Sri Lanka succumb to the Proteas at Newlands

Sri Lanka simply weren’t up to the Test as they collapsed from 149/2 at the start of Day 3 to a paltry 239 all out, some 341 runs short of the Proteas 580. Following on, the visitors are 138/4 (still 203 behind) and the result of this match is now inevitable. South Africa are on the brink of their first home Test series win for three years.

The tone of the day was set early by the world number-one batsman Kumar Sangakarra when he drove the world number-one bowler ferociously hard to Hashim Amla’s safe hands in the covers. It was an unnecessary shot for the first over of a day when Sri Lanka needed to play catch up. Very little resistance from the touring side followed as the Test match failed to live up to the extraordinarily exciting precedents set at this ground in recent and distant years.

But the Proteas will take it. A win is a win and a thumping is all the better. After a drawn two-Test series against Australia, Gary Kirsten will soon have a win under his belt as the team’s coach. Graeme Smith, despite his awful time with the bat, earns some redemption for a Test series win.

All that said, Sri Lanka are a far weaker team than these competitors. What should have been a mismatched series hung in the balance going into this deciding match, after the Christmas-hungover home side made a fool of themselves in Durban. One can’t help but wonder if it might have been a little different had Tillakaratne Dilshan made the correct decision and elected to bat first when he won the toss.

On paper the South African team is probably the best in the world. Imran Tahir has been a revelation – indeed the answer to a history without a first-rate spin bowler. AB de Villiers, Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla would be at home in any World XI. As would Dale Steyn and perhaps Vernon Philander in any bowling attack. Marchant de Lange is a preposterously exciting find.

But the Proteas have only a tour to New Zealand to work on their game before facing world-number one England in five months and a few problems loom. Graeme Smith looks at sea with the bat more often than not. His determination and bravery can’t be questioned but an opener needs to have a technique that doesn’t let him down two innings in every three. Another issue is that Mark Boucher needs to make way for whoever is to be our next specialist ‘keeper ‘ perhaps Heino Kuhn.

These things aside, this team has the makings of world-beaters. We can only hope that Gary Kirsten can harness the whole to add up to the sum of its parts. Here’s hoping.