• Worcester booster for Sri Lanka
• Isipatana topple Royal with last minute try
• Rover Pinpoints
• Stump Vision
• Gihan, Natasha swimming champs
• We've forgotten how to survive — Arjuna
• Sri Lanka improve in fielding but fail with bat
• Nuzry Khalid-Black Belt in Fei Quan Do
• What ails Rugby in Sri Lanka?
• Briefly
• Outstation talent unearthed in Colombo
• Ton by Milinda
• Amateurish batting
• Zulfikar a lad with guts and determination

Worcester booster for Sri Lanka

Hig-riding Zimbabwe crash after ding-dong battle

By : Rangi Akbar reporting from England

WORCESTER, England, Saturday - Like the swinging ball, the do-or-die game for Sri Lanka against Zimbabwe here swung wildly before the struggling and desperate world champions steadied there ship to pull off a morale-boosting victory in the World Cup.

Sri Lanka who crashed to shattering defeats against host England and favourite South Africa earlier, needed a win to avoid the ignominy of being thrown our in the first run while a win for the high-riding Zimbabwe would have sent them into the Super six.

After restricting Zimbabwe to 197 for 9 in 50 overs - again a ding-dong inning - Sri Lanka struggled at the outset till Marvan Atapattu and Roshan Mahanama restored some stability and hope. The technically briliant had failed badly on this tour and there was speculation he might be left out of this match. But he regained form beautifully to play a sheet anchor role.

Star batsman Sanath Jayasuriya failed again, but Mahanama and Atapattu took the score to 72 till second line paceman Guy Whittall came on to shake Sri Lanka. After Mahanama's dismissal, the other star batsman Aravinda de Silva, failed again. When shaky and somewhat irresponsible batting by Captain Arjuna Ranatunga saw him giving a return catch to Whittall, the match was evenly balanced with Sri Lanka 108 for 4.

The young star Mahela Jayawardena was brimming with confidence as he and Atapattu again put Sri Lanka on the road to victory. But 50 runs for the target, Atapattu felt to another rash slash and Jayawardena followed soon after, putting Zimbabwe on top. But Wicketkeeper batsman Romesh Kaluwitharana and Chaminda Vaas played responsibly and courageously, edging near the victory target singles and twos. Yet it was still touch and go, anything could have happened. It was a double blow from Vaas that put the issue beyond doubt. Significantly, Vaas made the victory hits off paceman Henry Olanga who in a famous last over had bowled his side to a sensational victory over India three days ago. Finally, Sri Lanka reached their 198 target with four wickets and four overs to spare but the victory was not as comfortable as it appeared to be on paper.

Earlier Paceman Pramodya Wickremasinghe led Sri Lanka's fight to stay in the World Cup with three for 30 as the holders held Zimbabwe to 197 for nine off 50 overs in their crucial Group A match on Saturday.

Off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan played a key supporting role by taking two for 29 off his 10 overs.

Zimbabwe, who won their opening two fixtures, collapsed to 94 for six at one stage after being put in but were revived by a stand of 68 between wicketkeeper-batsman Andy Flower (41) and Stuart Carlisle (27).

Sri Lanka's new-ball bowlers, finding some early movement, restricted Zimbabwe to 16 in the first seven overs and then began to make inroads as Neil Johnson, trying to cast off the shackles, skied Eric Upashantha to mid-on after making eight and Wickremasinghe brought to bowl Paul Strang for five.

Grant Flower, playing the ball deftly off his legs, and Murray Goodwin provided stability and lifted the tempo as they put on 44 in 51 balls before Sri Lanka undermined the innings by seizing four wickets for 16 runs in seven overs.

Goodwin was run out for 21 when he turned a ball round the corner, went for a single, and Sanath Jayasuriya hit the stumps at the non-striker's end with a pinpint throw from backward square-leg.

Grant Flower's 69-ball innings ended when he drove at a wide delivery from Wickremasinghe and was caught behind by Romesh Kaluwitharana, then Captain Alistair Campbell fell to the same combination for six, though he appeared to doubt he had got a touch and waited several moments at he crease before umpire David Shepherd confirmed the verdict.

Zimbabwe's plight deepened when Guy Whittall, on four, pushed forward to off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan and edged to first slip where Ranatunga held a juggling catch. At that point the African side had slumped from 78 for two to 94 for six. Their fortunes were transformed by Andy Flower and Carlisle in their resourceful seventh wicket partnership of 68 in 14 overs.

Pace bowlers Eddo Brandes (19 not out) and Henry Olanga provided a late flourish by plundering 17 off the final over.

Scoreboard

Zimbabwe

Sri Lanka

---

Isipatana topple Royal with last minute try

By Ravi Nagahawatte

Isipatana once again created an invincible aura around them when they demolished reigning champs Royal by 10 points to 5 in their rugby fixture played at the Sugathadasa Stadium last evening .

It was once again the never-say-die attitude of the Patanians that paved the way for victory with the winning try coming characteristically during injury time. Till then the scores read five all.

The match winning try by Hamish Gunaratne broke the hearts of many a Royalist but that brilliant effort by the Isipatana wing three quarter proved beyond doubt that none could relax even for a fraction of a second when playing with the 'green shirts'.

Royal had plenty of possession and played attacking rugby .But when the ball changed hands their opponents proved to be hungrier for tries.

The Royalists played to a plan in the first half and earned a try through winger Viraj de Silva when he crossed the Isipatana goal line seventeen minutes into the game. Royal held on to this slender lead till half time.

Royal's dominance in the game was broken by a forceful move by the Isipatana number eight ,Janaka De silva ,who advanced ahead taking a short tap in the opposition forty which resulted in centre Veediya Bandara going over the line .

The Patanians once again lacked a reliable place kicker like last year and missed on the conversions when Roshan Peiris fluffed with the kick and a crucial penalty later on.

The Isipatana three quarters exploded into action during the dying minutes of the game with Veediya Bandara making the opening for the wiining try.

The centre three quarter drew the defence for his teammate Hamish Gunaratne who raced away to the try line covering twenty five metres.

With this win Isipatana regained the coveted Major Milroy Fernando Trophy after a lapse of an year .

More Sports

Return to Sports Contents