Cricinfo





 





Live Scorecards
Fixtures - Results






England v Pakistan
Top End Series
Stanford 20/20
Twenty20 Cup
ICC Intercontinental Cup





News Index
Photo Index



Women's Cricket
ICC
Rankings/Ratings



Match/series archive
Statsguru
Players/Officials
Grounds
Records
All Today's Yesterdays









Cricinfo Magazine
The Wisden Cricketer

Wisden Almanack



Reviews
Betting
Travel
Games
Cricket Manager







Vaas and Jayasuriya turn it round
Wisden CricInfo staff - November 30, 2001

Close Sri Lanka 193 for 3 (Jayasuriya 85, Sangakkara 55) trail West Indies 390 all out (Lara 221, Sarwan 69, Hooper 56, Vaas 7-120) by 197 runs Scorecard

A career-best performance from Chaminda Vaas and a belligerent innings from Sanath Jayasuriya dragged Sri Lanka back into contention in the third Test against West Indies at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo.

Vaas took five wickets on the second day to finish with 7 for 120 as West Indies lost their last seven wickets for just 44. It was almost a carbon-copy of their collapse in the first Test at Galle, a match they went on to lose. After dominating the first day, which they closed on 327 for 3, West Indies were routed by Vaas, who took centre-stage with the second new ball.

Lara effortlessly dominated for seven hours in reaching his fourth Test double-century, but once his overnight partner Carl Hooper had been removed the innings subsided with barely a whimper. Hooper, who had added four to his overnight 52, was trapped lbw by Vaas in the fifth over of the day (346 for 4), after helping add 135 for the fourth wicket.

Vaas then dismissed Marlon Samuels and Mervyn Dillon lbw and Nuwan Zoysa bowled Ridley Jacobs to leave West Indies on 376 for 7.

While Lara remained there was hope, but eventually he too was undone by Vaas's late inswing, jabbing down late on a ball but only edging it into his stumps. Lara had made 221 off 354 balls with 23 fours and two sixes, and had come within a whisker of his stated aim of getting his Test average back above 50. After dipping below 47 before this series, it is now 49.94.

In the over before lunch Muttiah Muralitharan, who had endured an uncharacteristically frustrating first day, finally took a wicket when Dinanath Ramnarine edged to slip. It took just one ball after the interval for Vaas to polish off Pedro Collins - and the innings. Only Lara, Hooper and Ramnaresh Sarwan (69) reached double figures.

Sri Lanka's reply started shakily when Marvan Atapattu was caught for 4 by Chris Gayle in the slips off Collins in the second over (5 for 1). But Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakkara added 99 for the second wicket before Sangakkara pushed his luck too far. He had already been fortunate that several loose shots had gone just wide of fielders. Now he chanced his arm once too often and his edge off Mervyn Dillon was well taken at first slip by Gayle (104 for 2).

Jayasuriya continued to attack, but as he neared what would have been his ninth Test century he paid for his over-aggression when he was caught by Ramnarine off Marlon Black for 85 (179 for 3).

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd