Colombo: Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene vowed to extend South Africa’s misery on Saturday after the hosts took control of the first Test.

Jayawardene (224 batting) and vice-captain Kumar Sangakkara (229 batting) batted through the day on Friday to pile up a 471-run partnership, the second highest stand in the game’s history.

“We haven’t thought about how long we are going to bat yet, but we want to have a decent rest tonight and then make sure we continue to do the work tomorrow morning that we did today,” Jayawardene told reporters.

“It is not finished yet and we want to make sure they stay down,” he added.

“The longer we can bat the more the pitch will deteriorate and then hopefully our spinners can get plenty out of the surface in the last couple of days.”

“We didn’t know that we broke any partnership till the end,” Jayawardene said.

Sangakkara, who had survived twice early in the innings, got his century with a risky shot that fell inches from long-off fielder Jacques Rudolph.

He crossed 200 runs for the fourth time with a total of 10 Test centuries. Jayawardene has 15 centuries, going on to get a double-hundred three times.

“I had a bit of luck when I started... when I get to 99 I have always got my 100 in singles. Sometimes you take your chance and it works, sometimes it doesn’t,” Sangakkara said of his escape, after scoring unbeaten 229 at close.

South Africa wicketkeeper Mark Boucher said the tourists were licking their wounds but would fight on.

“The guys are pretty down in the dressing room ? it was just one of those days in test cricket,” Boucher said.

“It was very frustrating to go through a day’s play without a single success, but a lot of cricketers have been through that in Test cricket,” he added.

“There is no doubt that we are now up against it but trust me: if we go down, we’ll go down fighting.

“The conditions are different here and a couple of us are off the ball but anything is possible in cricket,” he said.