da 888： Centurion: If you ask Mark Bruyns if there is such a thing as theTooth Fairy he will no doubt think of the two chances he gave in hiscareer-best innings yesterday as he helped himself to his thirdcentury of the season
Trevor Chesterfield12-Nov-1999Centurion: If you ask Mark Bruyns if there is such a thing as theTooth Fairy he will no doubt think of the two chances he gave in hiscareer-best innings yesterday as he helped himself to his thirdcentury of the season.Apart from eclipsing the 500 runs mark this season and improving analready healthy batting average, Bruyns 144 for South Africa A didmuch, with the other century-maker, Neil McKenzie, to establish firmcontrol in the four-day outing against Sri Lanka A at SuperSport Park.While McKenzie batted with more assurance and took a lot less time toreach three figures, both batsmen smartly rotated the scoring ratewith accomplished ease against bowling seemingly bereft of ideas aswell as penetration on a pitch which, the South Africa A captain, DaleBenkenstein had he won the toss would have also bowled first.There is no doubt either the South Africa A bowling would have beenfar more organised as the wayward attack and sloppy fielding displayput together by the visitors added to their misery during the Bruynsand McKenzie partnership of 177 for the second wicket. It went on tolay the foundation for the first innings total of 352 for three at theclose.Benkenstein and Ashwell Prince carried on the run spree in ablossoming partnership of 47 for the fourth wicket with Benkenstein on15 and Prince 25 with the run rate slipping below four to the over forthe first time.A compact batsman Bruyns with an unhurried style, gave the impressionhe had lifted a page straight from national coach Graham Fordsgood housekeeping batting manual which enabled him to ignored theblemishes when he was dropped at 38 and again at 98. The first wasfairly straightforward while the second was a shade more difficult andboth were in the slips.Then again it was payback time for the KwaZulu/Natal opener who wasshot down in Kurunegala during the A teams tour of Sri Lanka lastyear and the desire to get a three-figure total was as important ashis luck on the roulette tables in Colombo during that tour.From the moment he began his innings Bruyns looked in touch and his 50before lunch was an example of how he went after the bowling. He wentto his century with a push to the mid-wicket area while McKenzie?s12th boundary was a shade lucky as it eluded the outstretched hands ofPrabath Nissanka.McKenzie joined Bruyns with 112 runs already on the board in a firstwicket partnership with Doug Watson and the Northerns batsman beganhis innings with a quality cover drive for four of Sanjeeva deSilva. After that he was rarely troubled by either pace or spin as theLanka A bowlers toiled on a warmish afternoon. Like Bruyns he alsounfurled a number of classy stroke to reach his second hundred of thesummer.Then again, anyone who makes the most of his opportunities by scoringa century off 121 balls indicates just how in touch he is with hisgame and batting fluency.From the time Samaraweera, the Sri Lanka A captain won the toss anddecided the better option was to field first, the tourists gave theimpression they soon lost interest in their game plan. For a start thebowling looked weary and the fielding was not much better, althoughall-rounder Sajith Fernando at least bowled a tidy line.