Zimbabwe v Sri Lanka at Harare: CricInfo Report

Zimbabwe v Sri Lanka at Harare
26-30 Nov 1999 (John Ward)

Day1 | Day2 | Day3 | Day4 | Day4 | Day5

Day1: Zoysa and Andy Flower dominate unusual day's play

The first day of the match saw a mixture of good Sri Lankan cricket, some bad Zimbabwean batting and some more bad Zimbabwean luck. But two performances shone like beacons above the rest: Nuwan Zoysa�s sensational hat-trick and the wonderful determination and skill of Andy Flower.

Zoysa after his hat-trick did not look the same threat again, but Flower almost survived the day until he was cruelly given out, playing a stroke at a ball that appeared to hit him well outside the line of off stump. Zimbabwe finished on 162 for nine, but so well had Flower led the recovery that they were at one stage 133 for four and a substantial total looked possible. But then two gross shots by two senior batsmen threw away this advantage, and umpire Tiffin�s lbw verdict against Flower proved the final nail in Zimbabwe's coffin.

Sri Lanka made just one change from their Bulawayo team, bringing in Zoysa for Gallage, while Zimbabwe made two. The selectors restored Gripper for Rennie, who paid the penalty for a poor decision and a very good ball in Bulawayo; one hopes they are not going to dither continually between the two. With the Harare pitch less likely to take spin, Matambanadzo replaced Andrew Whittall. The weather was a mixture of sun and fairly light cloud all day, with bad light threatening towards the close but never rain.

Once again Zimbabwe lost the toss at Harare Sports Club and were put in to bat by Sri Lankan captain Sanath Jayasuriya. The expectation was that this would not be too serious a disadvantage as the pitch had less grass on than in Zimbabwe's three previous matches and Sri Lanka did not have the same strength in their pace attack as did Australia and South Africa.

In the event, though, there was just enough life and movement to beat the bat, and this was to prove fatal. After a maiden over by Vaas to Grant Flower, Zoysa struck with his first delivery, as Gripper unwisely padded up to a ball that moved back in and trapped him lbw.

Off the very next ball Goodwin played at a ball moving away outside off stump and was given out caught at the wicket, again by umpire Bucknor. Johnson, facing a hat-trick, moved across his stumps to be hit on the pad and given out lbw, again by Bucknor. With the television not working, those behind the line feel that the lbw decisions were justified, although Johnson was hit on the front pad playing forward, but could not comment on the �caught behind� decision. The television failed for most of the day, making definitive assessment of events on the field impossible at times. Zimbabwe were off to their worst ever start to a Test match, three wickets down without a run on the board.

With Sri Lanka fielding four slips and two gullies, Andy Flower dug in, and the first run came off the final ball of the fourth over, as Andy turned a ball to long leg for a single. Then he drove Vaas through the covers for three so that the runs exceeded the wickets for the first time.

Grant finally got off the mark after 38 minutes with a nudge past short leg. The bowling remained good but no longer inspired, and under normal circumstances the batsmen should not have felt uncomfortable. The first boundary came in the 13th over, as Andy dabbed Wickramasinghe through the slips for four, and Zoysa was replaced by Vaas at the city end, after an opening spell of 6-2-5-3.

It was hard going for the Flower brothers as Sri Lanka had their tails up and the outfield was very heavy, slowing down the run rate considerably. But Zimbabwe could not have wished for two better men to stand in the breach. When the teams departed for lunch, Zimbabwe were 46 for three (Grant 15, Andy 26).

Muralitharan overpitched the first ball after lunch, and Grant Flower drove it handsomely through extra cover for four, bringing up the team fifty and, not altogether coincidentally, the fifty partnership. He was not to last long, though; he played over a yorker from Muralitharan and was bowled for 19, off 103 balls. Zimbabwe were now 53 for four, and had to start their recovery all over again.

The highest and most fluent partnership of the Zimbabwean innings then took place between Andy Flower and Campbell. They kept the ones and twos ticking over, and Campbell played a masterly hook for four off Wickramasinghe and was looking most comfortable.

The hundred finally came up as Flower drove Vaas for two through extra cover, one of many strokes that would normally have been four but for the heavy outfield. Campbell at the other end drove Jayasuriya powerfully and straight, the ball almost decapitating his partner on its way to the boundary.

