The Hindu : Sport : Jayawardene century anchors Sri Lanka

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Wednesday, Apr 25, 2007
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Jayawardene century anchors Sri Lanka

S. Ram Mahesh

Franklin got two early wickets

CAPTAIN'S KNOCK: Mahela Jayawardene came up with a well-paced innings as he guided Sri Lanka to a formidable total. — Photo: AFP

Kingston: Mahela Jayawardene constructed a supremely-weighted 115 — his second fifty coming off just 28 balls — as Sri Lanka scored 289 for five in 50 overs against New Zealand in the first semifinal of the World Cup here on Tuesday.

The Sabina Park track was baked brown, shorn of the grass that had caused Pakistan's misery against Ireland in the Group stage.

Jayawardene, confessedly unlucky with tosses, won the one that mattered and elected to bat. Stephen Fleming was thinking along the same lines, for Jeetan Patel had been picked as the second spinner.

With nary a cloud in the sky, it looked a good toss to win. New Zealand didn't begin particularly well. Both Tharanga and Sanath Jayasuriya got off the mark in the first over, bowled by James Franklin, and New Zealand missed running Tharanga out.

The conditions being what they were, it fell on Shane Bond's capable shoulders to break through. After starting with a wide down leg, Bond let Tharanga have two on his hip, and all the left hander had to do was bring his bat around in time. A scrambling fine-leg couldn't stop either stroke.

Bond ended, however, with the kind of delivery that's built his legend: on a length and shimmering across Tharanga; not swinging in, which is Bond's natural delivery.

Big wicket

But, it was Franklin who got the first wicket. And it was the big wicket of Jayasuriya; not Tharanga, who many expected to last as long as catnip on a scratching post.

Franklin scrambled the seam: consequently the ball went with the arm; it didn't swing away from the left hander as it might have, had it been delivered with the seam upright and tilted towards slip. The ball was also a smidge quicker — nearly 137 kmph — than Franklin's stock in trade.

Jayasuriya played around the full delivery to be castled. Fleming had spoken of Jayasuriya being the danger-man. The New Zealand captain ran in from first slip, a gaping grin on his face.

Kumar Sangakkara has looked in good touch this World Cup, but hasn't scored the runs to corroborate it. He is, however, a man for the big stage, and his push for his first runs betrayed no nerves.

Tharanga was squared up on occasion. He edged more than his quota of fours. But two boundaries square on the off-side confirmed his talent.

The first was kept to ground, bat face opening just so; the second was half carved, half slapped over point. He also hit Franklin over the in-field to prompt an increase in pace, a shortening of length, and a few choice words.

Tharanga's flaky onrush was allowing Sangakkara to play himself in with correct strokes. But, in a moment of stultifying ineptitude, he charged Franklin and tried clearing mid-on to be caught by Fleming.

Thus ended a 54-run partnership.

Crisp knock

Tharanga reached his 50 in 51 balls. He followed it with a six over cover off Daniel Vettori, but the left-arm spinner extracted his revenge. He changed his line of attack to around the wicket, and Tharanga missed sweeping a straight ball. But, his 74-ball 73 (9x4, 1x6) had given Sri Lanka a start and Jayawardene time to acclimatise on a slowing track.

Through his spell, Vettori bowled with insidious variation, using the depth and the width of the crease, and the possibilities of flight. Jayawardene and Chamara Silva played through a nervous period — it was a wonder neither was run out for the judgment was imbecile and the calling worse. That the New Zealand fielding unit, with exception, wasn't its usual efficient self let Sri Lanka off.

After 30 overs, Sri Lanka was on 129 for three, set to post a challenging target. Chamara swept Vettori for six, but Bond returned in his second spell to dismiss him leg-before. The ball was deserving of a wicket — the seam was knocked off axis with skill — but Chamara laid wood on it.

Tillakaratne Dilshan knows one way to play: picaresque with a premium on bottom-handed strokes, even if through the off-side. He was off at a run a ball. Jayawardene didn't squander his start: he hit Oram straight for six; another time Bond dropped him and parried it for six. Dilshan copped a bad decision — the second of the Sri Lankan innings — but Jayawardene pressed on.

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