South Africa will seek to end a sequence of disappointing results in home series when they take on Sri Lanka in the first of three Tests at SuperSport Park on Thursday. South Africa have lost one and shared three of four most recent home series, with a loss against Australia in 2008/09 followed by drawn series against England, India and Australia. Sri Lanka, though, should not provide too stiff a challenge for the home side. The tourists have had more than a year of poor results and appear to be particularly vulnerable in bowling since the retirement of world record-breaking off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, whose last Test match, against India in Galle in July 2010, marked Sri Lanka’s most recent win. Since then Sri Lanka have lost four and drawn 10 of 14 Tests. The large number of drawn games is an indication that Sri Lanka’s batting is stronger than their bowling – but they will be up against a strong South African bowling attack in conditions expected to favour pacemen.
“The main thing we need to adapt to is the bounce and the pace,” Sri Lanka vice-captain Angelo Mathews said. He admitted the team had not played well recently but said there was a confident mood in the side. “The team is in a good mood but we need to show it out there on the field.” Much would appear to depend on the form of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, who have been Sri Lanka’s leading batsmen for the past decade – and who shared a world-record third-wicket stand of 624 when the sides last met five years ago in Sri Lanka. Sangakkara suffered a hand injury in his team’s only warm-up match at the weekend but is expected to play.
