Date-stamped : 19 Sep96 - 14:11 PRE-MATCH Daily News Wednesday 18, September 1996 What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander By Elmo Rodrigopulle The Zimbabweans who are down in the dumps after their thrashing by an innings, will have to raise their game and rise phoenix like if they hope to give the Sri Lankans a match in the second and final Test starting at the SSC today. The visiting team Manager Dennis Streak, has put the blame for his side`s defeat on a bad wicket. That excuse did not come as a surprise, because it is always the losing team that keeps fishing for excuses. How sporting, it would have been had he admitted that the better side won. After all a game of cricket is played by two sides. What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. The Sri Lankans too did their thing on the same wicket. SENSIBLE BATTING When they were up against it, the Lankans by dint of some sensi- ble batting overcame whatever terrors the wicket held and apply- ing themselves to their task, took the team out of the woods and into a position strength from where they could go for the kill. When the Zimbabweans took strike it was obvious that they were tentative and negative in their approach. The wicket took a bit of turn but ever so slowly and what they did expose was their in- ability to play good spin bowling. Good spin bowling is not played from the crease or by hitting against the break. Had they used their feet, the story would have been different. One hopes that they would have learnt and as their coach Jarvis promises, hope they will come back at the Lankans, and give them a game instead of succumbing meekly. DISCUSSION If it is a repeat of what happened in the First Test, then their inclusion as a Test playing nation would be up for discussion. The Zimbabweans must be told that playing at home and away are two different things. Of the Zimbabweans the one to perform best was leg spinner Paul Strang. He has the credentials to be bracketed with Shane Warne, Mushtaq Ahmed and Anil Kumble. He has a lovely loop, vicious spin and a well concealed googly and what is now required of him is to be among the wickets consistently. Then he will have claims to join the illustrious threesome. Coloured cricketer Henry Olanga too has good potential. But in his over eagerness to do well he tends to stray in line and length. It would not be a bad idea to drop a coin on a spot in the nets and ask him to keep hitting it, that way he could solve his problems. KNOCKOUT PUNCH As for the Lankans now that they have the visitors groggy on the ropes, they must endeavour to deliver the knockout punch as quickly as possible. They must not experiment but play their best side and prove that they can be as devastating in Test cricket as they are in the one-dayers. The wicket at the SSC is in the safe hands of master curator and former All Ceylon Cricketer Bertie Wijesinha who learnt the wick- et making trade in England. So, as for the visitors they need have no qualms about the wicket. The cricketers must do their job! -------------------------- DAY 1 REPORT Daily News Thursday 19, September 1996 Lose 8 wickets for 22 to be all out for 141, Lanka 86 for in re- ply Zimbabwe undone by spin By SA`ADI THAWFEEQ Zimbabwe were once again undone by spin when spin twins Muthiah Muralitharan and Jayantha Silva engineered a remarkable batting collapse to dismiss them for 141 runs by tea on the first day of the Second Cricket Test at the SSC grounds yesterday. Off-spinner Muralitharan and left-arm leg-spinner Silva shared four wickets apiece as Zimbabwe lost their last eight wickets for 22 runs in just over an hour`s batting in the afternoon session. THIRD STOPPAGE Sri Lanka replied with 86 for 3 wickets before a third stoppage for rain forced the players in permanently with 13 of the sched- uled 90 overs for the day remaining. Asanka Gurusinha was unbeaten on 22 at the close with skipper Ar- juna Ranatunga on nought. Zimbabwe leg-spinner Paul Strang finished the day with remarkable figures of 7-3-8-2 having picked up the prize scalps of Sanath Jayasuriya for a rapidly struck 41 of 46 balls (one six, six fours) and Aravinda de Silva for 16. CAUGHT BEHIND Paul`s younger brother Bryan, the left-arm paceman, who replaced the injured Heath Streak captured the other wicket, that of Roshan Mahanama, who was caught behind for three. The honours however of the day went to the two Sri Lankan spin twins Muralitharan and Silva who had brought about Zimbabwe`s downfall in the first Test by sharing 14 wickets. Zimbabwe