Vas bowled two particularly good overs just before tea, first of all striking Campbell on the pad several times and having two vociferous lbw appeals turned down by umpire Tiffin, and then pinning down Andy Flower on 49 and causing him to mistime a couple of strokes intended to bring up his fifty. He still had not got there when the players went off to tea, with the total on 112 for four and Campbell on 30.

A misfield at mid-off in the second over after tea allowed Flower to take three and reach a magnificent fighting fifty. At the other end he lofted Arnold with superb timing over long-off for six. Campbell once again failed to capitalise on an excellent start; he moved across his stumps and tried to play a ball from Wickramasinghe across the line, to be given out lbw by umpire Tiffin. It was another unnecessarily poor shot when a major score was vital, and it proved to be a turning point of the innings. He made 36, gave his wicket away softly yet again, and Zimbabwe were 133 for five.

Muralitharan was brought on for the new batsman Whittall, the last of the recognised batsmen, and the move paid instant dividends. Whittall played an atrocious shot, especially in Zimbabwe's current situation, swinging right across the line and missing, to be clean bowled by a sharp spinner. He made 1, and Zimbabwe were now 134 for six.

Brent appeared a bundle of nerves and survived two chances offered to the close fielders. Flower reached the seventies; on a quicker outfield he might well have reached a century by now, but saw many of his best strokes denied their real value. He appeared to be reading Muralitharan superbly, avoiding playing the ball whenever he could and picking almost infallibly the balls safe to leave. Brent tried to hold his end up, but in the end pushed at a ball from Vaas and edged a catch to the keeper. He made 3, and Zimbabwe were 152 for seven.

Then Flower�s gallant innings came to an end with umpire Tiffin�s controversial decision, for 74, taking Zimbabwe to 153 for eight.

Strang also fell before the close, brilliantly caught off a thick edge, one-handed in the gully by the leaping Dilshan, for 4. This was Vaas� 100th wicket in Test cricket. Zimbabwe were now 161 for nine. Matambanadzo pushed a single into the covers before play came to a close, with Olonga not out on 4.

Day2: Zimbabwe face uphill struggle as Sri Lanka consolidate

The second day's play began under sunny skies, although that was no guarantee of continued good weather at this time of year in Zimbabwe. However the sun continued to shine all day, especially for the Sri Lankan team.

They finished the day 62 runs ahead of Zimbabwe with seven wickets still in hand, and even after two days� play it seems that only a change in the weather could save Zimbabwe from heavy defeat. It was an as yet unbroken fourth-wicket partnership of 131 between Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan that really pulled Sri Lanka ahead, and they survive to torment the home side further on the morrow.

Zimbabwe were 163 for nine overnight, and with their last pair of Olonga and Matambanadzo together, both very much in the rabbit class. Matambanadzo got the score moving off the second ball of the day, although not quite in the manner he planned. He tried to hook a bouncer from Zoysa, and the ball hit the top of his helmet and bounced over the keeper's head for a leg-bye. In Zoysa's next over Olonga appreciated the gift of a full toss which he hit past mid-on for four. He then reached double figures with a push for two through the covers, only his second excursion into that realm in Test cricket.

The last-wicket stand had already lasted longer than expected, but it came to an end when Matambanadzo (6) pushed a catch to Jayawardene at silly mid-off and Zimbabwe were all out for 174, with Olonga undefeated on 10.

Zimbabwe appeared to miss a wonderful chance of an early breakthrough when Gary Brent bowled the second over, opening the bowling with Olonga. Jayasuriya, on 1, edged his second ball at shoulder height to the right of Gripper at third slip, who could not hold it. Jayasuriya continued to live dangerously, however, twice slashing and missing at Olonga in the following over, and then in the paceman's third over, immediately after cutting a four to third man, slashing again at a wide one and edging a catch straight to Andy Flower behind the stumps. He made 6, and Sri Lanka were 17 for one.

