KOLKATA: Sri Lanka `A' overcame a top-order batting collapse to win the Duleep Trophy league match at the Eden Gardens here on Tuesday. On the final day, the Lankans beat South Zone by three wickets, thanks to an undefeated century by one drop batsman Malinda Warnapura and his seventh-wicket partnership of 137 runs with wicketkeeper Kaushal Silva.

Sri Lanka `A' topped the group with an all-win record and will play North Zone in the five-day final beginning here from Sunday.

South captain V.V.S. Laxman declared the second innings this morning, setting a target of 273 and giving his bowlers the entire day to try and bowl out the visitor.

After some wayward new ball attack, Tamil Nadu teenager Vijayakumar Yomahesh, playing his second first class game — the first being a Ranji Trophy match against Bengal at the Eden Gardens last season — picked up six wickets for 71 runs to raise visions of a South Zone victory but that was not to be.

Bad shot selection

Poor shot selection by the Lankan top-order with the exception of Warnapura saw the visiting team collapse to 83 for four from 50 for no loss in 22 overs before a 48-run partnership for the fifth wicket between Chamara Silva and Warnapura arrested the slide.

However, the turning point of the match was the 137-run stand for the seventh wicket in which the diminutive Silva contributed a polished 65 (117b, 9x4) to Warnapura's 63. The wicketkeeper became Yomahesh's sixth victim, bowled off a well-directed yorker.

Warnapura went on to remain unbeaten on a well-made 111 (196b, 13x4) and ensured that Sri Lanka `A' reached the target without further hiccups.

Laxman praised the two Sri Lankan batsmen for the way they applied themselves. "The two played really well to negate our bowlers' efforts,'' he said. "The failure of our batsman in the first hour on the first day of the match ultimately let the team down,'' he added. The South skipper appreciated the good work of Yomahesh and predicted a bright future for the youngster.

The scores:

South Zone — 1st innings: 266.

Sri Lanka `A' — 1st innings: 327.

South Zone — 2nd innings: 333 for four decl.

Sri Lanka `A' — 2nd innings: M. Vandort b Ojha 14, M. Udawatte c Karthik b Yomahesh 40, M. Warnapura (not out) 111, T. Samaraweera c Karthik b Yomahesh 4, J. Mubarak c Ojha b Yomahesh 6, C. Silva c Karthik b Yomahesh 15, U. Chandana c Karthik b Yomahesh 0, K. Silva b Yomahesh 65, A. Ganegama (not out) 3; Extras (b-8, lb-4, nb-3): 15; Total (for seven wkts. in 76.4 overs): 273.

Fall of wickets: 1-51, 2-63, 3-69, 4-83, 5-131, 6-131, 7-268.

South Zone bowling: Sreesanth 16-2-59-0, Kaushik 12-2-26-0, Yomahesh 15.4-1-71-6, Ojha 23-3-84-1, Laxman 1-1-0-0, Venugopala Rao 9-0-21-0.

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