Udawatta shines for Lanka ‘A’ in Zimbabwe
A Brave bowling showcase after lunch on Monday saw Zimbabwe Select XI
contain Sri Lanka A on the first day of their four-day match played at
Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.
Zimbabweans bowled well after lunch to restrict Sri Lanka A to 245
for the loss of eight wickets in their first innings at the close of
play.
The hosts were forced to make one change to the team that drew the
first four-dayer in Harare when, just before the start of the match,
left-handed batsman Sean Williams suffered a recurrence of the migraine
that attacked him on Sunday, and leg spinner Timycen Maruma took his
place.
Sri Lanka A won the toss and opted to bat first. They saw their
opening pair of Mahela Udawatta and Tharanga Paranavithana share in a
stand of 98 runs.
After taking Sri Lanka A to 78 without loss at lunch, the two were
separated in the fifth over after the break when off-spinner Prosper
Utseya had Paranavithana caught behind by wicketkeeper Tatenda Taibu for
39 runs.
Utseya continued to bowl well and picked up his second wicket when he
bowled Malinda Warnapura for 17 runs.
Maruma was brought into the attack and in his first over he ensured
that Sri Lanka A captain Tillakaratne Dilshan continued with his
struggle with the bat in this tour when he trapped him leg before wicket
for eight runs.
Udawatta hung in there after being dropped on 19 runs by Stuart
Matsikenyeri at gully and went on to get his half-century. On 89 runs,
Udawatta was again given another life when Maruma put him down at
mid-off, from pace bowler Christopher Mpofu.
Chamara Kapugedara did not last long at the crease when he edged a
delivery from Mpofu to Taibu to depart for four runs.
Chibhabha picked up the first of his two wickets when he had Dilruwan
Perera adjudged leg before wicket for 11 runs and got his second when he
had Kaushal Silva brilliantly taken at first slip by Brendan Taylor for
25 runs.
Kulasekara was the last Sri Lankan wicket to fall on day one when he
was trapped leg before wicket by Maruma for nine runs to hand the
leg-spinner his third wicket.
Sri Lanka A: 245 for 8: (M. Udawatta 92; T. Maruma 3/48). v
Zimbabwe Select xi
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