Match News:

Record partnership as SL make merry

Mahela Jayawardene became the first Sri Lankan captain to score 300, and his record 624-run stand with Kumar Sangakkara put Sri Lanka on top in Colombo

Sri Lankans create history

July 29, 2006

1.18 pm Sri Lanka 592 for 2 (Sangakkara 278*, Jayawaydene 273*) lead South Africa 169 by 423 runs

It was just after lunch on the third day that Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene made history, knocking off the record for the highest ever partnership in the history of the game. Sanath Jayasuriya, who held the record with Roshan Mahanama, was in the dressing-room and applauded as the benchmark of 576 was overhauled.

It was a Nicky Boje delivery, slipping down leg, that beat Mark Boucher and ran away for byes that brought up the milestone. Even the South Africans, who have been at the end of this massive 10-hour plus association, had to stop for a moment and join the celebrations as the firecrackers were set off in the stands. The two old friends, Jayawardene and Sangakkara, had been clinical in the manner in which they amassed runs. There was barely a risk taken, and the pace was steady for almost the whole duration, after an initial stage when they were watchful.

In all this, Sri Lanka had moved on to 592 for 2, and the lead had reached 423. For the moment, though, all eyes were on the record breakers - Sangakkara and Jayawardene. It would be churlish to take anything away from the pair despite the fact that the pitch hardly helped the bowlers. To concentrate hard for such a long period of time, and barely give the opposition a chance was a testament to the quality of the two batsmen.

Lunch South Africa 584 for 2 (Sangakkara 271*, Jaywardene 276*) lead South Africa 169 by 415 runs

Desperation writ large: Ashwell Prince and Jacques Rudolph ponder their predicament

The baila bands played on in the stands at the Sinhalese Sports Club and out in the middle Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene kept up their rhythm, pounding away at the South Africans. At lunch on the third day - the half-way mark in the first Test - Sri Lanka were sitting pretty on a whopping 584 for 2, a lead of 415.

Pertinently the partnership had reached 570, just six runs short of the highest of all time, put on by Sanath Jayasuriya and Roshan Mahanama against India.

There was great excitement early in the session when that rarest of rare things happened - a loud appeal. Makhaya Ntini, bowling from wide of the crease, got a ball to straighten and Jayawardene took the ball on the pad after falling over to work the ball to the leg side and missing. Ntini implored Billy Bowden, the umpire, to end his misery, but there was no such luck as the ball would probably have gone on with the angle and missed leg stump.

That shout apart, there was little break in the state of play as Sangakkara and Jawayawardene piled on the runs with metronomic efficiency. There were no risks taken, hardly a delivery that required careful defense, and with the loose balls coming along every now and then it was merely a case of accumulating, steadily, if not spectacularly.

Nicky Boje had bowled 51 wicketless overs, turning his arm over for a long spell on the third morning. He even got the occasional ball to turn sharply and beat bat, but just nothing would go South Africa's way. To make matters worse for them Sangakkara and Jayawardene were always alert to the opportunity to score runs, both in putting away the loose balls and in running hard and pinching any ones and twos on offer.

Jayawardene easily went past his previous best score, 242 against India, also made at the SSC, in 1999. Sangakkara too improved on his best, 270 against Zimbabwe at Bulawayo in 2004. By the time lunch was taken, both batsmen were well on course to scoring maiden triple hundreds, and who knows what else was in the offing. Brian Lara's 400 did not look safe at all at this stage. As they have done almost all match, Sangakkara (271 not out) and Jayawardene (276 not out) were neck and neck. For ten hours these two have been together at the crease now, and neither seems like he's going anywhere in a hurry.