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Sa'adi Thawfeeq reporting from Kandy

Sri Lankan batsman Chaminda Vaas pulls a delivery during his knock of an unbeaten 72 on the third day of the second cricket test between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe at Asgiriya International Cricket Stadium in Kandy, Sri Lanka, on Sunday. Sri Lanka made 505 in their first innings in reply to Zimbabwe’s 236. (Pix by Anuruddha Lokuhapuarachchi of Reuters)

KANDY, Monday - Sri Lanka continued their roller-coaster victory ride when they registered their seventh consecutive Test win beating Zimbabwe by an innings and 94 runs with a day to spare in the second cricket Test which ended in mid-afternoon at the Asgiriya International Stadium here today.

Zimbabwe faced with a massive first innings deficit of 269, were all out for 175 in their second innings to suffer their second consecutive defeat in the three-Test series which they have already surrendered being 2-0 down with the third and final Test starting at Galle on Saturday. Zimbabwe scored 236 in their first innings to which Sri Lanka replied with 505.

Today, their hopes of saving the Test were dashed by 21-year-old Buddhika Fernando who ran through the top order batting to finish with his best figures in Test cricket - four for 27 off 12 overs. He was not brought into the attack until the 40th over when Zimbabwe were 104 for three and Sri Lanka were desperately looking for someone to break the fourth wicket partnership that was developing between overnight pair Gavin Rennie and Andy Flower.

Rennie in particular, looked dangerous attacking Muttiah Muralitharan from the onset and forcing him out of the attack after five overs which cost 27 runs. Rennie hit him for five fours to complete his seventh Test fifty off 84 balls in 123 minutes with nine fours.

Fernando obliged his captain Sanath Jayasuriya by trapping both batsmen leg before wicket with straight deliveries.

Fernando had Flower lbw for 11 as he attempted to force him to leg and then sent back Rennie with a yorker that hit him on the front boot in line with the off stump.

Rennie made 68 in a stay of three hours facing 168 balls and hitting 11 fours and with Andy Flower put on 58 for the fourth wicket in 85 minutes.

Muralitharan however returned from the other end to have Craig Wishart caught off a top edge by Jayasuriya at backward square leg as he attempted a sweep from outside off stump. Wishart made three and Zimbabwe slid to 138 for six.

Following a successful first seven-over spell of two for 19, Fernando returned to pick up the wickets of Grant Flower for 21 trying to avoid getting out of the line, and Travis Friend bowled without scoring.

Muraliltharan who took nine wickets in the first innings picked up the remaining two trapping Douglas Marillier lbw for nine and then last man Henry Olonga caught at square leg by Samaraweera for one, leaving Heath Streak unbeaten on 14.

Muralitharan's final figures of four for 64 gave him a match bag of 13 for 115 and with it the man-of-the-match award. He carried his career tally to 395 wickets from 71 Tests and looks set to become the seventh bowler in Test history to achieve 400 Test wickets at Galle.

ZIMBABWE 1ST INNINGS 236 (G. Flower 72, M. Muralitharan nine for 51) 
SRI LANKA 1st INNINGS 505 (A. Jayasuriya 139, M. Jayawardene 56, R. Arnold 71, C. Vaas not out 72)

 
ZIMBABWE 2ND INNINGS (Overnight 68-3)

H. Masakadza b Vaas			 	 0
T. Gripper lbw b Muralitharan			21
S. Carlisle c Atapattu b Vaas		 	 9
G. Rennie lbw b Fernando			68
A. Flower lbw b Fernando			11
G. Flower c Sangakkara b Fernando		21 
C. Wishart c Jayasuriya b Muralitharan	 	 3
H. Streak not out				14 
D. Marillier lbw b Muralitharan			 9
T. Friend b Fernando				 0
H. Olonga c Samaraweera b Muralitharan		 1	
Extras (lb-6, nb-12)				18 
TOTAL (all out, 72.4 overs) 		       175
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-0, 2-16, 3-51, 4-109, 
5-134, 6-138, 7-138, 8-173, 9-174, 10-175. 
BOWLING: Vaas 18-5-35-2 (4nb), Zoysa 10-1-30-0 (6nb), 
Muralitharan 26.4-7-64-4, Samaraweera 4-2-2-0, 
Tillakaratne 1-0-8-0, Jayasuriya 1-0-3-0, 
Fernando 12-2-27-4 (2nb). Umpires: 
E.A.R. de Silva (Sri Lanka) and S. Venkatraghavan (India), 
TV umpire: P. Manuel (Sri Lanka), Match Referee: 
C.M. Smith (West Indies). Man of the Match: 
M. Muralitharan Result: 
Sri Lanka beat Zimbabwe by an innings 
and 94 runs to take a 2-0 lead in three-Test series. 
Third Test starting at Galle on January 12.

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