da brdice： A large and expectant crowd braved the stifling heat and humidity on thesecond day of the final Janashakthi National Test at Galle to watch MuttiahMuralitharan pass the 400 mark
da leao： Charlie Austin13-Jan-2002A large and expectant crowd braved the stifling heat and humidity on thesecond day of the final Janashakthi National Test at Galle to watch MuttiahMuralitharan pass the 400 mark. But they were deprived of seeing their heromake history by a bloody-minded performance by Sri Lanka’s tail.Starting the day precariously placed on 243 for six the Sri Lankan lowerorder rallied, adding a further 185 runs in five hours before being bowledout for 418, an imposing total on a powdering pitch.Belatedly, Muralitharan did appear, with six close fielders hovering aroundthe bat, but he failed to grab a wicket during a testing six-over spell,although he came close when Mahela Jayawardene spilled a catch at hisbootstraps off Stuart Carlisle, who had already been missed in the slips offfast bowler Charitha Fernando.Zimbabwe survived a potentially tricky 19 over session till the close,finishing on 18 without loss, and start again tomorrow with a follow ontarget of 219 foremost in their minds.It will not be easy. Sri Lanka’s batsman complained afterwards of a pitchthat is already disintegrating, showing variations in pace and bounce. Moreimportantly the ball is spinning violently and Muralitharan could be wellnigh impossible to play. With Monday being ‘Thai Pongal’ and a nationalholiday, the spectators will surely come again.For the crowd, the disappointment of not seeing Sri Lanka’s spin magicianpass 400 was tempered by the surprise performance of local leg-spinner UpulChandana, who narrowly missed out on a maiden Test hundred.The right-hander, picked in the team primarily for his wrist spin, joinedThilan Samaraweera in the morning after the early loss of Chaminda Vaas -guilty of flaying wildly across the line of a straight ball from HeathStreak – and helped compile a Sri Lankan record partnership for the eighthwicket.The pair added 146 runs, turning a mediocre total into a very good one. But,boy, was it painful to begin with as Zimbabawe’s makeshift spinners wentonto the defensive and the Sri Lankan pair into their shells. Only 47 runswere scored in 27 overs and the crowd could be forgiven for wondering whythey had come to watch.However, after the luncheon interval, Chandana showed greater adventure,partially breaking the deadlock with the quick use of his feet and somewristy drives. He reached his first Test fifty with a lofted drive straightdown the ground and had moved on to 81 by the tea interval.At the other end, Samaraweera was providing further evidence of animperturbable temperament as he eschewed all fripperies and stonewalled theZimbabweans, who, in turn, showed their character by staying remarkablyperky throughout their exhausting 11-hour stay in the field.After tea, the crowd’s focus moved from Muralitharan to Chandana’s century.Again they were to be frustrated. Once too often the wiry-built right-handerwaltzed down the wicket and aimed a lofted drive. He failed to get thedesired elevation and offered a skimming catch to Carlisle at mid off.The innings soon closed as Samaraweera’s 335-minute vigil came to an abruptend when he was run out after a mid-pitch hesitation with Fernando.Nevertheless, the 25-year-old’s prodigious start to international cricketcontinued. He had scored 76, his third fifty, to maintain an atomic averageof 103 after eight Tests.Murailtharan then threatened some late evening entertainment with a fewcharacteristic swipes but the innings ended when Fernando was clean bowled.Douglas Marillier was the most successful bowler, picking up four wicketsfor 101, but was not the best, too frequently dropping short or offeringjuicy low full tosses.Grant Flower was the hardest to score off as he tossed the ball outside legstump, whilst the effort of the fast bowlers, Heath Streak and TravisFriend, was perhaps the most heroic performance of the day, as the pairchurned out 58 overs on one of the most unforgiving surfaces for fastbowlers imaginable.
