Sri Lanka in Zimbabwe - a preview

It is five years since Sri Lanka last visited Zimbabwe for what was popularly termed, especially in England, as the 'basement battle' for the bottom place in the Test cricket ladder.

Since then, both teams have come a long way, and according to the Wisden ratings the recent Test series between England and New Zealand was the 1999 'basement battle'. The 2-1 New Zealand victory put England into the basement, with Zimbabwe in seventh place. It was something of an artificial rating, though, as at that stage Zimbabwe had not played Australia or West Indies, or South Africa away from home, and so the table could not reflect possible adverse results against some of the strongest Test teams. Zimbabwe's defeats at the hands of Australia and South Africa have now taken them very close to the bottom of the table, and defeat in the series by Sri Lanka will deposit them below England.

Five years ago both teams were on the way up. The full Sri Lankan had visited Zimbabwe once before, back in 1982/83, just after they themselves had gained Test status. After a drawn match in Bulawayo Zimbabwe, after fifties from Dave Houghton, Jack Heron, Andy Pycroft and Peter Rawson, bowled out Sri Lanka for 104 (they were 34 for five at one stage) and 221 to win by an innings and 40 runs. Vince Hogg, in his last moment of glory for Zimbabwe, took eight wickets -- six for 26 in the second innings -- and Kevin Curran six, while the Zimbabwean fielders shared 18 catches between them.

The 1994/95 Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga made a 'pair' in that match, and perhaps these memories contributed to his team's tour strategy, which was to avoid defeat at all costs. On the opening day of the series Sri Lanka ground their way to 157 for one at Harare Sports Club, on the sort of perfect pitch that Zimbabwe's batsmen of today will be longing for. It was the pitches as much as anything that prevented Zimbabwe from winning the series, as all three Tests were drawn.

Zimbabwe's best chance came in Bulawayo, the match where Dave Houghton recorded his magnificent 266. They forced Sri Lanka to follow on 244 runs behind, after having them 96 for six at one stage. But bad light and rain interrupted the momentum, allowing Sri Lanka to recover to 218 all out, and then to block their way through to a draw. This was the only occasion when either team looked capable of breaking the stalemate.

Many of Zimbabwe's leading players in that series are still available and likely to play: Andy and Grant Flower, Alistair Campbell, Heath Streak (hopefully) and Guy Whittall mainly. The Sri Lankans have lost their two leading batsmen of that tour, Ranatunga (not selected) and Aravinda de Silva (withdrew), along with their chief stonewaller Asanka Gurusinha -- although he did not always bat in that mode. The batting line-up has been almost completely altered, with only captain Sanath Jayasuriya, who played in one Test out of three, returning.

Three of their five main bowlers in that previous series are returning: Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas and Gamani Wickrama-singhe. The first two in particular have progressed notably since that your, although Vaas' recent form has been somewhat erratic. Murali-tharan is obviously their trump card, and much will depend on how Zimbabwe's batsmen play him, for he is a danger on any surface. Most of them have had considerable experience of him in recent years away from home, though. New left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, with his supposed 'mystery balls', caused some difficulties to the Australians on his own territory, but the President's XI batsmen did not find him too difficult to play in Bulawayo.

On recent form, the series favourites can only be Sri Lanka. They had a dismal World Cup, despite beating Zimbabwe in a match where we badly under-performed, but new captain Jayasuriya seems to have breathed new life into the team. The recent failures of Zimbabwe's batsmen and the absence of Streak must give them heart, but there is always the danger of over-confidence. This is unlikely, though, in a team only recently risen from the depths and filled with renewed enthusiasm.

The Sri Lankans will be tough opponents, and certainly much more enterprising and exciting to watch than their predecessors. Jayasuriya, a devastating one-day batsman, will lead the way, and as their opponents in the warm-up matches will testify, their batsmen seek to dominate. They will be very different from the clinical South Africans and less predictable. Everything depends on Zimbabwe's ability to pick themselves up and learn how to bat again in a Test match.