da bet vitoria： Zimbabwe were left with their backs firmly to the wall in Sri Lanka’s hillcountry capital on Sunday night with the hosts poised for a series clinchingwin on the fourth day of this second Test
Charlie Austin06-Jan-2002Zimbabwe were left with their backs firmly to the wall in Sri Lanka’s hillcountry capital on Sunday night with the hosts poised for a series clinchingwin on the fourth day of this second Test.With Sri Lanka scoring 505, the sixth time in their last seven Test matchesthat they have scored 500 plus, Zimbabwe were left facing a daunting 269deficit when they finally started their second innings in the evening.Chaminda Vaas promptly plucked out the middle stump of teenage openerHamilton Masakadza with a curving inswinger first ball and so nearlydismissed captain Stuart Carlisle lbw in the same over.However, the Sri Lankans, now pumped up after growing needle between the twosides, had zeroed in on a tendency to work the ball in the air when playingon the leg-side and Carlisle was well caught behind square by MarvanAtapattu for nine to leave Zimbabwe on 16 for two.Six overs later, after a hostile new ball spell from Nuwan Zoysa, MuttiahMuralitharan was brought into the attack. Still in pain having tornligaments in his ring finger on the first evening, he started tentativelybut nevertheless proved a handful in his eight overs.Trevor Gripper (21) was close to being trapped lbw in the off-spinners firstover before being fatally deceived in his third over when he failed to picka straighter ball that hurried onto his pads (51 for three).The wicket was his tenth of the match and carried Muralitharan to anotherrecord as he eclipsed New Zealand’s Richard Hadlee to became the first manin Test cricket to take more than nine ten-fors.Zimbabwe’s two left-handers, Gavin Rennie, who had a verbal spat with Vaasduring the left-armer’s opening burst, and the out of sorts Andy Flower,survived till the close but the visitors were left facing a Himalayanchallenge to save the game still needing 201 runs to avoid a secondconsecutive innings defeat.In the morning, Zimbabwe had enjoyed their best session of the series whenthey whittled out three top order wickets before the luncheon interval,including those of Hashan Tillakaratne and Thilan Samaraweera, bothaveraging in excess of 100 in 2001.Tillakaratne (37) was unfortunate when he was adjudged lbw by umpireVenkatraghavan to Heath Streak when replays showed the ball had not comeback enough to hit his off-stump. Then, Samaraweera (17) feathered aleg-side catch to Andy Flower to leave Sri Lanka on 365 for six.Russel Arnold though had started the day well, swapping the adhesive styleof yesterday for a more adventurous approach. He cruised to his eighth Testfifty, hitting five boundaries, but then failed to capitalise on anexcellent opportunity to score a hundred.Grant Flower, the surprise package of the Zimbabwean bowling attack, who maylook benign but picked up three top order wickets, induced an edge to slipafter a defensive prod and Arnold was out for 71 (388 for seven).But the end of the frontline batsman singled the start of fresh frustrationfor Zimbabwe, as Vaas and Charitha Fernando painstakingly compiled a 111 runeighth wicket stand.Vaas followed his unbeaten 74 in Colombo with an equally impressive inningsof 72 not out. With Fernando, playing his debut innings, looking assured atthe other end, it Vaas’s first Test century beckoned.But, on the brink of tea, part-time leg-spinner Masakadza collected hisfirst wicket in Test cricket as Fernando smashed a long hop straight toTravis Friend on the mid-wicket fence to be dismissed for 45.Next, in the first over after tea, the Sri Lankan innings closed as Zoysaran himself out in lackadaisical fashion and Muralitharan played straightacross a straight ball.After the close, match referee Cammie Smith spoke to both managers,apparently calling for the players to cool down after the first signs ofincreased friction between the two teams in the Zimbabawean second innings,when Vaas and Rennie had openly exchanged words.