| Scorecard: | Zimbabwe v Sri Lanka |
Sri Lanka burst the bubble of Zimbabwes enthusiastic but inexperienced team with an easy nine-wicket victory in the second one-day international at Queens Sports Club. Man of the Match Chaminda Vaas began by destroying the Zimbabwe top-order batting, Muttiah Muralitharan completed the job, and then 74 not out from Saman Jayantha finished the job soon after lunch.
Sri Lankan captain Marvan Atapattu again surprised by putting Zimbabwe in to bat on a basically good pitch, thus again running the risk of failing to give his batsmen the opportunities in the middle they would desire at the start of the tour. Sri Lanka had even strengthened their batting for this match, bringing in Jayantha to replace the unsuccessful seamer Nuwan Kulasekera. Zimbabwe kept the same new, raw team that had played so well through sheer enthusiasm in the first match.
Again opener Vusi Sibanda failed to score, as he moved across his stumps to the fourth ball of the innings, a ball from Chaminda Vaas that straightened and won an lbw decision from umpire Kevan Barbour. His opening partner Brendan Taylor struggled before finally scoring his first run in full international cricket, but Dion Ebrahim looked fluent from the start. Taylor, who looks less comfortable off the back foot, made just 2 runs in 29 minutes before he fended a short ball from Vaas into the slips, and Zimbabwe were 20 for two.
Vaas was on fire now, bowling superbly. Ebrahim (16) tried to glance a ball on his legs, only to get in a tangle and glove a catch to the fielder in the leg gully position. Three balls later and without addition, Elton Chigumbura checked a drive and Mahela Jayawardene took a diving catch at short extra cover. Zimbabwe were 27 for four wickets, all of them to the rampant Vaas.
Again Tatenda Taibu set himself to lead a recovery, refusing to let the bowlers dominate him, although one or two of his early shots bore a touch of desperation. His former schoolmate Stuart Matsikenyeri proved a reliable partner, and they added 49 together, mostly by quick singles and drives because the Sri Lankan bowlers gave them little scope for the pull or the cut.
Vaas was perhaps kept on too long, losing his sting towards the end of his eight-over spell. But, just as the tide was turning, the partnership came to a sorry ending. Taibu swept Jayasuriya and decided to go for a second run off a misfield. A quick, accurate throw from Rangana Herath, though, found him short of his crease, and he departed for 35.
For Zimbabwe, it was all downhill from this point. Matsikenyeri managed to get himself out in the same manner as in the first match, leaping down the pitch to Muttiah Muralitharan and being stumped easily for 18. Alester Maregwede lofted Muralitharan for six over long on, but the very next ball was deceived by the top-spinner and trapped lbw for 10. Then Mluleki Nkala (6) was bowled off his pads by Sanath Jayasuriya to reduce Zimbabwe to 108 for eight.
There followed a breezy ninth-wicket stand between off-spinning all-rounder Prosper Utseya and Douglas Hondo, who added 26 in 15 minutes. Few players can have opened their run account in full international cricket more remarkably than Utseya, who got off the mark by lofting Muralitharan for 6. He was to finish unbeaten on 25, the second-highest score of the innings.
Vaas was brought back for his final two overs, but was unable to end the innings and improve his figures. Muralitharan brought the stand to an end with a very sharp spinner that hit Hondo on the back pad, umpire Barbour raising his finger to give him out lbw for 12. Last man Tinashe Panyangara struggled against Muralitharan and was finally bowled without scoring, the innings closing on 136.
Muralitharan, although he did not overawe batsmen who were perhaps unaware of the extent of his reputation, finished with four for 32, though Vaas was more impressive, having shattered the top order. The innings lasted less than 37 overs, giving Sri Lanka time to start their reply before lunch.
There was time for 11 overs, and this time the Sri Lankans seemed determined to assert their superiority over the inexperienced bowling attack. Jayantha opened with Jayasuriya and the two of them put the bowlers to the sword, racing to 84 in that time. The more experienced Hondo suffered as well, with Jayantha in good enough form to outscore Jayasuriya, who sliced a six over cover off Hondo.
Just on the stroke of lunch, Jayasuriya grew too ambitious and skyed the suffering Panyangara to mid-off after scoring 31 off 29 balls. Afterwards the scoring rate slowed as Atapattu made a cautious start, allowing the bowlers to settle down to a more regular line and length. Jayanthas fifty still came up off only 45 balls, and the two steered Sri Lanka to victory at a steady rate.
(Article: Copyright © 2004 John Ward)
