Kirsten pooh-poohs Murali's feat

Play in the first Test between South Africa and Sri Lanka had hardly ended, anti-climactically, when a war of words erupted – from an unlikely source.

You might have thought that the normally polite and diplomatic South Africans would pay gracious tribute to Muthiah Muralitharan. The Sri Lankan spinner has taken five or more wickets in an innings no fewer than eight times in just nine Tests against the Proteas. That includes his eleven wickets for 161 in the two innings of the drawn first Test in Durban.

But the man who dealt most effectively with him, scoring a peerless 180 in the South African first innings, was ready to offer up more punishment. Gary Kirsten, not usually a big talker, was withering in his efforts to deflate the Muralitharan mystique.

Referring to Muralitharan’s five-wicket hauls, Kirsten asked: "Just how many of those Tests have Sri Lanka won?"

The records show that Muralitharan’s bowling has only once proved to be match-winning against South Africa. It’s always been Sri Lanka who’ve been on the back foot, and Muralitharan has in general been trying to save his compatriots, not bring them victory.

The Kirsten blast apart, this match must have brought Muralitharan deep satisfaction. Besides his superb bowling figures, he notched up his 300th Test wicket – and ironically, his victim was captain Shaun Pollock.

Ironic, because in the same game, Pollock became only the second man in South African cricket history to take 200 Test wickets.

The speed at which the Sri Lankan has got to his 300th wicket is astonishing. Only one man, the great Australian Dennis Lillee, did it in fewer Tests (55 as compared with Muraltharan’s 58). Jayasuriya said afterwards that “All of Sri Lanka is proud of him. He is the only Sri Lankan who could do this."

Muralitharan got official recognition for his milestone when the Sri Lankan minister of tourism and sport, Lakshman Kiriella, gave him an award at tea-time on the last day. Muralitharan also told reporters that he plans to take 500 Test wickets – more than any man in history so far.

Two key factors have some bearing on that ambition, though. First, that the security situation in Sri Lanka doesn’t threaten to cut down the number of tours there. And secondly, that Muralitharan’s bowling action doesn’t come under further scrutiny.

One advantage the little spinner has is that he is, figuratively not literally, head-and-shoulders above anyone else in the team as a strike bowler. As was the case earlier with New Zealand's Richard Hadlee, Murali's team relies so heavily on him that he gets to bowl a huge amount.

Overall, the first Test has not been a great one for the Sri Lankans. They were very lucky not to lose it -- and for this, they can literally look up in gratitude to the heavens, which poured rain on this Indian Ocean coastal city for all of the fourth day. That led to a frantic run-chase by the South Africans on the final morning, with Pollock choosing to come in at number four for a slog.

He declared at 140 for seven, perhaps leaving it a little too late. The target set was 345 to win in 82 overs, a hopeless task.

Muralitharan had by then taken six for 39, but that effort was viewed in light of the rash strokes played by the South Africans as they sacrificed their wickets for fast run-scoring.

The Sri Lankans in the end saved the match with a fifth-wicket stand that lasted just under two hours. Russel Arnold and Tillekeratne Dilshan, for the record, put together 52 runs. It was 149 for six with eight overs to go when bad light ended the match early.

A big plus for South Africa was that their new young fast-bowler, Mfuneko Ngam, bowled excellently in only his second Test innings. And with Donald probably resting his injury again in the next Test, in Cape Town later this week, Ngam may get a go on a faster pitch.

The South Africans are complaining about the slow pitches being prepared for them, when their pace attack is clearly far better than Sri Lanka’s, and their spin department clearly inferior.

Jayawardene thinks the Sri Lankan batsmen will have more confidence, now that they’ve survived the first Test. Most experts, though, believe the South Africans will have a bigger advantage in Cape Town, with the likelihood that Herschelle Gibbs, whose six-month ban ends with the New Year, will replace the unsuccessful but talented opener Boeta Dippenaar.

Asked by rediff.com whether the South Africans want the brilliant and in-form Gibbs brought in now that his six-month ban ends tomorrow, manager Goolam Raja answered: “You bet!”

(Paul Martin is the rediff.com Southern Africa correspondent, and editor-in-chief of Sport Africa Broadcasting.)

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