3rd Test: Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe at Galle, 12-16 Jan 2002 CricInfo Live Report

3rd Test: Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe at Galle, 12-16 Jan 2002
Charlie Austin

Zimbabwe 1st innings: Day three: Morning, Day three: Lunch, Day three: Tea, Day three: Evening, Day three: Close,
Live Reports from previous days

ZIMBABWE SAVE FOLLOW-ON DESPITE EVENING COLLAPSE

Grant Flower and Heath Streak saved Zimbabwe from the ignominy of following on Monday evening as they crawled past the 219 run follow on target minutes before the close.

After the mayhem of the first hour after tea, they survived unscathed till the close leaving them on 230 for five when the players finally left the field on a day when a staggering 104 overs were bowled.

Sri Lanka persisted throughout with Muttiah Muralitharan and the old ball, apparently determined that the off-spinner edge close to the 400 mark.

But seldom has Muralitharan had to work harder for his wickets. In the Zimbabwe innings he has now bowled 53 overs for just two wickets. His spinning finger will be mighty sore.

Flower finished the day on 19, whilst Streak was on 29.

For the first time in the series Sri Lanka now have a decent chance of securing a draw.

ZIMBABWE COLLAPSE AFTER TEA AS MURALITHARAN MOVES TO 397

Zimbabwe’s middle order collapsed after the tea interval as Muttiah Muralitharan finally moved closer to the magical 400 mark.

Muralitharan took two wickets, to leave him on 397 Test victims, and Sanath Jayasuriya one more, to leave Zimbabwe on 195 for five, still needing 24 runs to avoid the follow on.

Zimbabwean hopes rested on the experienced shoulders of Grant Flower, on 11, and Heath Streak, on eight, who came in ahead of Test opener Dion Ebrahim.

Stuart Carlisle was eventually dismissed for 64 when he made the fatal mistake of going back to Muralitharan. For five and a half hours he had resisted the temptation of doing so, but having done so he was promptly adjudged lbw (161 for three).

Next, Gavin Rennie was given out caught at short leg off the bowling of Jayasuriya. Television replays indicated that he may have been unlucky. He had scored seven (171 for four).

Five minutes later Andy Flower was Test victim number 397 for Muralitharan as he edged to Hashan Tillakaratne at second slip (171 for five).

Zimbabwe had lost five wickets for 18 runs.

JAYASURIYA MAKES DOUBLE STRIKE TO REVIVE SRI LANKAN HOPES

A double strike by left-arm spinner Sanath Jayasuriya put Sri Lanka back in the box seat at Galle after a record partnership between Zimbabwe’s openers.

Stuart Carlisle and Trevor Gripper frustrated Sri Lanka for 81.1 overs as they added 153 for the first wicket. It was a record partnership against Sri Lanka, surpassing the 113 scored by Grant Flower and M.H. Dekker in 1994/5 at Harare.

For the first time in the series Sri Lanka’s major weapon, Muttiah Muralithran, was tamed. Reluctant to play off the back foot and refusing to throw their wickets away, they stretched forward and padded away his off-breaks. He remained miserly but, crucially, wicketless.

After lunch, Gripper even went on the offensive. Three times he sweep the off-spinner to the boundary as the 26-year-old reached his second Test fifty off 174 balls.

However, it was Carlisle who was first to reach fifty, the sixth of his career. Afterwards, though, the runs dried up and by tea he had crawled to 63 – his highest Test score – after 311 minutes of intense concentration.

It looked like the opening pair would record beat the all-time first wicket record for Zimbabwe – the 164 scored by Dion Ebrahim and Alistair Campbell against West Indies last year – but Jayasuriya finally ended Muralitharan’s marathon 14 over spell from the City End.

The change soon worked as Gripper was stumped for 83 as he aimed a lofted straight drive. The right-hander had faced 247 balls and fit 10 fours.

Next, seconds before the scheduled tea break, Craig Wishart shouldered arms to Jayasuriya and was adjudged lbw by umpire David Sheperd.

Zimbabwe were 155 for two at tea.

ZIMBABWE BATSMEN ENJOY BEST SESSION OF THE SERIES

Zimbabwe’s batsmen enjoyed their best session of the tour on the third morning as the openers kept Sri Lanka’s spinners at bay for the full two hours.

At the luncheon interval the visitors were 91 without loss from 53 overs. Their previous highest opening partnership in the series had been the 40 made by Hamilton Masakadza and Trevor gripper in the second innings of the first Test at SSC.

During the second hour both openers had looked to be more adventurous. Stuart Carlisle, filling in as opener, slog-sweep Upul Chandana over mid-wicket and then reverse-sweep Thilan Samaraweera audaciously just before the break.

Trevor Gripper looked to use his feet against the second-string spinners and once lofted Samaraweera over long on. He hit five boundaries in all.

At the break, Gripper was 46 not out from 166 balls, whilst Carlisle had made 41 from 155 balls.

Both batsmen struggled against Muralitharan who regularly beat the bat, but created no chances. So far he has bowled 13 maidens in 20 overs.

ZIMBABWE SURVIVE FIRST HOUR UNSCATHED

A holiday crowd gathered once more on the third morning but Zimbabwe’s adhesive openers continued to defy Muttiah Muralitharan during the first hour.

Like yesterday, the scoring was painstakingly slow. Zimbabwe crawled to 51 without loss after 34 overs, with skipper Stuart Carlisle on 23 and Trevor Gripper on 24.

But although the runs didn’t flow, the cricket was gripping, as Muralitharan wheeled away with six squawky close fielders huddled around the bat. The ball turned prodigiously and both batsmen were frequently beaten by his well-disguised straighter ball.

From the other end, Sanath Jayasuriya rotated his pace bowling pair. Both struggled on a pitch that is slow in pace and powder dry.