Match report Zimbabwe v Sri Lanka 2003/04 5th ODI by John Ward

---

Scorecard:

Zimbabwe v Sri Lanka

---

Thanks to a good performance in the field and a fine innings by the 19-year-old Brendan Taylor, who has prospered as his nemesis Chaminda Vaas sits on the sidelines, the new Zimbabwe team put up a good fight in the final one-day international against Sri Lanka before conceding the series five-nil. For most of their run chase they were never quite in the match, being behind on the required run rate, but did creditably to keep the margin to only 25 runs.

 

Winter is definitely on its way in Zimbabwe, clear but nippy in the air. The crowd was at its smallest yet, numbering less than 100 at the start. The toss was conducted with a South African five-rand coin, and both captains thought they had won it. The match referee ruled in favour of Marvan Atapattu, who decided to bat on a good-looking pitch.

 

Douglas Hondo began with a good-looking maiden over at Saman Jayantha, while Tinashe Panyangara gave him good support from the other end. Jayantha’s patience cracked, and after two boundaries he lashed out at Hondo again and was well caught by the diving Tawanda Mupariwa at extra cover. Sri Lanka were 21 for one.

 

It was Zimbabwe’s last success for a while, as Atapattu and Mahela Jayawardene concentrated on working the ball around the field, keeping the score ticking over at almost five an over, with few spectacular shots, apart from one occasion when Jayawardene came down the pitch and hit Panyangara high over mid-on for four.

 

They put on 72 together but the occasional uppish stroke perhaps showed some overconfidence. It was one of these that cost Atapattu his wicket for 38, as he cut at Mupariwa and Stuart Matsikenyeri at backward point picked up a low catch that went straight to him; 93 for two.

 

With Tillakaratne Dilshan joining him at the wicket, Jayawardene (47) continued to concentrate on ones and twos, until he was deceived by a ball from Mupariwa that he attempted to hit over mid-on for his fifty. It was the slower ball, and he was comprehensively yorked; 128 for three.

 

Nine runs later, Sri Lanka were forced to take things more seriously, as Dilshan ran himself out for 21. He foolishly attempted a single straight to Dion Ebrahim at mid-on, and that fine fielder made no mistake with a direct hit on the stumps at the bowler’s end. Worse was to come, as Tatenda Taibu took his pads off to bowl, as he had done in the first match, and produced a fine delivery that swung across the left-handed Thilina Kandamby and bowled him for 7. Sri Lanka were struggling now at 147 for five, the middle order letting them down as it had done in the previous match.

 

Two days earlier Upal Chandana had rescued his team from such a position, but this was not to be his day. He struggled to 3 off 14 balls before clipping Taibu straight to midwicket, and Sri Lanka were 162 for six in the 42nd over.

 

Then, however, the tide turned. Taibu ill-advisedly decided to return to his pace bowlers for the final overs, and Russel Arnold and Farveez Maharoof slaughtered them. They hammered 71 runs off 41 balls, the most spectacular stroke being a gigantic six by Maharoof off Panyangara high over the midwicket boundary. Maharoof eventually holed out on the long-on boundary off the same bowler for 38 off 30 balls, while Arnold reached his 50 – 51 not out, to be exact – off the final ball of the innings, off 51 balls. With 84 off the last eight overs, Sri Lanka’s score had shot up to 246 for seven at the close of the innings.

 

There were two wickets each for Mupariwa (44 runs) and Taibu (42), but generally it was the medium-pacers who kept the runs down. Occasional off-spinner Stuart Matsikenyeri also played a part, conceding only 15 runs off his six overs before his captain mistakenly took him off for the pacemen.

 

Zimbabwe almost lost a wicket without a run on the board. Matsikenyeri played out a quality maiden over from Zoysa, and then Brendan Taylor edged his first ball from Maharoof low between the keeper and first slip; neither got a hand to it and it raced to the boundary.

 

They both looked uncertain to start with, but gained in confidence. They passed Zimbabwe’s previous best opening stand in the series of 19 and after an hour they had passed the fifty mark, helped by rather too many extras, and were looking fully at home. Sri Lanka, though, again gave the impression of being unable to summon up full motivation from playing against a weakened Zimbabwe team.

 

Taylor hit Rangana Herath for a remarkable six over extra cover, and by the first drinks break they were looking as if nothing would part them. But, with the score on 79 in the 20th over, Herath beat Matsikenyeri (37) and the television replay revealed he had been stumped by Dilshan just before grounded his toe. It was the third time he had been stumped in five matches, but this time at least he had not thrown his wicket away. It had been a fine and unexpected partnership, although they did not have to face Sri Lanka’s greatest bowlers: Vaas was not playing and Muralitharan had bowled just one over at this stage to allow the new-ball pair to change ends.

 

At this point Muralitharan came on again, and bowled so tightly that he did not concede a run until the last ball of his fourth over. But he frustrated Dion Ebrahim, who struggled to 6 off 22 balls before trying a rash reverse sweep against Herath and being bowled. Taibu proved a good partner for Taylor, who played even Muralitharan with confidence and went to his first ODI fifty off 96 balls. However Zimbabwe were at this stage slipping further behind the required run rate, which was now almost eight an over, a highly unlikely proposition for such an inexperienced batting side, however many wickets they had in hand.

 

Taibu, improvising well, moved to 26 before he tried to reverse-sweep Muralitharan (now 3 runs off 6 overs) but gloved the ball towards fine leg, for Dilshan to take a fine running catch; 154 for three. Four runs later Taylor’s fine innings came to an end at 74 (120 balls), as he pulled Herath straight to the fielder on the midwicket boundary. It was the 40th over, and the required run rate was now almost nine; it had been a good fight but the cause was now hopeless.

 

Hopeless or not, the later batsmen did their best at the risk of losing their wickets cheaply. Alester Maregwede (4) holed out at long off, off Herath, and two overs later Mluleki Nkala (11) perished in exactly the same way. Chigumbura almost followed suit at deep midwicket, only this time the ball rebounded off the fielder’s chest and over the rope for four, and had another escape at Muralitharan’s end, when the fielder, looking into the setting sun, was slow picking up the ball and running in.

 

He was finally out for 19 to a superb running catch by Jayawardene at deep midwicket, one ball after Utseya holed out at deep square leg; the boundary fielders were getting plenty of exercise. The score was now 200 for eight after 47 overs. Mupariwa batted impressively, scoring 12 off just 10 balls while Douglas Hondo (5) was no match for Muralitharan. Finally Panyangara scored the first runs of his international career, which brought him obvious delight, finishing unbeaten with 2, and Zimbabwe avoided being bowled out in their 50 overs.

 

(Article: Copyright © 2004 John Ward)