Sri Lanka’s weakness against quality pace bowling overseas was exposed forthe second time in three days on Sunday as South Africa won the openingCastle Lager/MTN Test match at Wanderers by a massive innings an 64 runs

Charlie Austin10-Nov-2002Sri Lanka’s weakness against quality pace bowling overseas was exposed forthe second time in three days on Sunday as South Africa won the openingCastle Lager/MTN Test match at Wanderers by a massive innings an 64 runs.Sri Lanka coach Dav Whatmore had claimed his side were better prepared thanat any time in his three year second tenure prior to this game, but thatthat did not translate into performance as the visitors were bowled out for130 in just 41 overs.South Africa dominated all three days of the Test, outplaying SanathJayasuriya’s chastened side in every department. With the second Test to beplayed at Centurion on Friday, a venue that is also expected to assist fastbowlers, Sri Lanka look set to lose the series.The tourists started the morning brightly enough, needing just 2.4overs to wrap up the South African first innings for 386, but the top ordercapitulated against the new ball, losing four wickets before the luncheoninterval.Opener Russel Arnold started the innings disastrously, completing a pairwhen he was caught at second slip after wafting loosely at Makhaya Ntini’sfirst ball – a woeful dismissal that will reopen the debate as to whetherthe 28-year-old left-hander has the technique to open in Test cricket.Number three batsman Kumar Sangakkara (7) was unfortunate to see a fine legglance spectacularly clasped one-handed by an airborne Mark Boucher. MahelaJayawardene (1) fended off a devilish delivery from Shaun Pollock into thehands of short leg.Jayasuriya, still struggling to come to terms with his new middle orderrole, was the second man to be dismissed for a duck when he dragged aPollock delivery onto his leg stump, leaving Sri Lanka in desperate troubleon 25 for four.Vice-captain Marvan Atapattu (43) and Hashan Tillakaratne (27) resisted fora while, easing Sri Lanka past their lowest Test total of 71 during a 52 runpartnership for the fifth wicket, but Steve Elworthy then made furtherinroads soon after the break: Atapattu edging a catch into the slips andHasantha Fernando falling lbw to complete a miserable pair on debut.Chaminda Vaas held up the South Africans for 37 minutes with an entertaining32 from 30 balls, hitting three fours, before pulling a short delivery fromthe lively Makhaya Ntini straight into the hands of Kirsten at mid-wicket.Next over, Andrew Hall had Tillakaratne caught at extra cover with hiswarm-up delivery and then floored Muttiah Muralitharan with a painful blowto the groin. The off-spinner’s agony was ended two balls later when he wasclean bowled.Hall sealed victory, South Africa’s fourth consecutive win when he clean bowled Ruchira Perera, finishing with three wickets for just one run.Earlier in the day, Muralitharan became the fourth highest wicket-taker inTest history when he trapped Hall lbw with the fifth ball of the day, movingpast Richard Hadlee’s 431 Test tally. He finished with 433 wickets when hetrapped Elworthy in similar fashion in his following over.Jacques Kallis extended his run without being dismissed to 909 minutes, arun that stretches back eight months to South Africa’s third Test againstAustralia in March, before gloving a catch behind without adding to hisovernight 75.