Close Zimbabwe 14 for 1 trail Sri Lanka 586 for 6 (Sangakkara 128, Samaweera 123*, Tillekeratne 96) by 572 runs
scorecard

Centuries from Thilan Samaraweera and Kumar Sangakkara put Sri Lanka firmly in the driving seat after two days of the first Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo.

Faced with a mediocre Zimbabwe bowling attack, the Sri Lankan batsmen scored runs at a brisk rate of over four an over and were rarely caused any difficulty. Only Heath Streak looked at all threatening, and once the shine had gone off the ball even he looked unlikely to stem the flow of runs.

Streak had made an early breakthrough in the first over with the new ball, trapping Russel Arnold lbw for 13 (240 for 4) but thereafter Zimbabwe's successes were few and far between. Sangakkara and Hashan Tillekeratne (96) added 71 in 14 overs for the fifth wicket before Sangakkara's innings was ended by a sharp slip catch from Craig Wishart off Gary Brent (329 for 5). Sangakkara's third century in 17 Tests was memorable for some exquisite cutting and driving.

Tillekeratne and Samaraweera then posted a breezy 130 for the sixth wicket, a partnership ended when Tillekeratne was caught by Andy Flower off Streak just four short of his century (450 for 6).

By now Sri Lanka had complete control, and the unbeaten seventh-wicket stand of 136 between Samaraweera and Chaminda Vaas (74*) just underlined the one-sided nature of the day. Samaraweera reached his second Test century shortly before the declaration and Vaas was particularly savage on the weary bowlers to record his highest Test score.

There was a certain inevitability that Zimbabwe would struggle in the eight overs they were left to face and, sure enough, in the fourth over Hamilton Masakadza edged Nuwan Zoysa to slip where Tillekeratne took the catch (3 for 1).

Sri Lanka 1 Sanath Jayasuriya (capt), 2 Marvan Atapattu, 3 Mahela Jayawardene, 4 Russel Arnold, 5 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 6 Hashan Tillekeratne, 7 Thilan Samaraweera, 8 Muttiah Muralitharan, 9 Chaminda Vaas, 10 Nuwan Zoysa, 11 Charitha Fernando. Zimbabwe 1 Stuart Carlisle (capt), 2 Grant Flower, 3 Andy Flower (wk), 4 Craig Wishart, 5 Gavin Rennie, 6 Hamilton Masakadza, 7 Travis Friend, 8 Henry Olonga, 9 Heath Streak, 10 Trevor Gripper, 11 Gary Brent.

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