Zim lose to second-string SL
Wednesday, April 28 2004
Wicket-kepper Kumar Sangakkara and all-rounder Upul Chandana shone for a relatively inexperienced Sri Lankan side, to gain a 72 run victory over Zimbabwe.
Sangakkara top-scored the Sri Lankan innings with 63, as well as was involved in 5 dismissals during Zimbabwe's inning. Whereas, Chandana pitched in with a vital 51 runs, as well as two wickets, to win the Man of the Match award.
Stand-in captain Mahela Jayawardena, with a second-string side (without Marvan Atapattu, Sanath Jayasuriya, Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Muralitharan and Nuwan Zoysa), lost the toss and was put in to bat.
An inspired bowling performance by the inexperienced Zimbabwean bowlers, on a slow pitch, helped restrict the Lankans to only 223 runs in their 50 overs. Mluleki Nkala took 50/3, however T Panyangara was the pick of the bowlers, but managed just one wicket.
While Sangakkara did most of the scoring at the top of the innings, Chandana came in at a crucial situation at 137/5 in the 33rd over after Nkala had picked up two quick wickets, and helped Sri Lanka set a target of 224.
In reply the hosts looked to bat through their innings, worrying little about the run rate, which led to their downfall.
So far the batting has let the shadow Zimbabwean side down in all the matches, but this time someone other than captain Tatenda Taibu stood up. Brendan Taylor, the only white player in the team, was patient early, but sure enough to carve the path for a possible upset. However, others around him didn't stay for long.
Dion Ebrahim showed resistance, but lacked the will to win. Though he nursed the tail, he himself wasn't scoring too quickly to prompt a chase for the target.
Eventually, Zimbabwe were bowled out for 151 in the 44th over. Farveez Maharoof, after a strong early spell, came back to pick up the last two wickets. Though bowling against a weak opposition, he showed quite a bit of promise. Chandana also chipped in with two wickets, to top off his batting performance earlier.
Score Summary:
Sri Lanka: 223/9 in 50 overs (Kumar Sangakkara 63, Upul Chandana 51, Tawanda Mupariwa 44/2, Mluleki Nkala 50/3)
Zimbabwe: 151 all out in 43.4 overs (Brendan Taylor 38, Dion Ebrahim 50*, Farveez Maharoof 19/2, Upul Chandana 23/2, Russell Arnold 21/2)
Man of the Match: Upul Chandana (Sri Lanka)
Result: Sri Lanka won by 72 runs
Series: Sri Lanka lead the 5-match series 4-0
Posted by Sudeep
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