Atapattu looked in confident mood, keeping the score moving through drives and pushes through the field, especially through the covers as the Zimbabwean bowlers maintained their line just outside off stump. Arnold began cautiously, but then slashed a ball from Brent just clear of Gripper in the slips to the third-man boundary, then nudged a ball uppishly past short leg for a single. Matambanadzo replaced the luckless Brent after the latter had bowled four overs, and soon made a ball fly at Atapattu.

Arnold began to look more confident, showing aggression to the deliveries outside off stump, cutting well and off-driving Matambanadzo for four. With Atapattu also cutting a four, 11 came off the over. Strang replaced Olonga at the clubhouse end, and had Atapattu snicking a ball just short of the slips. The scoring rate slowed, but the batsmen continued to play sensibly, running well between the wickets, until lunch, when Sri Lanka were 61 for one, with both batsmen on 25.

Gripper bowled the first over after lunch with his off-breaks, perhaps in the hope that he might be able to contribute in one department of the game, after his first-ball dismissal and dropped catch. It was not a good start, as Arnold cut his first ball to the point boundary, and six came off the over. With Olonga at the other end not quite finding his rhythm, runs came quite freely, and Arnold pulled away from Atapattu, driving Strang through extra cover for four when he replaced Gripper. After that it seemed so easy as the two batsmen kept out the good balls and put away anything slightly off line.

The second wicket when it happened was a surprise, and this was perhaps the one memorable moment of an unspectacular day. The batsmen attempted a third run as Johnson fielded a ball off the pads near the fine-leg boundary and were surprised by his superb instantaneous turn and throw; the third umpire signalled out in the closest of decisions. Atapattu was the man to go, for 37, a great relief for the Zimbabweans, and the score was 97 for two.

The runs almost came to a standstill for a while, and Arnold was not destined to reach his fifty; one run short, he played forward to a ball from Strang moving away outside the off stump, and the ball flew off the edge to Campbell at second slip, reducing Sri Lanka to 105 for three.

After those two quick wickets, the new batsmen had to settle in, with Dilshan looking uncomfortable against Strang, while Jayawardene edged Olonga for four uppishly through the vacant third-slip position. Then, with some well-placed strokes and good running between the wickets, the runs started to come again. The accent was on steady accumulation, and the teams went in to tea with Sri Lanka on 140 for three (Jayawardene 21, Dilshan 16).

Dilshan played a classic drive through the covers off Brent to awaken those who may have fallen asleep over their teacups, and there was a suggestion of more enterprise on the part of the batsmen. Jayawardene suddenly looked in fine form once he had hooked Matambanadzo for a well-timed four, and shortly afterwards off-drove Brent very sweetly to the boundary. But again steadiness was the order of the day, and Sri Lanka took the lead just before the drinks break.

Strang attempted a bumper to Jayawardene which bounced above head height, but at his pace the batsman decided to hook anyway, and hit it well enough to record a four to fine leg. There were several more bouncers bowled during the final session, the Zimbabweans believing the tourists to be vulnerable against the rising ball, but there was little life in the pitch or enough pace in the bowlers to trouble them.

Zimbabwe kept plugging on, trying the occasional unsuccessful appeal, but unable to do much more than keep the batsmen quiet, if that. Grant Flower came on to bowl, and Jayawardene hoisted him over long-on for a one-bounce four to reach his fifty, off 108 balls; next over he celebrated with a six over midwicket, and in the following over repeated the shot, the ball falling just short of the ropes. There had been some concern among the Sri Lankans that since being appointed vice-captain Jayawardene�s form appeared to be slipping, but this innings should do much to allay those fears.

Dilshan too reached his fifty and the batsmen seemed quite at ease with bowling that was not accurate enough to put any pressure on them. Apart from occasional bursts, though, the batsmen were content to take runs as they came. Just before the close Olonga and Matambanadzo took the second new ball, which caused the batsmen to play with caution, but did not break through. They finished the day on 236 for three (Jayawardene 71, Dilshan 57).

Day3: Zimbabwe shoot themselves in the foot as they face defeat

The third day�s play followed, in outline, a rather predictable pattern, with Sri Lanka building up the fifth successive total in the 400s against Zimbabwe this season before the home side managed to shoot itself in the foot again during the last hour.

