It has become almost customary that South Africa limp into Cape Town every new year. They are usually bruised from a Durban bashing, but then emerge refreshed to deliver poundings of their own.
The Proteas’ record at Fortress Newlands since readmission is hugely impressive, with Australia the only visiting team to have been victorious at the hallowed ground. And even that was six years ago.
Jacques Kallis has habitually been central to South Africa’s success. Yesterday, on the first day of the deciding third Test against Sri Lanka, the great all-rounder again treated his home crowd to a new year special. The masterclass yielded 159 glorious runs off just 215 balls in his 150th Test overall – and will continue today.
It is a sight they have enjoyed so often in the past, considering Kallis joined Sri Lankan Mahela Jayawardene and Graham Gooch as the only batsmen to have scored over 2 000 Test runs at one venue. Jayawardene has 2 697 at Colombo’s SSC and Gooch has 2 015 at Lord’s.
Yesterday, in the basking sun, Kallis delivered a royal treat. The 36-year-old no longer produces feats of attrition that can only be appreciated by the Test connoisseur. He now plays for the masses, fuelled by a style change that was forced upon him by adaptations required for Twenty20 and, specifically, the Indian Premier League.
Kallis has freed himself of the shackles that constrained him during the majority of his Test career, and now feasts on anything remotely short or full.
It has caused some consternation among the purists because of his recent failure in Durban – he registered his first pair of Test ducks last week – but when this approach is successful, it is a throwback to the days when he was still a teenager at Western Province.
Yesterday, it delivered his 41st Test century – off just 114 balls – and then 150 from 201 balls. It was also his first ton against Sri Lanka, which saw Kallis achieve the distinction of joining current coach Gary Kirsten as the only South African to have registered a century against every Test-playing nation.
The fact that Sri Lanka were even bowling would have surprised many. The pitch had a tinge of green and there were a couple of clouds in the sky, but Tillakaratne Dilshan’s decision to bowl surrendered all the momentum gained from their Durban success.
It did not help that his bowlers were either too short or too full, which allowed South Africa to maintain a run-rate of close to or above four to the over for the entire day.
There was some early success, with the recalled Dhammika Prasad’s impressive ability to test the speed gun accounting for Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla. Prasad even troubled Kallis early on with the short ball, but Chanaka Welegedara was not alert to the chance at fine-leg.
But along with Kallis, South Africa had an opener determined to prove that he should never have been considered surplus to requirements at the beginning of the summer. Alviro Petersen scored a century on his Test debut against India at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens in 2010, and on his return to the team, stroked another.
He hardly looked troubled throughout his innings, playing like a man who had never left the Test arena. He was delightful down the ground, presenting a straight bat before caressing the ball back past the bowler.
A key component of an opening batsman’s make-up is knowing exactly where his off stump is, and Petersen competently completed this task by leaving the ball well when required.
While this might sound like a basic technical element, the Proteas were guilty of over-extravagance at Kingsmead, especially when it came to playing shots outside the off stump, which brought the Sri Lankan slip cordon into play.
The Sri Lankans had precious few chances during the 205-run fourth-wicket partnership. Kallis did survive a television replay on 73, although umpire Richard Kettleborough initially ruled the lbw appeal by Welegedara not out.
Peterson did eventually fall on 109 to a loose cover drive off Welegedara, only for AB de Villiers (45 not out) to continue South Africa’s ascendency with an unbroken 86-run partnership. After the way they ended 2011 in Durban, the Proteas will be pleased with how 2012 has gone thus far. They now have to follow through ...
Plays of the day...
Driving seat: Pick any one of several beautiful straight drives for four by Jacques Kallis and Alviro Petersen, or the blistering square-drive to the fence by AB de Villiers to open his account.
Watching his mouth:“First-class cricket is important ... but I don't want to put too much emphasis on it. Just now they send me back there.” (SA opener Alviro Petersen after his century on recall to the Test side)
Close call 1: Kallis, on 99, drives, thinks about a run, but then sends Alviro Petersen back. Mid-off fielder Chanaka Welegedera misses the stumps at the bowler’s end.
Close call 2: Petersen on 99, after tea, plays to midwicket, starts, then pulls out of a single. Kallis, dashing back to the bowler’s end, just beats the throw which shatters the stumps.
Wrong call: Tillakaratne Dilshan opts to field on winning the toss.
Super stat: Jacques Kallis’s 41st Test century gives him a full set against the other nine Test-playing countries. It also improves his Test-run tally at Newlands to 2 033, making him just the third player to pass 2 000 Test runs at a single ground. His tally at Newlands is second-highest of all time, behind Mahela Jayawardene’s 2 697 runs at the SSC in Colombo.
Risky business: Petersen, on 99, unleashes an aggressive cutshot off the last ball before tea, by Angelo Mathews. He misses, and survives.
Super starter: Dhammika Prasad picks up the wicket of Graeme Smith with his first ball of the day, and then Hashim Amla in his fifth over. - Cape Times