da betway： Mahela Jayawardene sprang back into form with a brilliant hundred in atwo-day warm-up match against New Zealand on Saturday, guaranteeing himself selection for the first test starting on April 25
Wisden CricInfo29-Jul-2005Mahela Jayawardene sprang back into form with a brilliant hundred in atwo-day warm-up match against New Zealand on Saturday, guaranteeing himselfselection for the first test starting on April 25.Jayawardene, dropped from the one-day side after a disastrous World Cup,caressed a chanceless 108 from 137 balls hitting 15 fours and two straightsixes as the Sri Lanka Board President’s XI scored 258 in their firstinnings.New Zealand openers Matthew Horne (38*) and Matthew Richardson (27*) theneased the visitors to a comfortable 74 without loss at stumps on day one.Batting at number four, Jayawardene helped rescue the President’s XI, whosoon slumped to 35 for three after winning the toss and batting first,adding 131 runs for the fourth wicket with Romesh Kaluwitharana.The 25-year-old right-hander looked a completely assured at the crease,seizing upon any opportunity to score on a slow pitch and middling the ballthroughout.He reached his hundred with a paddle sweep and acknowledged a decent weekendcrowd with a neat wave of his bat, no doubt relieved to have ended anydebate over the wisdom of his inclusion in the test side.The Sri Lankan selectors, who are due to announce the squad on Monday night,now just have to mull over three troublesome positions: the wicket-keeper,second spinner and final batsman.Kaluwitharana, the skipper, certainly increased his chances of claiming aplace with a workmanlike 55 from 98 balls before being trapped lbw by seamerDarryl Tuffey.Tuffey proved to be the pick of the Kiwi bowlers, dismissing both openersRussel Arnold (4) and Michael Vandort (25) with the new and then takingthree more wickets after lunch to finish with five for 55.A shaven-headed Shane Bond also impressed, taking three for 56 from 15 overswithout ever pressing down fully on the gas, whilst key spinner DanielVettori snared one middle order wicket.