were at one stage cruising along merrily at 119 for 2 after skipper Alistair Campbell had won the toss and decide to bat first on another grassless pitch which however, had bounce. LOST HIS COOL Campbell had to take a major share of the blame for starting the batting collapse. Having put on 65 for the third wicket in 88 minutes with Grant Flower, the Zimbabwe captain lost his cool against Silva and was stumped yards down the wicket for a well compiled innings of 36. That irresponsible stroke cost his side plenty. Within the next hour or so, the rest of the batsmen were all back in the pavilion with none of them reaching double figures. TOP SCORER Top scorer Grand Flowers innings of 52 in three hours (6 fours) of solid defence was ended by Muralitharan who had him caught by Roshan Mahanama at slip. Muralitharan finished with 4 for 40 off 20 overs to move to within eight wickets of becoming the first Sri Lankan bowler to take a century of Test wickets. Silva once again finished with exceptional figures of 10.1-4-16-4. Source :: Daily News (http://www.lanka.net) -------------------------- DAY 1- Rediff on the Net Lankans have Zimbabwe in a spin That Zimbabwe have a long way to go before the Test status granted to it by the International Cricket Council is justified by peformance is a given - despite a shock defeat of Pakistan at home last year. On Wednesday, Sri Lanka underlined just how wide the gulf was between the touring Zimbabweans and the top teams, while shooting the visitors out for 141 by tea on the first day of the second and final cricket Test between the two nations at the Sinhalese Sports Club, in Colombo. On a track with lots of grass and the consequent possibility of bounce and nip, the Zimbabweans were done not by the pace of Chaminda Vaas and Ravindra Pushpakumara, but the spin of Muthiah Muralitharan and new find Jayantha Silva. Between them, the two spinners grabbed eight wickets for a total of 23 runs as the visitors collapsed from 119 for 2 to 141 all out just before tea, at which point this is being written. The real drama of the collapse is best seen against the seeming placidity of the morning session. Lanka, which on this fast wicket was expected to blood Nuwan Soysa, a 17 year old tearaway recently returned after a long stint under pace ace Dennis Lillee at the MRF Pace Foundation in Madras, preferred instead to play the more experienced Pushpakumara as Vaas' striking partner. On a wicket conducive to pace, Zimbabwe won the toss, elected to bat and promptly punished some wayward bowling by the Lankan pace bowlers. Both Vaas and Pushpakumara wasted the new ball and the wicket, and openers Grant Flower and Mark Dekker made merry at their expense before Muralitharan, coming on, forced Dekker (18) to edge for a brilliant diving catch by Roshan Mahanama in the slips. The veteran Ali Shah, coming in at one wicket down, played a wild hook to a Pushpakumara lifter that ended up in the gloves of wicket keeper Romesh Kaluwitharana. However, Grant Flower (unbeaten on 40) and skipper Alistair Campbell (not out 25) took Zimbabwe to lunch at a happier 88 for two. After the break, the two stars of the Zimbabwean batting continued where they left off, taking the score to 119 for two before Campbell (36), who with Flower had added 65 for the third wicket with Flower, had a rush of blood that saw him dancing down to a floater from Jayantha Silva, only to miss the flight and be stumped by a mile. Ironically, Campbell had told the media just the day before that his team was now better prepared to play the spin of Muralitharan and Silva (who between them had taken 14 wickets during Lanka's crushing innings defeat of the tourists in the first Test) triggered a collapse with his own thoughtlessness. Within an hour of his dismissal, the rest of the side were back in the pavilion and none of the others, save Grant Flower (52) reached double figures. Flower, again, fell to the Muralitharan-Mahanama combination, with the Zimbabwean opener unable to avoid a turning delivery from nicking his outer edge on the forward defensive prod. Muralitharan captured four for 40 off his 20 overs while Silva had four for 16 off 10.1 overs. Pushpakumara took one wicket for 22, while the last wicket was a run out. Sri Lanka made one change from the side that defeated the tourists in the first Test, leaving out spinner Kumara Dharamasena in favour of Pushpakumara. Zimbabwe, meanwhile, replaced the injured fast bowler Heath Streak and all rounder Craig Evans with Bryan Strang and Ali Shah. Update: At close of play