The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Sri Lanka canters to a win

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Sunday, Jul 18, 2004

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Sport - Cricket

Sri Lanka canters to a win

By Sanjay Rajan

DAMBULLA, JULY 17. Up against a prospect of facing two top-notch teams on two consecutive days most others would have been overawed. But not the United Arab Emirates. The Arab nation came up with an inspired show while bowling against host Sri Lanka in their Indian Oil-Asia Cup 2004 day/night Group B clash here on Saturday at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium.

It restricted the host, which opted to bat, to 239. However, for a second consecutive day the UAE batting collapsed, which was only to be expected, considering that the Associate member was up against a top-class attack in bowler-friendly conditions.

The host won by 116 runs (similar margin as India), picking up the bonus point along the way for full six points from its lung-opener. UAE, which lost both matches, is now out of the reckoning.

The windy conditions assisted the mediumpacers and the tall, lanky Ali Asad Abbas and left-arm Asim Saeed had the Lankan openers Saman Jayantha and left-hander Sanath Jayasuriya on a leash. Abbas bowled a full length and even had Jayantha squaring up, but the edge dropped short of Asgar Ali Tabassam, who donned the big gloves in the absence of Abdul Rehman.

Syed Maqsood Ahmed, who replaced Saeed in the attack after the left-armer fell on his follow-through and twisted his ankle at the beginning of his third over, squared up Jayantha and knocked back his off-stump. Maqsood, it may be recalled, was in the Tamil Nadu Ranji squad for a few matches in the mid-90s, though he failed to win a cap.

Jayasuriya departed a short while later, leg before to Abbas. But the left-handed pair of Avishka Gunawardene (73, 89b, 8x4) and Kumara Sangakkara took the side past the 100-run mark in the 22nd over with a 64-run stand for the third wicket.

Sri Lankan captain Marvan Atapattu and spearhead Chaminda Vaas opted to rest. Stand-in skipper Mahela Jayawardene was run out when Gunawardene sent him back midway after the former had embarked on a third run.

The UAE spinners, offies Sameer Zia and Md. Tauqir and left-armer Khurram Khan, made runs difficult to come by. However, Gunawardene held the innings together and kept it going with partnerships down the order. He was seventh man out, caught by Sameer Zia brilliantly running to his left at widish long-on off skipper Khurram, who finished with four wickets.

UAE stood no chance against the Lankan attack. Left-arm mediumpacer Nuwan Zoysa sent back opener Arshad Ali and one-drop Fahad Usman in no time. Thereafter, the spinners, offies Tillekeratne Dilshan and Muttiah Muralitharan and leg-spinner Upul Chandana spun a web around the batsmen. Lasith Malinga has pace but was a touch erratic.

Muralitharan, who was the only point of interest in the whole match, bowled with four men around the bat and finished with three wickets.

The two changes in the UAE XI from the one that took on India on Friday were off-spinner Sameer Zia and opener Ram Veera Rai in the place of Rehman and left-arm spinner Rizwan Ahmed. Rai top-scored with 39. UAE's 100 came in the 39th over. And that tells the story. Khurram Khan was declared the man of the match.

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