West Indians face fight for survival after latest capitulation
The sun finally shone in Kandy, but that did not brighten the mood of the West Indian players, who suffered yet another batting collapse; a capitulation that squashed any faint hopes of squaring this Janashkathi National Test series and leaves them
Charlie Austin
24-Nov-2001
The sun finally shone in Kandy, but that did not brighten the mood of the
West
Indian players, who suffered yet another batting collapse; a capitulation
that squashed any faint hopes of squaring this Janashkathi National Test
series and leaves them with a desperate fight for survival tomorrow.
This morning a draw appeared a near certainty after two rain-ruined days,
but Sri Lanka dominated the day to such extent that they now have a good
chance to finish off the Kandy jinx.
Sri Lanka bowled out West Indies for 191 and then added 128 for one in their
second innings to finish the day with a healthy 225 run lead on a pitch that
is offering both the pace bowlers and spinners encouragement.
With Brian Lara waiting in the wings, setting totals is a dangerous business
and no easy targets will be offered tomorrow. Sri Lankan coach Dav Whatmore
said afterwards that they were looking at 300-odd in 80 overs (105 overs are
scheduled tomorrow) depending on how quickly they are able to score.
In normal circumstances, the West Indies would be expected to salvage a
draw. But so meekly did the batsmen play today that a further calamitous
performance cannot be ruled out.
After three innings so far in the tour, there is the widespread belief that
the West Indies fifth wicket signals the eminent innings close. In Galle the
last five wickets yielded just 25 and 13 runs respectively. Here, they
realised 24 runs.
One dare not wonder their plight had Brian Lara not been batting somewhere
near his regal best. He followed scores of 178 and 44 in Galle with a
brilliant 74 before he was last man out today.
West Indies, starting the fourth day on 39 for one, lost regular wickets
throughout their 66.5 over innings. The early damage was inflicted by
Muttiah Muralitharan, who took three wickets in the morning and four in all,
but the most eye-catching performance came from Chaminda Vaas.
Vaas, normally the team's journeyman, has been working hard during the last
12 months to try to master the art of reverse swing. Today he showed he had
gone a long way towards learning that devastating skill, as the old ball
bent all over the place in a final six over burst that yielded four wickets
(6-3-12-4).
He was pulled into the attack by acting captain Marvan Atapattu after a
frustrating 41 stand between Lara and Ridley Jacobs, who had swept his way
to 24. Second ball, though, he dragged the ball onto his stumps.
Mervyn Dillon, back in good health after his mystery chest injury, then
played and missed four times before edging a low catch to Kumar Sangakkara
behind the stumps.
Vaas's next ball veered into Dinanath Ramnarine's pads at the last moment
and umpire John Hampshire upheld the appeal. Pedro Collins averted a
hat-trick but was also trapped lbw for a 21-minute duck.
Vaas should also have been awarded the wicket of Lara, with another sharp
inswinger, but it did not prove expensive. Lara left high and dry by his
colleagues, tried to farm the strike, but was eventually trapped lbw by
Muralitharan.
Earlier in the day, Ramnaresh Sarwan started the Caribbean procession in
Muralitharan's second over of the morning, as he lost his balance and was
bowled through the gate for 17.
Chris Gayle had looked in prime form last night, hitting the ball with
tremendous power. This morning he started more cautiously, but having
finally opened his boundary count with two rollicking drives off Vaas and
then Muralitharan, he flailed wildly at an inswinger from Nuwan Zoysa and
lost his middle stump.
Three wickets down for 72, the onus once again fell up captain Carl Hooper
and Brian Lara. They battled hard in the opening stages, as both Zoysa and
Muralitharan bowled good spells, but runs started to flow freely when
left-arm spinner Niroshan Banadaratillake was brought on to bowl.
Muralitharan was reintroduced from the opposite end and he finally won a
battle of pad play with Hooper, who was caught stranded on his crease and
adjudged lbw by umpire Gamini Silva.
Marlon Samuels has looked totally at sea against Muralitharan and he quickly
edged a catch behind for a duck.
In a long evening session Sri Lanka's openers started the second innings
cautiously, mindful of collapses in previous situations in Kandy.
Jayasuriya went onto score 53, his first half-century of the tour, before he
drove straight into the covers. Marvan Atapattu batted out the day and was
58 at the close.