Sangakkara saves SL embarrassment in Zimbabwe

[Donny]

Sangakkara seals Sri Lankan victory

John Ward - Cricinfo



Before the start of this first one-day international between Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka, it was widely expected that the inexperienced new Zimbabwean team would be humiliated. In fact, it was a lukewarm Sri Lankan team that had to fight hard in the end to avoid embarrassment. It took a fine unbeaten 73 from Kumar Sangakkara, and a bit of help from Messrs Duckworth and Lewis method, to end Zimbabwe's resistance.


Except at the start and finish of the match, Sri Lanka were unimpressive, perhaps unable to motivate themselves properly knowing they were facing a stand-in Zimbabwe team with an average age of 21. But Zimbabwe put in a highly spirited allround performance and gave the tourists a several shocks before finally going down. The catalyst was their Man of the Match Tatenda Taibu, who hit a superb unbeaten 96 on his captaincy debut, when all seemed lost with the Zimbabwe batting.


The partnership between Taibu and Alester Maregwede turned the Zimbabwe innings round from a precarious 79 for 5 in the 25th over. When Maregwede finally holed out on the long-on boundary for 37, respectability at least was assured.

On a good pitch, Marvan Atapattu won the toss for Sri Lanka and amazed everybody by putting Zimbabwe in to bat. Good, accurate bowling by Chaminda Vaas and Nuwan Zoysa, both obtaining a little movement in the air and off the pitch, proved too much for Zimbabwe's raw opening pair of Vusi Sibanda and Brendan Taylor, who both fell without scoring. Zimbabwe were two down after two overs, the only run on the board being a leg-bye.

This brought Taibu to the crease for the start of the third over. Dion Ebrahim batted doggedly with him for 13, but never looked confident, while Elton Chigumbura, also made 13 in a brief cameo. But the situation looked bleak until Maregwede joined Taibu.

Mluleki Nkala also played above himself with some powerful strokes in an unbeaten 33 at the end, including two sixes over midwicket. But Muttiah Muralitharan was surprisingly ineffective later in the innings, taking 1 for 47 in his 10 overs. Vaas, with 1 for 9 in his first seven, had his figures spoilt to the effect of 1 for 31 off ten, while Zoysa, who did not bowl at the death, was the pick with 3 for 21.



Sanath Jayasuriya showed Sri Lanka's intentions by lashing the first ball of the innings through the covers for four, but had just 9 to his name when he edged a catch to first slip, giving Tinashe Panyangara a wicket with only his second ball in international cricket. Atapattu was then adjudged lbw to Douglas Hondo without scoring, but Kumara Sangakkara began aggressively and was 18 not out off 13 balls when the rain came.


The target was adjusted to 173 off 33 overs when play finally restarted. Mahela Jayawardene fell for 5, holing out at long leg, and the pinch-hitter Nuwan Zoysa made a brisk 14, but at 77 for 4 the match was still in the balance. The run rate, however, was good, and so that pressure was lacking as Tillakaratne Dilshan joined Sangakkara at the crease.

This pair took Sri Lanka home by way of steady ones and twos rather than spectacular strokes. After 27 overs, though, the light had deteriorated and the batsmen accepted the offer of the umpires to leave the field. They were 12 runs ahead of the Duckworth/Lewis asking-rate at that stage, with Dilshan having contributed a valuable unbeaten 35.

Sri Lanka kept their honour, but they will start the second match on Thursday more warily than they did this one. As for Zimbabwe, they surprised this time, playing above themselves, but adrenaline will not suffice for ever and the fear remains that their serious lack of depth will soon be exposed.

[Donny]

Vaas and Murali rout Zimbabwe

The Wisden Bulletin by John Ward - Cricinfo


The harsh realities of international cricket caught up with the new, enthusiastic but very raw Zimbabwe team, as Sri Lanka overwhelmed them by nine wickets shortly after lunch in the second one-day international at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. It was Chaminda Vaas who set the ball rolling by taking the first four Zimbabwean wickets, and then a dominating innings of 74 not out from Saman Jayantha sealed the match with 29.4 overs to spare.

It was men against boys. After Zimbabwe had been bowled out for 136, Sanath Jayasuriya and Jayantha plundered the hapless Zimbabwean seamers, producing an array of dazzling strokes including a sliced six over cover by Jayasuriya off Hondo. The shell-shocked bowlers were quite unable to find their line and length, and their only breakthrough came on the stroke of lunch, when Jayasuriya (31) grew a little over-confident and skyed the suffering Tinashe Panyangara to mid-off (84 for 1).

The scoring rate slowed for a while as Marvan Atapattu settled in, but with the dominant Jayantha still going strong, there was no repeat of Tuesday's close encounter. Zimbabwe's bowlers were totally outclassed, and only Prosper Utseya, who conceded 11 runs off his 17 balls, could claim to have escaped severe punishment. The Zimbabwean bubble, apparently, had been well and truly burst.

On a hot, sunny morning, Sri Lanka won the toss for the second match running and again put Zimbabwe in to bat. Their opening partnership lasted a mere four balls. There was not a run on the board when Vusi Sibanda moved awkwardly across his stumps and was trapped lbw by a delivery from Vaas that straightened. His opening partner Brendan Taylor, who is generally more comfortable off the front foot, struggled for two runs in 29 minutes before fending a short ball from Vaas into the slips (20 for 2).


Vaas was bowling superbly. He removed Dion Ebrahim for 16, via a gloved catch to leg gully, and Elton Chigumbura for a duck, as he drove a low catch to short extra cover. At 27 for 4 the situation looked bleak, and much rested once again on Tatenda Taibu. A couple of his early strokes bore a hint of desperation, but he was not prepared to let the bowlers call the tune.

Taibu received good support from his former schoolmate, Stuart Matsikenyeri, although they relied mainly on drives and quick singles, as the Sri Lankans gave them little to pull or cut. But the partnership came to a disappointing end as Taibu swept Jayasuriya, tried to take a second run to a misfield, and was caught just short of his crease by an accurate return from the substitute fielder Rangana Herath. He made 35 and Zimbabwe were 76 for 5.

After that, it was a steady decline for Zimbabwe. Matsikenyeri was stumped for the second match running, as he charged down the pitch to Muttiah Muralitharan for 18, while Alester Maregwede made 10. He hit Murali for a six over long on, but was deceived next ball and trapped lbw by a top-spinner.

Utseya drove Murali for six to record his first runs in international cricket. He went on to make a creditable 25 not out, and shared a lively ninth-wicket partnership of 26 with Douglas Hondo, who was eventually given out lbw by a massive spinner from Muralitharan that hit him on the back pad.

Vaas returned to finish off the innings, but Murali did the job for him, despite being treated with considerable confidence by youngsters who perhaps were less aware of his reputation than many of Zimbabwe's batsmen of the past. Apart from that pair, Sri Lanka's bowling looked rather thin, but in this match it scarcely mattered.