The highlight of the day was a superb unbeaten 163, a century in his second Test, by the young Sri Lankan Tillakaratne Dilshan. Rather in the manner of Atapattu in Bulawayo, Dilshan worked hard for his runs, generally waiting for the right ball against an industrious and fairly accurate bowling attack. Jayawardene also played a good innings, but as in Bulawayo the majority of the batsmen did not contribute greatly.

Sri Lanka began the day 62 runs ahead with seven wickets still in hand, in excellent batting conditions and with no sign of rain. Jayawardene was slow to get moving, but Dilshan was in form right from the start, hitting two good shots through midwicket and over mid-on for three apiece, which would have been fours but for the slow outfield.

Strang, as so often the most economical of Zimbabwe's bowlers, finally struck after the drinks break, as Jayawardene, on 91, drove at a ball moving away outside off stump and edged a low catch to the keeper. Sri Lanka were 283 for four; the partnership had put on 178 runs and Dilshan at the other end had 82.

Kaluwitharana started rather uncertainly, but was helped by the occasional bad ball, and a couple of powerful strokes before lunch suggested a possible major innings. At lunch Sri Lanka went in on 314 for four (Dilshan 94, Kaluwitharana 18).

Dilshan duly reached his first Test century in handsome style in the second over after the interval, driving Strang beautifully through the covers for four. It took him 234 balls and 311 minutes.

In the next over Kaluwitharana fell to a brilliant run-out by Olonga. He pulled Grant Flower hard to midwicket, where Olonga dived full-length to save the ball with the batsman halfway won the pitch. Olonga recovered more quickly than Kaluwitharana did, hurling the ball in to Andy Flower who knocked out the middle stump with the batsman still just short of his crease. Sri Lanka were 323 for five, with Kalu out for 19.

Dilshan continued to play his strokes with confidence, looking especially good through the covers, where he drove Grant Flower for another superb four. For a while he found a useful partner in de Saram, the latter favouring the lofted shot, hitting several over the infield but without reaching the boundary. He tried it once too often, though, slicing a catch to Goodwin at backward point off Matambanadzo, just below waist-height, the fielder performing a drop-kick to celebrate. Sri Lanka were 371 for six, and de Saram had made 17. This was Matambanadzo�s first Test wicket for three years.

Dilshan was noticeably more cautious after the loss of de Saram, but was just starting to push the score along again when he lost Vaas, who tried to pull a short ball from Matambanadzo but was much too late on his stroke, lobbing an easy catch off the top edge to Gripper at mid-off. He made 5, and Sri Lanka were 381 for seven. By tea they had progressed to 386 (Dilshan 137, Wickramasinghe 2).

It seemed that the team policy now was to push the score along more quickly after tea, as Dilshan tried to take control but without doing so convincingly. He enjoyed an escape immediately after tea, when he top-edged a hook off Olonga, and the skyer landed just beyond the reach of Andy Flower running back towards fine leg.

He then slashed at Matambanadzo and Zimbabwe paid the penalty for not having a second slip, as the chance passed out of reach of Johnson at first on its way to the boundary. But he lost Wickramasinghe (7), who slashed at a ball from Guy Whittall outside the off stump and edged a catch to the keeper, to make Sri Lanka 403 for eight, with Dilshan on 146.

Olonga made the mistake of trying to bounce Muralitharan, who swatted him fiercely through midwicket for four. The next delivery, still short of a length, was hit over the covers, but with too much height and not enough distance, allowing Grant Flower to run back and hold on to a fine catch. He made 5 off 4 balls, and the score was 408 for nine.

There was an annoying little last-wicket stand, as Dilshan passed 150 and then began to hit out more successfully. Eventually Zoysa (5), instead of concentrating on keeping his end up when called upon to face, launched a half-hearted drive against Grant Flower and only succeeded in giving Gripper at mid-off his second easy catch. Sri Lanka were all out for 432, a lead of 258, and Dilshan unbeaten on 163.

Zimbabwe began their second innings with nothing to play for except their pride. Gripper glanced Vaas to fine leg for a single to get off the mark but then had a lucky escape against Zoysa, playing defensively only to see the ball come off the bottom edge and bounce over the top of the stumps. But he was not to prosper, as he drove unwisely outside the off stump without getting right over the ball and presented Arnold with a straight-forward catch at second slip off Vaas, out for 4. Zimbabwe were 5 for one.

