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| Monday, 14 January 2002 |
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Record partnership by Tilan and Upul lift Lanka to 418 by Sa'adi Thawfeeq reporting from Galle GALLE, Sunday - Tilan Samaraweera and Upul Chandana with only 14 Tests between them came to their side's rescue by sharing a record eighth wicket partnership against all countries to lift Sri Lanka to a respectable total of 418 in the third and final cricket Test played at the Galle International Stadium here today. When the seventh wicket fell at 254, Sri Lanka looked in danger of being bowled out for less than 300, for the first time in the series, having made totals in excess of 500 in the first two Tests. But Samaraweera with an obdurate knock of 76 in 335 minutes and Chandana, who missed out on a maiden Test hundred by eight runs denied Zimbabwe that chance by putting together 146 runs in 231 minutes which kept the visitors on the field for virtually two days. The partnership erased Sri Lanka's previous highest against all countries for the eighth wicket of 117 between Mahela Jayawardene and Chaminda Vaas against South Africa at Galle in 2000. By the close of the second day, Zimbabwe needing 201 to avoid a follow-on, had scored 18 without loss using up 19 overs. Both Stuart Carlisle and Trevor Gripper were lucky to be still out there having survived the opening spells of Chaminda Vaas and Buddhika Fernando and the wiles of Muttiah Muralitharan, who is looking for five wickets in this Test to become only the seventh bowler in the history of the game to take 400 Test wickets. Carlisle survived a confident lbw shout against Vaas before he had scored and was missed at three and eight by Jayawardene at slip off Fernando and Muralitharan. Gripper played and missed Muralitharan several times without getting bat onto ball. On a slow turning pitch where the odd ball is keeping low, Zimbabwe face a tough prospect of getting to those runs. "It is a difficult wicket to bat on, but Tilan and Upul batted with a lot of responsibility to get us to this total," said captain Sanath Jayasuriya at the end of the day. "In the first session we didn't want to lose too many wickets. It is not an easy wicket to play shots. Chandana was playing an international game after a long time and he needed to get some confidence. After lunch he got confidence and went for his runs. "You can't bowl Zimbabwe out too quickly. You've got to bowl really hard. It is not easy to get wickets on this pitch unless the batsmen make a mistake. We have to be patient and bowl one line and length and bowl to a plan. This is the slowest pitch we have played for a long time," said Jayasuriya. Samaraweera's marathon knock was ended by a run out following a misunderstanding with his partner Fernando which saw both batsmen stranded in mid pitch. He faced 232 balls and hit five fours. It was Samaraweera's 25-year-old third half-century in eight Tests and took his career aggregate to 515 runs at an average of 103. Chandana returning to the Test fold after nearly two years was the enterprising of the two, scoring 92 runs out of the partnership of 146. He batted for 231 minutes and faced 167 balls hitting ten fours in compiling his maiden fifty playing in his sixth Test match since making his debut in 1999. A century was well within his reach but impetuosity to get there cost him his wicket. He tried to hit off-spinner Douglas Marillier over the top and was caught by Stuart Carlisle at wide mid-off. Zimbabwe had a chance at 70 to dismiss Chandana but Trevor Gripper ailed to hold onto a chance at short mid wicket off Henry Olonga. "I regret very much that I missed out on a great opportunity to get to a maiden Test hundred because it is not often that I get the opportunity to play in a Test," said dejected Chandana. "I was playing in a Test after nearly two years and this was a great chance for me. I played the lofted shot to get a boundary but I was unlucky the ball found a fielder. "While batting with Tilan we didn't look for big targets, but we talked it over that we should do it by 25 runs on each occasion. It is not an easy wicket to bat on and it is taking a lot of spin. It is difficult to play strokes. You have to bat with a lot of patience to score runs on it," said the 29-year-old Chandana. Off-spinner Douglas Marillier took two of the last three wickets to fall after tea, to finish with four wickets for 101, the second time he had taken four wickets in a five-Test career. After a slow first session when Sri Lanka added only 47 runs in 29 overs, they accelerated through Samaraweera and Chandana in the afternoon session to add 93 runs off 28 overs. Samaraweera moved from his lunch total of 28 to 58 reaching his third Test fifty in 256 minutes off 182 balls with four fours. But Chandana was the aggressor in the partnership adding 60 runs in the session to his personal tally. Chandana completed his maiden Test fifty in 164 minutes off 117 balls hitting five fours. His previous highest score in six Tests was 32 against South Africa at Colombo (SSC) in 2000. The pair batted with little trouble from the bowlers on a bland pitch. Sri Lanka were dried of runs by negative Zimbabwe bowling on the second morning to go to lunch at 290 for seven wickets. Sri Lanka batsmen were also guilty of not accelerating the scoring being unable to dispatch several full tosses and loose balls to the boundary. Resuming at 243 for six, Sri Lanka lost one wicket in the session which saw them add only 47 runs off 29 overs, with not a single boundary being scored in the last hour of play leading upto lunch. Samaraweera and Chandana came together at the fall of Chaminda Vaas' wicket at 254, half an hour after play began. Vaas was trapped lbw by Heath Streak for eight after adding six runs to his overnight total in 30 minutes. Chandana struck two boundaries in one over from Marillier who provided him with full tosses and long hops, but the runs dried out once left-arm spinner Grant Flower replaced Marillier. Henry Olonga who took over from Streak concentrated on bowling outside off stump with the batsmen most of the time content to leave the balls alone. Olonga whose place should have gone to Gary Brent went wicketless once again. He has yet to take a wicket in the series having conceded 286 runs off 65 overs. JANASHAKTHI TROPHY IN GALLE The Janashakthi-National Test series trophy was brought to the ground by a Dutch couple who arrived in a bull drawn carriage during the tea break. The trophy was first handed over to Janashakthi Insurance Company director Prakash Schaafter who in turn handed it to the Cricket Board interim committee vice chairman Michael Tissera. The trophy will be awarded at the end of the current Test to Sri Lanka who have already taken an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the 3-Test series. SRI LANKA 1ST INNINGS (overnight 243-6) M. Atapattu c Rennie b G. Flower 50 S. Jayasuriya b Friend 28 K. Sangakkara b Marillier 29 M. Jayawardene c and b G. Flower 76 R. Arnold c A. Flower b Streak 40 H. Tillakaratne c A. Flower b Marillier 3 T. Samaraweera run out 76 C. Vaas lbw b Streak 8 U. Chandana c Carlisle b Marillier 92 B. Fernando b Marillier 1 M. Muralitharan not out 5 Extras (lb-7, nb-3) 10 Total (all out, 158.4 overs) 418 Fall of wickets: 1-50, 2-107, 3-125, 4-222, 5-229, 6-236, 7-254, 8-400, 9-413, 10-418. Bowling: Streak 32-11-70-2 (3nb), Friend 26-7-58-1, Olonga 18-6-52-0, G. Flower 39-7-89-2, Marillier 34.4-5-101-4, Gripper 9-0-41-0. ZIMBABWE 1ST INNINGS S. Carlisle not out 13
T. Gripper not out
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