da leao： It started in blistering sunshine and ended prematurely because of aspectacular tropical storm, but otherwise the first day of the JanashakthiNational Test series was boringly predictable
Charlie Austin27-Dec-2001It started in blistering sunshine and ended prematurely because of aspectacular tropical storm, but otherwise the first day of the JanashakthiNational Test series was boringly predictable. Zimbabwe’s self-disciplinedseamers concentrated on containment and the cricket was attritional, as thepatience of Sri Lanka’s free scoring batsmen was tested to the full.But despite the best efforts of Zimbabwe’s bowlers, when Sri Lanka re-starttheir innings tomorrow, probably late because the severity of thethunderstorm, they do so in charge on 211 for three thanks to half centuriesfrom Sanath Jayasuriya (92) and Kumar Sangakkara (62 not out).Nevertheless, Zimbabwe will not be overly disappointed. The presence of rainonly boosts their stated aim of “grabbing a couple of draws” and the daywould have ended much worse were it not for a double strike by part-timeoff-spinner Trevor Gripper in the evening session.At one stage, Sri Lanka were building the foundations for another huge totalat the SSC – to follow the 610-6 against India, 559-5 against Bangladesh and627-9 against West Indies – apparently cruising on 150 for one. By then thetourist’s decision to bowl first on a dry, flat pitch looked stupid in theextreme.True, they had picked four seamers after the withdrawal of Murphy and thiswas the same venue at which they had been bundled out for 38 in a one-daymatch earlier in the tour, but this was plum surface for batting and anideal opportunity to put pressure on Sri Lanka. Instead, the home side wereslowly compiling a sizeable first innings score, content in the knowledgethat, with some wear and tear, the wicket would suit Muttiah Muralitharan toa tee.However, Gripper came to the rescue with his innocuous looking off-breaks.Playing in his tenth Test, he only had one wicket before today, but deniedJayasuriya his ninth Test century, as the left-hander tried to sweep and wascaught off his glove by Andy Flower (150 for two).Then, Mahela Jaywardene (18) started with a bang, clouting fast bowlerTravis Friend for 14 in an over and four boundaries in all, before hedisdainfully tried to launch Gripper straight down the ground. He mistimedhis shot and Carlisle, sprinting 30 metres backwards from mid on, clung ontoa brilliant catch (170 for three).Sangakkara and Russel Arnold hung onto till the close, Sangakkara in somestyle as he swung Gripper for six to bring up his seventh Test fifty. Arnold’s 51 minute innings was a more dogged affair and he may well have beensaved by inconclusive television replays that made it impossible to tellwhether a thin edge off medium pacer Gary Brent had carried through to thewicket-keeper.That was not the only time that Zimbabwe looked unlucky. Earlier in the day,when he had scored just one, Marvan Atapattu looked to have been caught offpad via bat at short leg. Then, shortly afterwards, Jayasuriya survived avehement appeal for a catch behind of Friend, with umpire Riazruddinapparently adjudging that the ball had either missed completely or had beensqueezed onto the ground.Thereafter, Atapattu and Jayasuriya sedately added 78 for the first wicket,as Zimbabwe bowled outside their off-stump with a fortified ring of fieldersand the occasional sweeper on the cover boundary.The run scoring would have ground to a complete halt if Jayasuriya hadn’tzeroed in on every loose delivery proffered. Friend was the most generous,guilty of over pitching, as the left-hander clubbed him for six boundaries.Olonga, too, received some stick, as he strayed on to leg-side and waswhipped to the boundary. Streak and Brent were far tighter.Streak eventually broke through as Atapattu lost his balance and tickled aleg-side catch to Flower.Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka had plumped for three fast bowlers – ChamindaVaas, Nuwan Zoysa and Charitha Buddika Fernando – which had caused somesurprise on a drier than normal SSC pitch. With the inexperienced Gripperoccasionally extracting significant turn already, an extra spinner wouldhave been useful to winkle out the Zimbabwean batsmen.