Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis then settled down to dig South Africa out of the hole. Kallis, widely criticized for his stodgy play against Australia, was more open in his batting this time round; at the other end, Vaas kept Smith captive with a superlative display of controlled swing and seam.

Both batsmen tried to get Vaas unsettled by taking guard outside the crease; Sangakkara promptly came to the aid of his bowler, calling for a helmet and standing up, to keep the batsmen honest.

Lanka would have been even more successful, but for the waywardness of Lasith Malinga. The bowler had optimum conditions: a pitch with somewhat lower bounce, ideally suited to his slingy action; he however kept straying to leg and Smith worked him for three fours off his hips in the space of two overs.

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