Runs came slowly, as Goodwin adopted his regular policy early on of leaving everything he could, and this time his judgement did not let him down. Umpire Tiffin turned down a confident appeal from Wickramasinghe against Flower (12) for a catch down the leg side, ruling the ball came off thigh pad; the replay was inconclusive. Goodwin (2) spooned an attempted flick on the leg side towards square leg but it did not carry; he then leg-glanced Vaas just wide of the keeper for four.

Flower (13) was to lose his wicket unnecessarily, yet another �soft� Zimbabwean dismissal by the last batsman one would expect to be guilty of one. When Muralitharan came on, he tried to glance a sharp spinner down the leg side and the keeper caught the resultant edge. Zimbabwe were 28 for two.

Zimbabwe lost their night-watchman fairly early on, through yet another of their infantile run-outs. Matambanadzo (0) had been defending well against Muralitharan, when Goodwin called for a quick run wide of midwicket, not really what might be considered essential at this stage of the day. He was slow to respond, and a direct hit from de Saram saw him clearly out of his ground. When Zimbabwe decide to shoot themselves in the foot, as they have been doing all season, they do it with a vengeance. They were now 28 for three.

Johnson got off the mark rather fortuitously, with a bottom edge that just missed his stumps and ran for two. Next ball he drove a half-volley much more safely for another couple. He swung wildly at the next, a bouncer, and then pushed a single into the covers, no doubt much to the delight of Goodwin, who had to see out the over. This he did successfully, allowing Zimbabwe to limp in at 34 for three (Goodwin 6, Johnson 5).

Day4: Record century by Flower takes match into final day

Andy Flower led a superb Zimbabwean rearguard action to take the Test match unexpectedly into the fifth day, with excellent support from Murray Goodwin and Guy Whittall. His team finished the day still 23 runs behind Sri Lanka, on 235 for six, but with four wickets in hand, and if they continue in the same vein on the final day should at least avoid the innings defeat.

Flower scored a richly deserved century which make him the first Zimbabwean to score six Test centuries. In recent matches he has been the one consistent bright light in Zimbabwe's batting line-up and has worked intensely hard for every single run, despite the burden of being both captain and wicket-keeper at the same time. In Bulawayo and in the first innings here he looked well set for a century, only to fall short through running out of partners and then a harsh umpiring decision. This time, with adequate support from his partners, he did not fail.

The Sri Lankans failed to win either the match before close of play or any friends with their unacceptable behaviour in the field today, which included the controversial run-out of Goodwin. They grew frustrated at their inability to break the fifth-wicket stand, and their increasingly hysterical and unjustified appeals brought reprimands from both umpires. Match referee Jackie Hendriks of the West Indies spoke to the teams during the tea interval, and the Sri Lankan behaviour after the interval was faultless.

Goodwin almost lost his wicket in the third over of the day; after cutting Vaas neatly for four, he tried to repeat the shot off a ball that was not short enough and skyed it just beyond the reach of cover. When he scored 11, though, he reached 1000 runs in Test cricket. Johnson, whose chancy style of play is more suited to winning than saving Test matches, after half an hour drove at Zoysa outside the off stump and a thick edge gave a low catch to Atapattu in the gully. He made 14, and Zimbabwe were 51 for four.

Andy Flower got off the mark rather streakily, turning a ball uppishly past the short leg for a single. He did not look very comfortable, but he looked determined to fight it out again, while Goodwin was taking no more risks.

Runs continued to come at an average of two an over, with Goodwin playing a fine late cut for four off Wickramasinghe. Muralitharan was played with the pads as much as the bat, especially by Flower, while Goodwin preferred to shoulder arms where possible. There was little memorable to report except for the determination and fighting spirit of these two, who were still there at lunch with the total on 86 for four (Goodwin 23, Flower 22).

Runs came relatively fluently for a while after lunch as the bowlers struggled to find their line, and Flower cut Zoysa handsomely for four. With Flower an expert in the art of quick singles, they ran well between wickets and seemed adept at pushing the ball easily into the gaps. Wickramasinghe came on, and Goodwin joined Flower on 30 with a cracking cut to the boundary. Goodwin's concentration snapped for a moment on 33 as he tried to force Wickramasinghe off the back foot without getting across to the ball, and a sharp chance to de Saram at third slip went down. Then it was Flower's turn for a lucky escape, as mid-off ran back but just failed to hold a skyed drive. It seemed as if the batsmen were struggling for concentration at this point.

