Another week, another innings defeat. Zimbabwe's woes continue in Sri Lanka, although we can never rule out a sudden, unexpected and outwardly inexplicable outstanding team performance that makes everybody wonder as usual why we can't do it all the time. Barring one of these, we are headed for our first three-nil whitewash in a series, and all by an innings.

Overshadowing all else in the Second Test match was the brilliant bowling of Muttiah Muralitharan. Well, `brilliant' is actually his normal style, especially at home, but nine wickets in an innings is remarkable even for him. Chaminda Vaas, who appears to be less consistent, is the only other Sri Lankan bowler at present with a good Test record, and these two virtually carry their country's attack between them. Even without them, Zimbabwe might still not quite be on equal terms as the Sri Lankan batting is so powerful. With them, unless rare inspiration strikes, all we can hope for is that the experience of playing them will stand our players in good stead for the future.

Probably all were disappointed that the great Murali did not become only the third bowler in Test match history to take all ten wickets in an innings, but his efforts were marred by the attempts of his colleagues to give him the final wicket without his earning it. They bowled deliberately badly at the other end, allowing the last Zimbabwean pair to score some useful runs, and I feel that, however worthy the cause, a deliberate lack of effort on the cricket field is inexcusable. Had Murali taken all ten, his feat would have been somewhat diminished, for him anyway, by the knowledge that he had been helped over the line by his team-mates, so to speak - which in athletics at least is against the rules.

Similar lack of effort by the bowlers at the other end was reported a couple of years back when Anil Kumble took all ten in an innings. It would probably have been much more satisfying for Kumble were he able to look back, as Jim Laker was able to do when taking all ten in 1956, and reflect that the entire bundle came as a result of his own skill with the bowlers at the other end (notably Tony Lock) straining their guts out from beginning to end.

May Murali one day indeed take all ten in an innings, as a reward for his unique skill - but preferably not against Zimbabwe! And may that be a genuine feat, without any lack of effort from well-meaning but misguided colleagues at the other end. We want a genuine record, not an artificial one.

MISSING LETTERS

It has come to my attention that apparently quite a number of letters addressed to me over the past month have gone astray. This is due to the regular technical problems we suffer in Zimbabwe from malfunctioning servers, dead phone lines, computer problems and other things, and also because some writers have used my old `Samara' address, which is being phased out by the company that took over Samara.

So please use my CricInfo address to communicate with me. I always acknowledge every e-mail received the same day, so if you do not get a reply, your letter has for some reason been lost in transit, or else is still sitting somewhere in cyberspace waiting for all the necessary equipment to be restored to full working order. With a dead phone line all week, and no idea of when those responsible will repair it, it has been particularly difficult for me to produce this week's issue and it does not contain all I had planned.

We have three more updated biographies in ZCO this week, for Grant Flower, Paul Strang and Doug Marillier, besides our usual provincial reports from Manicaland and Midlands. When you read these words I expect to be in Kwekwe reporting on the Zimbabwe Board XI match against Gauteng B - or alternatively watching the rain come down!

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