Charlie Austin
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1st Test: Sri Lanka v West Indies at Galle, 13-17 Nov 2001 Charlie Austin |
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Sri Lanka 1st innings:
West Indies 1st innings: |
Have gone into tea on 44-1, they added 41 further runs and were 85-1 at the evening drinks interval, with Marvan Atapattu on 39 and Kumar Sangakkara on 16.
West Indies opted to open after tea with right-arm fast bowler Mervyn Dillon and left-arm spinner Neil McGarrell, who is playing his first game in this two-week old tour.
Atapattu survived one close leg-before wicket appeal off Dillon, umpire John Hampshire adjudging that the ball hit the batsmen outside the line. Apart from that, though, he looked secure, driving Dillion straight down the ground and square cutting McGarrell.
Sangakkara played circumspectly to start with, but finally broke off the shackles with a square drive for four off Dillon, which he promptly followed with a graceful swivel pull.
Dillion, having bowled a ten over spell from the Fort End, was then replaced by Colin Stuart, who had been treated harshly in his opening three overs. He just bowled for two overs before being replaced by Carl Hooper.
McGarrell bowled his left-arm spin from the City End without threatening a great deal and the introduction of leg-spinner Dinanath Ramnarine was well over due when it came in the 23rd over of the innings.
The light is now deteriorating a full final session is unlikely.
Jayasuriya raced out of the blocks with four boundaries, including two coruscating square drives. He had just driven Mervyn Dillion through extra cover for a boundary in the fifth over when he reached for a wide delivery and was caught at backward point by Neil McGarrell.
The 32-year-old left-hander had scored 25 from just 19 balls and Sri Lanka were 37-0 after the first five overs.
Marvan Atapattu had time to play one perfect straight drive off Dillon and was 16 not out at the tea interval.
Number three wicket-keeper batsmen Kumar Sangakkara, who has spent nine hours keeping wicket under a scorching sun, is also now at the crease, unbeaten on one.
Lara, 167 at lunch, added 11 further runs when he gloved an attempted sweep off Muralitharan and was smartly caught by Kumar Sangakkara diving forward. He had scored 178 from 293 balls and hit 19 boundaries during his six-hour innings.
The dismissal of Lara precipitated the slide. Marlon Samuels was the next to go, clean bowled for 16 as he tried to drive a perfectly pitched off-spinner from Muralitharan through the covers. West Indies were 434-6.
As Muralitharan wheeled away from the City End, Chaminda Vaas, the pick of the other bowlers, plugged away from the Fort End. He was rewarded with a double strike, to finish with 4-96 in the innings, a fine effort on a bland pitch.
Ridley Jacobs edged the left-armer behind for seven and Mervyn Dillion slashed at a full-length ball only to slice a catch to Sanath Jayasuriya at first slip for five. West Indies were 448-8.
Muralitharan wrapped it all up as he took the remaining two wickets in his next three balls. Neil McGarrell, who had already been dropped at slip, was snapped up at silly point by Russel Arnold and Colin Stuart was comprehensively bowled first ball.
Muralitharan finished with 6-125, which is the 29th time he has taken five wickets or more in the innings. Most impressively he grabbed 5-21 from 13.3 overs in the day.
West Indies, starting the day on 316-3, moved onto 409-4 at lunch, with Lara still unbeaten on 167 (280 balls) and new batsman Marlon Samuels on seven.
Hooper had looked in total control throughout the morning, starting the day with sumptuous cover drive. He reached his 23rd Test fifty off 71 balls, but then slowed, needing another 49 balls to score 19 more runs.
Muralitharan, not introduced into the attack until well into the second hour, dismissed the Guyanan right-hander in his third over of the day. Hooper, trying to work the ball to leg, was caught and bowled off his leading edge.
He had scored 69 in 120 balls and hit seven fours. His dismissal ended a massive 153 stand to beat West Indies previous record fourth wicket partnership set by the same pair in St. Vincent in 1996/7.
Lara, who scored 50 runs in the session, looked to be positive against Muralitharan yesterday and was so again in the morning, playing a flowing extra cover drive shortly before the luncheon interval.
Samuels came to the crease and is yet to settle, edging Bandaratillake just wide of slip.
Skipper Sanath Jayasuriya introduced himself for an over before lunch in place of Bandaratillake, who had bowled a ten over spell from the City End with success.
Starting the day on 316-3, after a brilliant ton from Brian Lara and an impressive 88 from Ramnaresh Sarwan yesterday, West Indies added a further 48 runs to leave them well placed on 364-3 at the morning drinks break.
Car Hooper, 34 overnight, had played second fiddle to Lara on Tuesday, but played a more dominant role this morning. He started the day with an elegant cover off Charitha Fernando in the very first over and has hit a further three boundaries, as he reached his 23rd Test fifty off 71 balls. He has now scored 57 from 95 balls.
Lara warned Sri Lanka last night that he was looking for a big score, saying the tourists needed to score 500-600 runs on a surface that would help their spinners later in the game. Starting the day on 117, he was unbeaten on 142 at drinks, having hit a further three boundaries this morning, including a one bounce four off Niroshan Bandaratillake and a swivel pull off Fernando.
Sri Lanka’s new ball bowlers did trouble both batsmen in the early overs, as they wobbled the ball in the hazy conditions. Hooper was nearly trapped lbw by Fernando and then chopped in two by a sharp off-cutter from the same bowler.
Lara too enjoyed some fortune when, in the third over of the day, Mahela Jayawardene, fielding in the gully, missed the stumps with Lara scrambling just short of his crease.
The Sri Lankans have now introduced left-arm spinner Bandaratillake from the City End, whilst Vaas has just hobbled off the field after his six over burst from the Fort End.
© CricInfo
Date-stamped : 14 Nov2001 - 22:38