Muralitharan was bowling particularly well and Flower struggled against him at times, using his pads freely. The Sri Lankans began to get frustrated and their appeals grew in frequency and intensity, but the umpires remained unmoved.

A scuttled single on the leg side brought Flower his second fifty of the match, and rarely has a captain's contribution meant more to a team that has his since he took over the job. He then drove Jayasuriya handsomely through extra cover for three, another stroke denied full value due to the heavy outfield. Runs began to come more freely after this, although with Zimbabwe's recent record between the wickets the wisdom of some of the quick singles could be queried.

Flower played a fine drive wide of mid-on for four to bring up the century partnership as Goodwin moved slowly towards his fifty. But the stand was to come to an unfortunate and controversial end, with yet another foolish run-out, only of a different kind this time. Goodwin played a ball back to the bowler, who kicked it towards the slips. The batsman went wandering down the pitch without stopping to think whether the ball was dead, and Dilshan threw the wicket down. Zimbabwe were now 152 for five.

Campbell began with care, and then drove Muralitharan beautifully through extra cover for four. Immediately after umpire Bucknor had rebuked the players for appealing for a bat-pad catch when the bat was nowhere near the ball, Campbell stepped in front of a straight one from Muralitharan and was given out lbw for 5. Zimbabwe were 159 for six, and it looked very much again as if once a vital partnership was broken the whole pack of cards was in danger of collapsing. There was some more indiscriminate appealing before Zimbabwe went in to tea on 161 for six (Flower 61, Whittall 0).

Whittall had a narrow escape before opening his account, getting a top edge as he hooked at Vaas and the square-leg fielder was just unable to get back in time to take the catch. Flower, perhaps anxious not to be left stranded as Whittall was the last of the recognised batsmen, then stepped up the tempo a little. He moved smoothly through the eighties, and swept Muralitharan for four to long leg to reach 98. At this point the second new ball was taken.

A single into the covers off Vaas took Flower to 99, and then he turned Wickramasinghe to fine leg to reach his century. Seldom has a hundred been more richly deserved than this. Tired though he clearly was, he continued to push for runs and never allowed his concentration to slacken.

The light was deteriorating, and the players left the field soon after 4.45 local time, with nine overs still to be bowled for the day. Zimbabwe were on 235 for six (Flower 107, Whittall 27). At five o'clock play was abandoned, and Zimbabwe had successfully taken the match into the final day.

Day4: Record century by Flower takes match into final day

Day5: Sri Lanka win Second Test by six wickets

Sri Lanka were forced to struggle to an ultimately rather unconvincing six-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in the Second Test at Harare Sports Club today. They were held up initially by the continuation of the fighting partnership between Andy Flower and Guy Whittall almost until lunch, and then lost four wickets for only 20 as they paid the penalty for taking their victory target of 35 too lightly.

It was another sunny morning, but the notoriously unreliable local weather forecast predicted showers later in the day. 23 runs behind with four wickets left, Zimbabwe had still little hope of saving the match unless the weather intervened. The pitch was holding up well but taking spin, so Muralitharan was expected to be Sri Lanka's key figure. But Zimbabwe had little batting to come, and there was the fear that once this stand was broken this might open the floodgates for Sri Lanka. And so it proved, although again the Zimbabweans felt aggrieved by certain umpiring decisions against their batsmen.

Play began fifteen minutes early to make up for time lost to bad light the previous evening. The batsmen began confidently, picking up ones and twos but concentrating on occupying the crease. Whittall on 32 popped a ball up just clear of the forward short leg towards mid-on off Wickramasinghe and took a single, and the bowler took out his frustration with two vicious bouncers at Andy Flower. He bowled a few more in the next over, but the batsman was content to duck and it appeared a rather pointless exercise. After Goodwin's controversial dismissal yesterday the batsmen took no chances with the Sri Lankan fielders and pointedly asked their permission before doing any 'gardening'.

