Clobbered!
Sharjah - Things went from bad to worse for the forlorn West Indies here yesterday
19-Oct-1999
Sharjah - Things went from bad to worse for the forlorn West Indies
here yesterday.
Subjected to their heaviest run-margin defeat in One-Day
Internationals by Pakistan on Friday, they were just as
comprehensively beaten by Sri Lanka by wickets and overs in their
return match in the Coca-Cola Champions Trophy.
The fragility and self-doubt of their batsmen were again exposed by
Sri Lanka's varied and disciplined bowling, confined to 149 all out in
the last of their 50 overs.
Their own bowlers were then belted around under the lights by Sri
Lanka's left-hand captain Sanath Jayasuriya, who hammered three sixes
and eight fours in 88 off 80 balls to lead his team to an
embarrassingly one-sided victory for his solitary wicket with 22 overs
to spare.
"The team really bowled and fielded well and I was glad to be back
among the runs again," said Jayasuriya, who was named Man Of The
Match.
The loss was the West Indies' seventh in their last 11 One-Day
Internationals against India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in
tournaments in Toronto, Dhaka and here in the past five weeks.
Seven times in those matches they have failed to pass 200 in their
allocated 50 overs, three times they have been dismissed under 150.
Their hard-fought firs-round victory over the Sri Lankans still gives
them a chance of reaching Friday's final but they will have to
overcome the powerful Pakistanis in their last preliminary match
tomorrow. That seems unlikely for a team with obviously low morale and
without the services of the injured Jimmy Adams, their most
experienced all-rounder.
After Brian Lara chose to bat on winning the toss, the West Indies
struggled from first ball to last.
They lost their openers cheaply to the left-arm swing bowlers Chaminda
Vaas and Niram Zoysa and were never allowed to recover by the
off-spinners Russell Arnold, Muttiah Muralitheran and Aravinda deSilva
and the leg-spinner Upantha Chandana. Their causes was completely
undermined by the runouts of Lara and Ricardo Powell, the batsmen
most likely to take the attack to the Sri Lankans.
Ridley Jacobs, reinstated to his opening position filled for the
previous four matches by Lara, fell to a miscued pull in the third
over, and Sherwin Campbell to a catch at square-leg in the 12th.
Wavell Hinds, one of six left-handers in the order, carried out his
role as sheet anchor at No. 3 with 58 that occupied 117 balls. He
lifted Chandana for his two sixes but dealt mainly in singles
otherwise.
He found no one to provide the required momentum at the other end
after Lara, backing up too far in his anxiety to get to the strike,
was run out by Muralitharan's direct hit at the bowler's end after he
had made 29 from 42 balls that included a six over long-on off Arnold.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul could not rekindle the form that seemed to
return in unbeaten innings of 92 and 77 in two One-Day Internationals
against Bangladesh earlier in the month, struggling for 63 balls over
31, and the tail provided little once the dangerous Powell, sprinting
through for a sharp single to short fine-leg, was run out by Silva's
return to wicket-keeper Romesh Kaluwitharana.
Muralitharan's mastery over the uncertain West Indians was emphasised
by figures of three for 22 from 9.3 overs as the last seven wickets
went for 19. But the problems were started by Vaas and Zoysa, who
conceded 29 from their combined 14 overs at the start.
Jayasuriya, so short of runs and confidence in recent Test and One-Day
series in Sri Lanka that he demoted himself to No.5 in Friday's tied
match against Pakistan, resumed his usual position as opener. He
immediately opened an assault on the bowling that completely deflated
the already disspirited West Indies.
Merv Dillon went for 40 in six overs, including two leg-side sixes off
his last that cost 15. Curtly Ambrose was taken for 22 off his opening
four and, although Reon King in his first match on tour was
impressive, the match was long since settled when Jayasuriya was
bowled by Nehemiah Perry after an opening partnership of 128 with
Kaluwitharana.