on the first day, Sri Lanka had made 86 for three in response to Sri Lanka's 141 all out. Copyright 1996 Rediff On The Net All rights reserved Source :: Rediffusion on the Net (http://www.redifindia.com/) Day 2 Report Daily News Friday 20, September 1996 Hashan Tillekeratne scores maiden century Sri Lanka take a stranglehold of the Second Cricket Test against Zimbabwe By SA'ADI THAWFEEQ A maiden home Test century from Hashan Tillekeratne enabled Sri Lanka to take a stranglehold of the Second Cricket Test against Zimbabwe at the SSC grounds yesterday. Tillekeratne made exactly 100 not out as he guided Sri Lanka to a second day total of 317 for 7 wickets by the close - an overall lead of 176 with three days remaining. Sri Lanka are leading the two-Test series 1-0 having won the first by an innings inside four days. Tillekeratne completed his fifth Test century and his first on home soil in the final over of the day with a push to square leg for a single off spinner Andrew Whittall. The obdurate left-hander batted for 335 minutes and faced 254 balls, hitting 12 fours in a chanceless display of solid concentration. Tillekeratne arrived at the wicket at 102 for 4 when skipper Arjuna Ranatunga had become an early victim of left-arm fast bowler Bryan Strang. Ranatunga lasted only seven overs of the morning, before miscuing an on drive to mid-on with his score on six. Tillekeratne joined Asanka Gurusinha and put together a partnership of 114 for the fifth wicket to take Sri Lanka past Zimbabwe's total of 141. Gurusinha batted resolutely for 294 minutes facing 239 balls before he played a half-hearted pull off Bryan Strang and was caught at short square leg for a well-compiled 88. He hit one six and eight fours. Romesh Kaluwitharana (27) and Chaminda Vaas (8) departed in quick succession leaving Tillekeratne in danger of running out of partners whilst approaching his century. However, Ravindra Pushpakumara dealt a few lusty blows to remain unbeaten on 17 and see Tillekeratne to a well-deserved century. Sri Lanka made slow progress in the morning session as they set themselves the task of building up a substantial first innings lead, adding only 56 runs off 31 overs. The second session interrupted by two stoppages for rain totalling 65 minutes, produced 78 runs in 25 overs. But it was in the final session that Sri Lanka accelerated to some degree adding 97 runs off 34 overs. Day 3 Report- Daily News Saturday 21, September 1996 Zim need 47 more to avoid innings defeat Sri Lanka set for clean sweep by Sa'adi Thawfeeq The oldest member of the Zimbabwe team, 37-year-old left-hander Ali Shah held up Sri Lanka's victory charge in the Second Cricket Test by scoring his maiden Test half-century at the SSC grounds yesterday. Shah coming at the fall of the first wicket at nine, steadied the second innings with a dogged unbeaten 62 in 287 minutes to help Zimbabwe end the day on 162 for six wickets - the first time they have passed the 150-run mark in the series. Zimbabwe require a further 47 runs to make Sri Lanka bat again with two days remaining. Sri Lanka won the first Test by an innings and 77 runs and lead 1-0 in the short series of two Tests. PREVIOUS HIGHEST Shah, whose previous highest score in two Test appearances for his country was 28 against New Zealand, batted with great determination to complete his maiden fifty in 259 minutes off 232 balls. At the close he had hit five fours. None of the other Zimbabwean batsmen could match Shah for concentration. Andy Flower with 31 in 102 minutes was the nearest. He helped Shah in a fourth wicket stand of 57 before falling to a brilliant one-handed diving catch by Asanka Gurusinha at square leg off Muthiah Muralitharan. Craig Wishart, who made 25 was unfortunate to be given out caught behind by umpire Cyril Mitchley when the ball appeared to miss his gloves by inches on its way to the wicket-keeper. IMPRESSIVE That wicket by Sanath Jayasuriya coupled with one of Guy Whittall for three, gave the part-time left-armer impressive figures of 2 for 16 in seven overs. Two wickets in successive overs by another left-arm spinner, Jayantha Silva put Zimbabwe on the defensive as they began their second innings trailing by 209 runs on the first innings. Silva dismissed Grant Flower for 13, trapping the opener with his very first delivery of the innings and then, off the last ball of his second over, had skipper Alistair Campbell putting the ball into forward short-leg's hands. OVERNIGHT Sri Lanka carried their overnight total to 350 for 8 wickets, adding 33 runs in 75 