Charlie Austin
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2nd Test: Sri Lanka v West Indies at Kandy, 21-25 Nov 2001 Charlie Austin |
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West Indies 2nd innings:
Sri Lanka 2nd innings: |
West Indies were 152 for six at the final drinks break in the day.
Two balls after tea Brian Lara clipped the ball of the full face of the bat into the hands of short leg fielder Hashan Tillakaratne who completed reflex catch. Television replays clearly indicated that the ball had been hit into the ground, but Silva raised his finger.
Lara stood his ground and was visibly astonished when given out. He stood motionless for a short while before raising his arms in disbelief and then trudging slowly back to the pavilion.
He had scored 45 from 110 balls and West Indies were 110 for five.
The incident brought memories flooding back of Sanath Jayasuriya’a dismissal against England at the same venue in March. On that occasion Jayasuriya clearly hit the ball into the ground before Graham Thorpe took a diving catch at third slip.
The problem faced by umpire B.C. Cooray on that occasion and Gamini Silva here is that according to ICC regulations umpires are only allowed to refer decisions to the third umpire to verify whether a ball was taken cleanly, not whether it was a bump ball.
West Indies were left in further trouble when Chaminda Vaas, starting to get the old ball to bend sharply in the air, had Ridley Jacobs caught behind for five.
Marlon Samuels survived one vehement appeal for a catch behind off Muralitharan and was 22 not out at the interval.
There were minimum of 18 overs remaining at the water break, but more than that will be bowled if the light permits. The final hour starts at 5pm.
West Indies were 110 for four at the interval, with a minimum of 36 overs scheduled for the day. Weather permitting Sri Lanka should bowl more than that however.
The Hooper-Lara partnership has been the crucial pairing in the series and they had batted securely for 38 minutes before left-arm spinner Niroshan Bandaratillake made the breakthrough.
During the first innings he was trapped lbw by Muralitharan when there was a suggestion that the ball may have passed the leg-stump. On this occasion he can have no complaints, as went onto his back foot and was caught in front of middle stump by a straighter ball that skidded off the pitch.
Lara completed the bulk of the scoring after the dimissal of Sarwan. Hooper scored just four in his 31-ball stay and Lara was 45 not out at the interval.
At the water break West Indies were 83 for three, with Brian Lara not out on 26. There are 50 overs remaining in the day.
Sarwan, who scored 48, was dismissed in Muralitharan's second spell of the innings, this time from the Hunasgriya End.
The Guyanan right-handed stretched forward to offered a simple bat-pad catch to Russel Arnold at silly point.
From the other end Jayasuriya bowled a three over spell before handing the ball to Chaminda Vaas, who only four overs with the new ball.
West Indies were 62 for two at the first water break of the afternoon, with Lara on 15 and Sarwan on 39.
Lara started cautiously after lunch and appeared determined to take as much of the strike against Muralitharan as possible.
During his opening overs he barely played a scoring shot. Determined to play himself in properly he reached forward to defend and left the ball whenever he was permitted.
Finally he clicked into second gear as he square drove Muralitharan backward of point and then emphatically through the covers.
Then, when Thilan Samaraweera replaced Nuwan Zoysa, he stroked another boundary through extra cover.
All the while Sarwan has accumulated sensibly and quietly.
At lunch, West Indies were 25 for two, needing 297 to win off 74 overs, an unlikely prospect barring a virtuoso performance from Brian Lara.
Chaminda Vaas struck in the very first over, as Chris Galye was adjudged to have edged a catch behind to Kumar Sangakkara for a duck. Gayle looked disappointed, but unlike some cricket administrators recently, did not contest the decision of the officials.
Muttiah Muralitharan was pulled into the attack in the seventh over. First ball Daren Ganga thrusted out his pad and was mighty lucky to have survived. In the off-spinners next over he shouldered arms again, but forgot to move his front pad. The ball turned back sharply and clipped his off-stump.
Their final score of 224 for six leaves the West Indies needing 322 to square the series and, more pertinently, 83 overs to save the game.
Having started so brightly in the first hour the Sri Lankan innings stumbled in second, as the batsmen flayed wildly and four wickets fell. In the first 10 overs they added 63 runs and in the second 10 overs just 33.
The slowdown delayed the declaration. It first seemed that Jayasuriya was waiting for Atapattu to reach his century, but when the right-hander was stumped for 84, no declaration came.
Jayasuriya was clearly fearful of the “Lara factor” and aware that the star left-hander could single-handedly win the game. Thus, he made sure that the equation was stacked against such a scenario. But by doing so he lost potential valuable time.
Mahela Jayawardene entertained briefly after the dismissal of Sangakkara. He countered the negative tactics of leg-spinner Dinanath Ramnarine, who was bowling outside the legs of the right-hander, with a reverse swept boundary and then clobbered Dillon over mid on.
Dillon, who had a frustrating morning, had his revenge when Jayawardene skied a catch to Colin Stuart. Russel Arnold then did his chances of playing at the SSC no good at all when he scooped a catch into the hands of Dillon at cover for one.
Chaminda Vaas came in early to try and bludgeon a few boundaries, but he was caught for a duck, to give Ramnarine his fourth wicket of the innings.
Thilan Samaraweera (3*) and Hashan Tillakaratne (7*) batted till the declaration.
Dav Whatmore said last night that Sri Lanka were looking for “around a 300 lead with 80 overs” and during the first 50 minutes of play they went along towards achieving that equation, as they added 63 runs in just 10 overs.
At the first water break Sri Lanka were 191 for two, having lost Kumar Sangakkara, with a 288-run lead.
A declaration thus appears imminent within the next five to ten overs. This would leave the West Indies needing to play out 85-90 overs to save the game and the series.
Sangakkara wasted no time in signaling the team’s positive intentions when he danced down the wicket to a bemused Mervyn Dillon. Boundaries were hard to come by because of the slow buffalo grass, but Sangakkara scored freely. Indeed, so well and unselfishly did he bat that the selectors, currently pondering the triangular team, will have taken heed.
He swivel pulled and square driven his way to 45 before pulling a catch straight to Dinanath Ramnarine at mid-wicket. He had added 35 runs in 30 balls this morning.
All the while Marvan Atapattu was steadily compiling, in his stylishly unflustered way. He was 76 not out at drinks. Will Jayasuriya let him complete his century?
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Date-stamped : 25 Nov2001 - 18:43