Zimbabwe finally erased the deficit after just over an hour's play as Flower drove Muralitharan through the covers to the boundary. This also brought up the century partnership. As Flower and Whittall continued to bat with intense determination and concentration, Jayasuriya gave Jayawardene his first bowl of the series. His accurate off-breaks were met with respect until he slipped in a full toss which Whittall pulled for four. Flower continued to tick along, especially with pushes and drives in the cover area. Occasional appeals, mainly for lbw, were rejected, but Muralitharan was generally spinning the ball too much to obtain a verdict, and the Sri Lankans showed more self-control than they had the previous day.

Jayasuriya finally brought himself on to bowl, and since his bowlers were unable to break through did the trick himself. Flower, after playing such a fine innings, lost concentration as he himself later admitted, went on the drive and the resultant thick edge was caught by Atapattu at backward point. It was a disappointing end to such an outstanding innings, and his demise indeed proved the turning point of the day. His 129 came off 304 balls. Zimbabwe, at 284 for seven, were only 26 runs ahead.

Brent fell in the same over, given out lbw without scoring by umpire Bucknor to Jayasuriya's arm ball, a very quick delivery, despite playing a stroke to a delivery that hit him outside the line of the off stump.

Whittall brought up his fifty with a rather risky sweep off Muralitharan that travelled very fine for two runs. Two balls later he almost popped up a catch to the two short-leg fielders, and a missed sweep next ball made him look much less secure since the loss of Flower. In Jayasuriya's next over there was the chance of yet another run-out as Whittall drove him through the leg-side field and was content with two when Strang came back for the third; the throw came in to the wrong end, allowing Whittall to hurry through for the unexpected extra run.

Strang, more of a tail-end hitter rather than a staunch defender, did not last long, caught at slip by Jayawardene off Jayasuriya for 3, and Zimbabwe were 292 for nine. Olonga lasted three balls before being given out by umpire Bucknor as he stretched down the pitch but was hit on the front pad by Jayasuriya's arm ball, well forward of the crease. This left Whittall undefeated on 53 and Sri Lanka needing 35 to win after lunch. Jayasuriya had taken the last four wickets for just 40 runs.

Atapattu began the Sri Lankan second innings by cutting a loose ball from Olonga high over backward point for four. Zimbabwe had a chance to run him out for the second time in the match in the next over as he looked for a quick single from a push on the on side by Jayasuriya, and was sent back; bowler Brent shied at the stumps but missed with Atapattu still out of his crease.

Then he did succeed in running himself out, as later in the over he pushed a ball into the covers and the batsmen set off for a risky run, got in a muddle, and Goodwin threw the wicket down with Atapattu still marginally out of his crease. It was almost as if he had come in programmed to self-destruct. Sri Lanka were 10 for one, with Atapattu out for 6.

In the next over Jayasuriya lashed another short widish ball from Olonga over backward point for another four, but in attempting a similar stroke off Brent without getting over the ball he slashed a catch straight to Gripper in that position and was out for 7; Sri Lanka were 15 for two.

Sri Lanka suddenly seemed aware that they had not been mentally prepared, and Arnold and Jayawardene played themselves in with care. But it was all in vain for Arnold, who had scored only a single when he fenced at a ball from Brent which moved away and took a thin edge for Andy Flower to complete the catch. Sri Lanka were 19 for three.

Dilshan was next to go, given out lbw without scoring by umpire Tiffin to an inswinger from Brent, although the replay showed that on this occasion the ball would have missed leg stump. Sri Lanka were now 20 for four. A fifth wicket almost fell as Kaluwitharana hooked at Strang, who replaced Olonga, and got an edge which bounced just before the slips.

At the other end he snicked a ball into the slips where the second of that ilk just failed to hold a low chance. He then settled down and in Brent�s next over cut him superbly for two fours, one square and the other late, to level the scores. Strang then bowled a maiden over to Jayawardene, beating him with a superb final delivery just outside off stump. Finally Kaluwitharana cut Brent again to the third-man boundary to take his team to 38 for four (Jayawardene 6, Kaluwitharana 14) and his team to a six-wicket victory after 15.2 overs.

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Date-stamped : 30 Nov1999 - 13:07