minutes before declaring. Overnight batsman Hashan Tillekeratne and Ravindra Pushpakumara, both hit their personal best Test scores before the innings was closed. Tillekeratne remained undefeated on 126 made in 409 minutes off 326 balls, having surpassed his previous best score of 119 against Australia at Perth last year. He hit 13 fours. UNBEATEN Pushpakuamra who helped Tillekeratne add 64 for the eighth wicket improved on his unbeaten 17 against New Zealand at Dunedin last year, by scoring 23 in 112 minutes with three fours. The Strang brothers took the major share of the wickets - leg- spinner Paul finishing with 4 for 66 and left-arm fast bowler Bryan 3 for 83. Day 3 Report Rediffusion on the Net Lanka looks for yet another innings win over Lanka Struggling to avoid its second innings defeat in two outings, Zimbabwe were 47 runs behind Sri Lanka's first innings score of 350 for eight declared at the close of the third day's play, with four wickets remaining. When stumps were drawn at the Sinhalese Sports Club grounds, Zimbabwe were 162 for six (141 all out in the first innings), with Ali Shah, a veteran at 37, unbeaten on 62 and Andrew Whittal not out on one. Shah's half century, his first in three Tests that he has played in his career, came after 253 balls of painstaking defence spread over 279 minutes and punctuated with five fours. Earlier, Arjuna Ranatunga declared the Sri Lankan innings at 350 for eight shortly before lunch, with Hashan Tillekeratne unbeaten on 126, with 13 fours. This was his highest Test score, beating the 119 he made against Australia at Perth late last year. Tillekeratne, in company with Ravindra Pushpakumara, took the score from the overnight 317 for seven to 340 before the 64 run eighth wicket stand was broken by Bryan Strang's catch off Paul Strang. The Lankan pace bowler had made 23, and more to the point, given Tillekeratne the company he needed to get to his 100. For Zimbabwe, right arm leg spinner Paul Strang took four for 66, while his brother, left arm medium pacer Bryan, took three for 63. Zimbabwe, which lost the first Test at the Premadasa Stadium last week by an innings and 77 runs inside four days, seem in danger of repeating the dubious feat in the second of the two-Test series as well. Chasing a first innings deficit of 209 runs, Zimbabwe began badly with opener Mark Dekker falling LBW to Chaminda Vaas after making just four runs. Grant Flower, the other opener, meanwhile managed to reach double figures before falling, again LBW, for 13, the damage this time being done by Lanka's new find, spinner Jayantha Silva. That wicket fell at 30 and, four runs later, Silva struck again having captain Alistair Campbell caught at forward short leg by substitute Marvan Atapattu. Ali Shah and former captain Andy Flower then put on 57 runs for the fourth wicket, before Asanka Gurusinghe, the second highest scorer for Lanka with 88, took a brilliant catch square leg off Muthiah Muralitharan to send back Flower (31, four fours) with the score on 91. Craig Wishart (25) next shared a 44-run partnership with Shah, before gloving a catch to keeper Kaluwitharana off off-spinner Sanath Jayasuriya. Almost immediately thereafter, Guy Whittall left, caught by Gurusinghe off Jayasuriya to reduce the tourists to 144 for 6. Jayasuriya proved the most successful of the Lankan bowlers, taking two for 16 off seven overs while Jayantha Silva had figures of two for 35 off 19 overs, Vaas one for eight off 15 overs and Muralitharan 1/70 off 32 overs. With Shah alone remaining among the recognised batsmen, it is difficult to see Zimbabwe putting up any sort of resistance against the Lankans on the fourth day. The home side, thus, seems set for a clean sweep of the Test series, to add to their superb win in the Singer Cup competition just prior. It will be remembered that Zimbabwe are filling in a gap in Lanka's cricketing calendar, caused when Australia decided against playing a scheduled two-Test series on grounds of security. Copyright 1996 Rediff On The Net All rights reserved Source :: Rediffusion on the Net (http://www.redifindia.com/) Day 4 Report- Daily News Tourist perform well in second innings Zimbabwe stave off innings defeat By Ranjan Anandappa ZIMBABWE STAVED off the ignominy of their second consecutive innings defeat and conceded a 10-wicket win to Sri Lanka half an hour after the lunch interval in their second and final Hatton National Bank Test series at the SSC grounds yesterday. Zimbabwe were dismissed for 141 in their first innings and Sri Lanka replied with 350 