<p><strong>Alviro Petersen happy with his century on comeback for South Africa – Cricket News Update</strong></p>
<p>South Africa’s Alviro Petersen was a relieved man after scoring a century against Sri Lanka in his comeback match at the Newlands, Cape Town in South Africa on Tuesday, January 3, 2012.</p>
<p>The right-handed opener was dropped one year back after failing to make an impression against India in a three match Test series. His last Test with the team was also played in Cape Town, where he scored 21 and 22 in his respective outings.</p>
<p>This did not stop Petersen from working hard, as he regained his place in the side following some solid performances at the domestic level.</p>
<p>The 31-year-old batsman stated, “First-class cricket is really, really important. I always believed I had the chance to get back. I knew that to get back in I had to score runs and put up performances and score runs for my franchise and South Africa A when
I had the opportunity.”</p>
<p>The circumstances for Petersen were not the easiest, as his side was put into bat by the opposition’s skipper Tillakaratne Dilshan, who expected the moisture to help his seamers in the morning sessions of play.</p>
<p>Despite that, the stylish batsman did not panic and batted magnificently, scoring his second Test century on his comeback. He ended up with 109 runs off 188 balls with the help of 13 fours and one massive six.</p>
<p>Commenting on the comeback ton, the opener said, “A 100 is great milestone and it was quite satisfying to get to that milestone. But as a batsman you’re never satisfied and for me it’s all about pushing that bar and improving even more. I always believed.
It’s all about getting runs on the board and putting my name in the hat once more.”</p>
<p>South Africa were under a spot of bother after losing captain Graeme Smith and first-drop Hashim Amla for 56 runs on the board.</p>
<p>However, the team was rescued from trouble, courtesy a double century stand between Petersen and Jacques Kallis. They put on 205 runs for the third wicket partnership, taking the game away from the Sri Lankans.</p>
<p>Although Petersen got out before close of play on day one, Kallis remained unbeaten on 159 and was joined by AB de Villiers, who also contributed 45 runs until the end of the day.</p>
Tags: