The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Vaas closes in on 300 mark

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 23, 2004

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Sport - Cricket

Vaas closes in on 300 mark

BULAWAYO, APRIL 22. Sri Lankan fast bowler Chaminda Vaas closed to within three wickets of the 300 landmark at Queens Sports Club on Thursday as Sri Lanka defeated Zimbabwe by nine wickets in the second of five internationals. The visitor now leads the series 2-0.

Vaas' quality bowling on an unresponsive pitch reduced Zimbabwe to 136 all out and the Sri Lankans lost only one wicket for 139 runs in passing that meagre total inside 21 overs. He snatched four early wickets in his first five overs, conceding only eight runs, and he closed with figures of four for 38 in 10 overs. It was his fifth four-wicket haul in 234 matches.

The contest for Zimbabwe wickets became a team effort between fast and slow. Vaas destroyed the top order and then Muttiah Muralitharan wrecked the lower section.

The Sri Lankan spinner also helped himself to four wickets, for 32 runs. His figures would have been much better were it not for moments of home team defiance when he was twice hit for six.

Muralitharan is now up to 354 in one-day internationals, but that will be academic to him as he takes aim at the seven more wickets he needs to establish a new world record in Tests. His chance will come in Harare next week.

The current record is held by Courtney Walsh of West Indies with 519.

Zimbabwe's collapse to 27 for four heralded a possible score under 100, but Tatenda Taibu with 35 and Prosper Utseya with 25 in the tail avoided that indignity.

After scoring 211 runs in the first clash here on Tuesday, the new and youthful Zimbabwe learned a hard lesson: without experience and class there is little hope for success at the top level.

This was emphasised when Sri Lanka's opening batsmen Saman Jayantha and Sanath Jayasuriya knocked off 84 runs before the lunch break, with the latter falling to the last ball of the morning.— AP

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