques Kallis.

By right, Jayasuriya is entitled to make a big claim to have made the grade as Sri Lanka's chief left-arm spinner long ago, having rolled his arm over first at the Adelaide Oval sixteen summers ago.

Only he could tell whether he intended to spin the ball by a fraction or few inches, but the smart cricketer in him was evident when he delivered the ball with his landing foot well inside the popping crease to drag Kallis a long way down the pitch and miss. And the alert wicketkeeper did the rest.

Kallis's departure in the middle overs was a telling blow and a setback from which South Africa never managed to recover to make a satisfactory total.

He was one of the two batsmen — the other being Abraham de Villiers — who displayed a great deal of patience, tenacity and was well-equipped to rise to the big occasion, though he looked a little uncomfortable, maybe hampered by a leg injury he suffered while turning for a second run.

On the offensive

Driving Lasith Malinga and Dilhara Fernando to the cover fence, he offered ample evidence that defence was not the option he had in mind after the fall of Greame Smith — held by Jayasuriya in one of the two mandatory catching positions at short midwicket — and Herschelle Gibbs.

The right-hander paid the price for chancing his arm too far. He punished Malinga whenever he strayed, but Gibbs met with self-inflicted doom trying to repeat an offside glide off Malinga. Boeta Dippenaar perished in the next over and at 30 for three, Mahela Jayawardene's decision to ask the Africans to bat first could not have been questioned.

As has become customary in the competition, Chaminda Vaas caused an early breakdown in the South African innings by foxing Smith. He then ended Boeta Dippenaar's dour display on a day he bowled ten clever overs, using the curving ball as his main weapon. His final analysis of 10-3-16-2 was a fantastic undertaking that limited South Africa's final total to 219.

Replacing Andrew Hall as an additional specialist batsman, de Villiers was not given the freedom to cut loose, but nonetheless his approach when the two spinners operated was most heartening. Without mastering Jayasuriya and Muttiah Muralitharan, the fourth-wicket pair in Kallis and de Villiers rotated the strike by nudging and employing the sweep and added 80 runs off 137 balls before the former fell.

Mark Boucher, Shaun Pollock and Robin Peterson struck some lusty blows before Malinga with two clear dismissals in the last three balls, put himself in line for a hat-trick.However, tailender Makhaya Ntini denied the rare feat to the slinger.

SCOREBOARD

South Africa: G. Smith c Jayasuriya b Vaas 10, B. Dippenaar c Sangakkara b Vaas 3, H. Gibbs c Sangakkara b Malinga 16, J. Kallisst. Sangakkara b Jayasuriya 43, A.B. de Villiers c Maharoof b Muralitharan 54, M. Boucher b Malinga 29, J. Kemp b Jayasuriya 7, S. Pollock (not out) 21, R. Peterson b Malinga 22, Andre Nel b Malinga 0, M. Ntini (not out) 1; Extras (b-4, lb-2, nb-1, w-6): 13; Total (for nine wkts. in 50 overs): 219. Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-30, 3-30, 4-110, 5-145, 6-169, 7-176, 8-218, 9-218. Sri Lanka bowling: Vaas 10-3-16-2, Malinga 9-0-53-4, Fernando 5-0-24-0, Muralitharan 10-0-42-1, Jayasuriya 10-0-36-2, Maharoof 5-0-34-0, Dilshan 1-0-8-0.

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