2nd Janashakthi National Test: Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe at Kandy, 4-8 Jan 2002 CricInfo Live Report

2nd Janashakthi National Test: Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe at Kandy, 4-8 Jan 2002
Charlie Austin

Zimbabwe 2nd innings: Day four: Morning drinks, Day four: Lunch, Day four: Close,
Live Reports from previous days

SRI LANKA WRAP UP THE SERIES BEFORE TEA

Sri Lanka wrapped up the Zimbabwean second innings mid way through the afternoon to secure their third consecutive series win.

Fast bowler Charitha Fernando and Muttiah Muralitharan picked up two wickets apiece to bowl out Zimbabwe for 175.

Sri Lanka thus won the game by an innings and 94 runs to establish an unassailable two-nil lead in the series.

After the interval Grant Flower and Heath Streak batted without great alarm for the first half hour before Fernando was reintroduced for his second spell.

He soon surprised Flower with some extra bounce and the right-hander gloved a catch behind as he tried to withdraw the bat. He had scored 21 (160 for seven).

Douglas Marillier was trapped lbw 22 minutes later as he was caught on the backfoot by an off-break from Muralitharan.

The innings was quickly brought to a close as Fernando clean-bowled Travis Friend with a full-length inswinger and Henry Olonga was caught at square leg off Muralitharan.

CHARITHA FERNANDO DOUBLE STRIKE LEAVES INNINGS DEFEAT ON THE CARDS

Charitha Fernando, who would have been ferrying the drinks if the national selectors had not be overruled by the sports minister, struck a further blow in the second hour of the morning.

With Muttiah Muralitharan picking up his second wicket of the innings, Zimbabwe were left in deep trouble at the luncheon interval on 149 for six, still 120 runs in arrears.

Fernando plugged away industriously for seven overs picking up two for 19. Importantly, he took the key wickets of Andy Flower and Gavin Rennie.

Like Flower, Rennie was trapped lbw. The 25-year-old left-hander, who scored a spirited 68, was trapped lbw by a yorker length delivery that swung back painfully onto his front foot (134 for five).

Craig Wishart was nearly caught in the slips in the same over as he tried to pull before Muralitharan cleaned him up in the next one, as the right-hander top-edged a sweep and was caught by Sanath Jayasuriya at short fine leg.

In the final over of the session Heath Streak was also close to perishing when he edged just short of Jayasuriya at first slip and then over the three-man corden as he tried to heave over square leg.

GAVIN RENNIE LEADS FIGHT-BACK ON FOURTH MORNING

Led by a rousing half-century from Gavin Rennie, Zimbabwe dominated the first hour of play on the fourth day, as they try to avert their second consecutive defeat, only to lose a wicket in the last over before the drinks break.

The fall of Andy Flower, who was trapped lbw for 11 by Charitha Fernando, ended a 58 run stand for the fourth wicket and left Zimbabwe back in the mire on 109 for four.

With rain forecast for the afternoon, the visitors will not have given up hope of scrapping through for a draw, especially with Rennie playing so confidently.

The left-hander, playing in his 21st Test, was a revelation. He attacked Muttiah Muralitharan from the very first over of the day with a sweep to leg and a square drive and went on to hit five fours in the off-spinners short morning spell.

With Rennie reaching his seventh Test fifty with a powerful on-drive, Muralitharan was whipped out of the attack by Sanath Jayasuriya having conceded 27 runs in five overs.

Fernando, wicketless in the match up until that stage, was pulled into the bowling attack and he rewarded his captain with Flower’s wicket with his seventh ball of his spell.