BCCSL XI waste another opportunity for victory

Charlie Austin

May 2, 2000

All those present at De Soysa Park Stadium today were robbed of a potentially appetising contest on the final day of this practice match. Robbed by a Sri Lankan team too concerned about losing and unprepared to take minimal risks in an effort to win the match. Denied an opportunity to learn from a run chase the players had to settle for tedious and quite pointless last two sessions. Required to score 269 in just 56 overs the Zimbawean's unsurprisingly decided not to chase the runs, finishing 81-4.

Sri Lanka's unwillingness to set a reasonable target, say something in the region of 210-220 is really quite inexplicable on a pitch that was giving plenty of assistance to their spinners and against a team with a relatively inexperienced top order. One hopes that the approach of both sides will improve in the next match. So far we have no results from the first three matches.

Starting the day with a lead of 117 the Sri Lankan openers extended their fine opening partnership to 128. Ian Daniels (52) took over the role of the aggressor this morning and started well. Looking to be expansive they soon started to struggle against the Zimbabwean spinner's leg stump line. Neither Daniels nor Kalavitigoda (72) were able to increase the scoring rate sufficiently and in the 90 minutes they batted this morning they only scored 50 runs.

When Daniels was eventually adjudged LBW off the bowling of Raymond Price it precipitated a dramatic collapse as the Sri Lankan's tried to increase the tempo but only succeeded in losing wickets. Five wickets falling for just 16 runs in 28 minutes.

However, spurred on by lunch the Sri lankan's came out in the next session all guns blazing, scoring 70 runs from just nine overs. Kumar Sangakkara (48*) continued his good form of the first innings with a sparking 48 from just 37 deliveries. Prepared to improvise and use his feet he countered the leg stump line of the Zimbabwean's with a variety of entertaining shots, some of which were quite unique. His partner, Suresh Perera (38), was also in fine form. Returning to competitive cricket he showed why he is rated so highly as a promising allrounder with some classy shots, two of which sailed over the boundary for six.

Whilst the Sri Lankan's continued to bat on the Zimbabwean's slowed the game down to a crawl. Gavin Rennie bowling some of the slowest overs of left arm spinners ever witnessed. Frustration started to creep in to the visitors cricket though and at least four catches were dropped. Tiredness may well be starting to take its toll.

Once the declaration did finally arrived it was clear that they Zimbabean's would not try to win the game. A target of 210-230 would have been chased but a run rate in excess of 5 runs per over was just two much on a pitch that was now turning sharply.

Even though they lost Alester Maragwede (4) early on, when he was caught by a juggling Sangakkara behind the stumps, they survived without much trouble until tea and never looked like losing thereafter. Despite mass appealing from the Sri Lankan's and some fine attacking spin bowling from Dinuk Hettiarachchi the visitors lost only four wickets. They will now travel to Galle for the second test undefeated when they could have lost two.

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