Charlie Austin
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4th Match: Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe at Colombo, 12 Dec 2001 Charlie Austin |
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Sri Lanka innings: Pre-game: Zimbabwe innings: |
Zimbabwe, needing 273 to win the match, were 70 for one after 15 overs with Grant Flower on 32 and Stuart Carlisle on one.
The tourists started well but they had to do so against the hard new ball, when strokeplay is easier on this slow pitch. With the ball getting softer the real test will be how they cope with Sri Lanka’s spinners, three of whom have been selected.
Dion Ebrahim came into the game with two consecutive golden ducks under his belt, but started confidently with a single first ball and then took the attack to the Sri Lankan seamers.
The righ-hander hit five boundaries in his 32 (46 balls) including a couple of impudent flicks off his pads and a dismissive drive through the covers off Chaminda Vaas.
Grant Flower too played aggressively whenever he was given width, twice cutting Nuwan Zoysa to the square boundary.
In the tenth over of the innings Sanath Jayasuriya introduced Kumar Dharmasena. Flower immediately indicated his intention not to get bogged down as he swung the off-spinner over wide mid-on for six.
Then, in the 15th over, Muralitharan was brought on. Ebrahim hot-stepped down the wicket to his third delivery, was beaten in the air and clean bowled through the gate (69 for one).
Zimbabwe were set an imposing 273 run target after a 90 from Gunawardene, 96 from Jayasuriya and a 34 run cameo from Russel Arnold.
To win, Zimbabwe will have to break a 47 game ground record, as the highest total successfully chased at Premadasa is just 243.
Both Gunawardene and Jayawardene shifted up a gear having reached their half-centuries and after 35 overs Sri Lanka were extremely well placed on 173 for two.
Captain Stuart Carlisle then brought back his premier fast bowler, Heath Streak, and in the 39th over Gunawardene top edged a pull and was caught at deep mid on (191 for three).
Gunawardene had scored 90 from 131 balls and hit eight boundaries, as the pair had added 166 runs for the third wicket.
Jayawardene, joined by Arnold, survived a vehement caught behind appeal in the same over as the Gunawardene dismissal, but cruised on into the nineties. He should have been caught at backward point by Dion Ebrahim when on 92 but went to 96 with a flourishing extra cover drive before Olonga gained his revenge by trapping the right-hander lbw cruelly short of his century (215 for four).
Upul Chandana was then bowled for eight and Kumar Sangakkara ran himself out second ball as he gambled a single and lost, as Grant Flower hit the stumps directly from short fine leg (231 for five).
Chaminda Vaas gave Arnold hearty support as the pair added 27 runs in 20 balls before Vaas was caught on the boundary (258 for seven).
Arnold, who had skillfully held together the late innings slog, finished off the innings with a couple of boundaries in the last over.
Jayawardene and Gunawardene added 113 runs for the third wicket after the loss of two early wickets. With 20 overs to go, Sri Lanka were 138 for two with Gunawardene on 67 and Jayawardene on 50.
Both players had consolidated early on and the first fifty of their partnership came in 76 balls. But gradually they raised the tempo and the second fifty was scored at a run-a-ball.
Jayawardene was more fluent, milking the Zimbabwean bowlers with ease, with well-timed pushes and deft deflections. He still hit five fours in his fifty though, which came from 63 balls.
Gunwardene, who passed 1000 one-day runs early in his innings, played with greater restraint than normal, refusing to launch one of those all-out assaults that he loves so much.
However, having passed fifty, off 76 balls, with a muscular clip off his legs, he started to free his shoulders and swept medium pacer Mluleki Nkala over square leg.
Nkala proved expensive, conceding 17 runs in his two overs, and captain Stuart Carlisle brough on left-arm spinner to try and stem the flow of runs in the final 20 overs.
Sri Lanka will be looking for 225 minimum on this second day wicket, which will be difficult to bat on in the second innings, but will be hoping for 250 plus.
The home team, playing in front of bare concrete terraces and only a smattering of spectators in the grandstand, were forced to consolidate after the early loss of wickets and after 15 overs were 63 for two, with Avishka Gunawardene on 36 and Mahela Jayawardene on 18.
Heath Streak took the crucial wicket of Jayasuriya, who had scored 83 yesterday, with the second ball of the game, as the left-hander swished loosely at a wide delivery and was caught behind by Andy Flower (0 for one).
Marvan Atapattu batted for 23 minutes but never really got going before he mistimed a back foot drive off Travis Friend and was well caught by Henry Olonga diving forward at cover (25 for two).
Gunawardene tried to be positive when given the opportunity and hit three boundaries. He was though fortunate to be dropped by Craig Wishart at slip when on nine and not adjudged lbw off Streak on 27.
Jayawardene looked in good touch, hitting three boundaries, including a flick through the leg-side, a square cut and a fine leg glance.
Sri Lankan made one change to the side that lost to West Indies by 49 runs last night, recalling leg-spinning all-rounder Upul Chandana in place of fast bowling all-rounder Suresh Perera, who bowled just one costly over and was caught behind for four.
Zimbabwe named an unchanged side to the team that defeated West Indies on Sunday.
Sri Lanka:
Sanath Jayasuriya (capt), Marvan Atapattu, Avishka Gunawardene, Mahela Jayawardene, Russel Arnold, Kumar Sangakkara, Kumar Dharmasena, Upul Chandana, Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas, Nuwan Zoysa
Zimbabwe:
Stuart Carlisle, Grant Flower, Andy Flower, Dion Ebrahim, Craig Wishart, Douglas Marillier, Tatendra Taibu, Travis Friend, Henry Olonga, Heath Streak, Mluleki Nkala,
© CricInfo
Date-stamped : 12 Dec2001 - 18:38