for 8 declared. The visitors going in for the second time with a deficit of 176 were all out for 235 off 113.3 overs leaving the Lankans to get 27 runs to win which openers Sanath Jayasuriya (18 n.o) and Roshan Mahanama (12 n.o) utilised 6.4 overs to romp home victorious. When play began yesterday it seemed as it was a matter of time, as to when would the curtain come down. The Zimbabweans performed with far more distinction in the second innings. Once again the spinners Muththiah Muralitheran, Jayantha Silva and Sanath Jayasuriya, upto an certain extent ran amok in the Zimbabwe innings. Muralitheran had a match bag of (7 for 135) and was judged man of the series and Jayantha Silva who took 4 wickets in the first innings ended the second innings with 2 for 49, Jayasuriya after bowling 7 overs had 2 for 16. With the Zimbabwe top order collapsing, Ali Shah, the left handed overnight unbeaten batsman and Paul Strang steered Zimbabwe to a semblance of respectability. Although Ali Shah did not add anything to his overnight score of 62, he and leg spinner Paul Strang acquitted themselves with any credit fighting valiantly. Strang (50) was solely responsible to see his side make the Lankans bat for the second time. Vaas who had bowled with venom and fire for Sri Lanka throughout the match without much reward finally had Strang caught off his own bowling. Once Shah was brilliantly caught by Vaas in the gully in the third over of the day off Pushpakumara, it seemed as Zimbabwe's woes continued. But Paul Strang with his brother Bryan and later with paceman Henry Olonga saw them force Sri Lanka bat again. Ali Shah played a marathon innings spending 294 minutes and facing 261 balls reaching the boundary on five occasions.Paul Strang's innings was more enterprising. He did not allow the bowlers to dictate terms and batted very sensibly for his 50 made off 95 balls with five fours. There was a big doubt of an early Sri Lankan victory with a threatening sky prior to the lunch adjournment. A steady drizzle just before the lunch interval drove the players to the pavilion. But the sun came out to dispel the gloom and the match was continued after lunch. Zimbabwe captain Alistair Campbell airing his views said that Zimbabweans have been under pressure on many occasions," at the end of the day our batting was not good enough. We didn't have enough match practice, and practice against quality spin bowling. That what was our downfall, we couldn't play spin well enough." ``We have learnt from this and we have got a lot of hard work to do our next tour against Pakistan. And there, we have to face two world class seamers, so we have got a lot of work to do in our batting. There are some positive points also in that Paul Strang bowled well." said Campbell. "We were also unfortunate for not having Heath Streak that had weakened our bowling somewhat.Henry Olonga starting to bowl much better lot quicker. Craig Wishart found it not easy batting against top spin bowling on his debut. He has done pretty well and let's think of the positive side of things" said Campbell. "Our class was no means close to the best in the world, we just did not take our chances. Where the Sri Lankans took their catches. We were totally underprepared for this tour and we did not have any warm-up games before the Test matches but that's not really an excuse." Campbell said. He rated Sri Lanka very high as a test playing nation." You`ll have very talented side and beating you'll at home will be a very difficult task." "None of our batsmen made a reasonable score, where the bowling is concerned you`ll have two spinners and we have one that too made the difference" concluded the Zimbabwean skipper. Sri Lanka skipper Arjuna Ranatunga said that the series went beyond expectations and gave full credit to the spinners and medium pacer Chaminda Vaas. He said that good fielding was also a major factor for the success. He further said that Jayantha Silva bowled exceptionally well and could be a very useful candidate in the future as there are many cricketing years behind this youngster. He further said that Sri Lanka's aim of becoming the best test playing nation by year 2000 is very bright. " We had a very good start after the World Cup then the Singer Trophy and these two test matches and it seems that things are going in the right track and hope that we can keep up our good work in the future," said Ranatunga. Source :: Daily News (http://www.lanka.net) Source :: Daily News (http://www.lanka.net) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)