McKenzie stakes claim for Test berth
Sa' adi Thawfeeq - 16 July 2000

Neil McKenzie staked a claim for a berth in the South African Test side when he hit a superb
156 not out on the opening day of the two-day warm up match against a Sri Lanka Board XI
played at the Saravanamuttu Stadium on Sunday.

South Africa finished the day on a high note at 385 for four after being invited to bat first.With a question mark against Darryl Cullinan's fitness (hamstring injury),ahead of Thursday's first Test at Galle, 24-year-old uncapped Test player McKenzie from Gauteng grabbed the opportunity to remind the tour selectors with a superb knock.

The right-hander played both pace and spin with ease reaching his century with a pulled four
to fine leg off Dilhara Fernando.It took him 213 minutes and was scored off 166 balls with 15
fours and a six.

He did not give a chance until at 139 when he miscued a drive off the second new ball and
Indika de Saram failed to hold onto the head high catch at mid-off. Ruchira Perera was the
unlucky bowler.

McKenzie's knock cannot be ignored by the South African tour selectors who will either have to fit him in either as an opener or a middle-order batsman. At the close, he had advanced to
156, having completed his 150 in 282 minutes off 211 balls with one six and 20 fours.

What was ironic about the whole thing was that South Africa played with only four front-line
batsmen if all-rounders Lance Klusener and Shaun Pollock are to be ignored, and the Board XI
bowlers could make no impression on them.

They were either too wayward or bowled far too short and were punished accordingly. A total of 16-no-balls and seven wides didn't help their cause.

Pollock thrashed the tired bowling attack in the final session to complete a half-century off 77 balls in 99 minutes with a six and three fours.

The arrival of the second new ball after 83 overs brought forth a flurry of runs - 52 off seven
overs with McKenzie completing 150 and Pollock his fifty. The pair have so far put together an unfinished stand of 151 for the fifth wicket.

The early part of the batting was dominated by wicket-keeper Mark Boucher who was
promoted to open only because Andrew Hall was being given a rest. Boucher made 75 good
runs batting positively to hit 12 fours and a six in his 150-minute stay at the wicket . He made use of a dropped catch at 52 by Prasanna Jayewardene off Fernando to become the dominant partner in an opening stand of 77 with Boeta Dippenaar, who made an unimpressive 15 runs in 85 minutes.

Jonty Rhodes in need of a big innings behind him before the Test series disappointed when he
was smartly stumped by Jayewardene off Dinuk Hettiaratchi for nine. Klusener knocked up 36
with five fours helping McKenzie add 88 for the fourth wicket before hitting back a return
catch to part-time bowler Tillekeratne Dilshan. That success which came 25 minutes after tea was the Board XI's final breakthrough for the day. McKenzie and Pollock then took total control from there onwards.

The Board XI made one late change including Kaushalya Weeraratne for Pramodya
Wickremasinghe, who was ruled out with a stiff neck.

By resting key players Gary Kirsten, Andrew Hall, Jacques Kallis, and Lance Klusener from the
team that lost the Singer Triangular Series final to Sri Lanka on Friday and also Darryl Cullinan
who missed the final because of a hamstring injury, South Africa played all five fast bowlers on tour.

Australian Test umpire Darryl Harper officiated in this game to get himself acclimatised to the
hot and humid conditions here. Harper is due to stand in the first two Tests between Sri Lanka and South Africa at Galle (July 20-24) and Kandy (July 30 to August 3).

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