Sports

Sports

King Murali does it!

Sri Lanka completes an innings and 240-run win

HARARE, May 8 (AFP) - Sri Lanka cruised to victory in the first Test against Zimbabwe here on Saturday defeating the hosts by an innings and 240 runs in a match which made history as spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan set a new world record for Test wickets.

Muralitharan took the 520th Test wicket of his career when he removed Mluleki Nkala to break the mark of 519 set by West Indian paceman Courtney Walsh who set his record also against Zimbabwe.

A weakened Zimbabwean side collapsed in their second innings to 102 all out having been bowled out for 199 in their first innings in reply to the tourists massive score of 541.

It was mid-afternoon on the third day when Muralitharan persuaded Nkala to give a catch to Mahela Jayawardene at forward short leg.

Muralitharan took a second wicket with the next ball catching Alester Maregwede off his own bowling with which to begin building a lead over Australian leg spinner Shane Warne, his great rival, who stands on 517.

Muralitharan now has the second Test against Zimbabwe, which starts in Bulawayo on Friday, to build on his new tally although Warne will get his chance to surpass the record when Australia tour here later this month.

Muralitharan left the field to an archway of bats, held aloft by Zimbabweans as well as his team-mates and the Sri Lanka officials.

The match was won at a canter by Sri Lanka.

Zimbabwe 1st innings 199 all out

Sri Lanka 1st innings

(Overnight 456/7 contd.)
M. Atapattu b Hondo 170
S. Jayasuriya c Hondo b Taibu 157
K. Sangakkara c Taibu b Matsikenyere 11
M. Jayawardene c Utseya b Chigumbira 37
T. Dilshan c Utseya b Mahwire 10
T. Samaraweera c Taibu b Panyangara 6
P. Jayawardene b Panyangara 4
C. Vaas c Matsikenyere b Mahwire 28
F. Maharoof lbw b Mahwire 40
N. Zoysa not out 28
M. M’tharan c Maregwede b Panyangara 26
Extras (b2, lb13, w3, nb6) 24
Total (all out, 125.1 overs) 541
Fall of wickets: 1-281, 2-312, 3-369, 4-387, 5-399, 6-403, 7-414, 8-457, 9-496, 10-541
Bowling: Hondo 27-6-103-1 (4nb), Panyangara 26.1-2-101-3, Mahwire 18-1-97-3 (2nb, 2w), Nkala 7-1-41-0 (1w), Utseya 12-2-55-0, Matsikenyeri 15-2-58-1, Taibu 8-1-27-1, Chigumbura 12-2-44-1

Zimbabwe second innings

S Matsikenyeri c MJayawardene b Zoysa 11
BRM Taylor c Muralitharan b Vaas 4
DD Ebrahim c HAPW Jayawardene b Zoysa 2
*+T Taibu lbw b Zoysa 0
E Chigumbura c HAPW Jayawardene b Zoysa 0
A Maregwede c & b Muralitharan 22
ML Nkala c M Jayawardene b M’tharan 24
P Utseya b Maharoof 0
NB Mahwire c M Jayawardene b Zoysa 2
DT Hondo not out 15
T Panyangara c Jayawardene b Jayasuriya 18
Extras (lb 2, nb 2) 4
Total (all out, 32 overs) 102
Fall of Wickets: 1-13, 2-15, 3-17, 4-17, 5-18, 6-63, 7-64, 8-64, 9-72, 10-102
Bowling: Vaas 8-2-24-1, Zoysa 9.5-2-20-5,
Muralitharan 9.1-1-37-2, Maharoof 4-0-18-1 (2nb)
Jayasuriya 1-0-1-1

Top