HARARE: Sri Lanka made a solid start to their first innings reaching 122 for two before bad light and rain brought an early close to the second day of the second Test against Zimbabwe in Harare on Tuesday.
The visitors are still 284 runs behind the hosts who lost their last four wickets in the morning to be bowled out for 406 at the Harare Sports Club. The early close means play starts half an hour early on the third day on Wednesday at 0730 GMT on a wicket that is offering little encouragement to the seamers, but providing turn for the spin bowlers, which is likely to be the key factor in the remainder of the Test.
Sri Lanka openers Dimuth Karunaratne and Oshada Fernando added 94 for the first wicket before both fell for 44.
Kusal Mendis, who was dropped at short leg on one and again at midwicket on 13, both times off Sikandar Raza, was 19 not out at the close with first Test double-centurion Angelo Mathews on four.
Karunaratne was the first to go, the Sri Lankan captain picking the wrong length to sweep a full delivery from off-spinner Sikandar and falling leg before.
In the meantime, Donald Tiripano was maintaining a steady line and got his reward when, shortly after, Fernando drove loosely.
Wicket-keeper Regis Chakabva, who had earlier dropped Fernando off Victor Nyauchi, moved quickly to take a sharp diving catch to his right.
The left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya, who took a hammering on Monday, mainly at the hands of centurion Sean Williams, picked up three of the last four wickets in the morning session to finish the Zimbabwe innings with four for 182.
Resuming on 352 for six, Zimbabwe lost Chakabva for his overnight 31 in the sixth over of the morning after he gave a faint edge off Embuldeniya to wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella.
Debutant Tinotenda Mutombodzi made 33 before missing a sweep to fall leg before to spinning all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva who finished with three for 71.
Some resistance from the last three took the Zimbabwe total past 400 but Embuldeniya accounted for both Tiripano and Nyauchi who was brilliantly caught by de Silva at first slip.
Captain Williams was top-scorer in the Zimbabwe first innings on Monday with a superb 107 from 137 balls.
Zimbabwe will feel well ahead in the game if they can pick up key wickets in the first session on Wednesday, having made it into the final hour on the fifth day of the first Test at the same venue earlier this month, only to lose by 10 wickets.
Scoreboard
ZIMBABWE (1st Innings, overnight 352-6):
P.S. Masvaure c Dickwella b Kumara 9
K.T. Kasuza b Lakmal 38
C.R. Ervine c O. Fernando b de Silva 12
B.R.M. Taylor lbw b Lakmal 62
S.C. Williams b de Silva 107
Sikandar Raza c Mathews b Embuldeniya 72
R.W. Chakabva c Dickwella b Embuldeniya 31
C.T. Mutombodzi lbw b de Silva 33
D.T. Tiripano c Lakmal b Embuldeniya 13
C.T. Mumba not out 11
V.M. Nyauchi c de Silva b Embuldeniya 6
EXTRAS (B-8, LB-3, NB-1) 12
TOTAL (all out, 115.3 overs) 406
FALL OF WKTS: 1-21, 2-49, 3-114, 4-133, 5-292, 6-324, 7-362, 8-386, 9-394.
BOWLING: Lakmal 22-9-37-2 (1nb); M.V.T. Fernando 14-1-45-0; Kumara 20-5-60-1; Embuldeniya 42.3-8-182-4; de Silva 17-1-71-3.
SRI LANKA (1st Innings):
F.D.M. Karunaratne lbw b Sikandar 44
B.O.P. Fernando c Chakabva b Tiripano 44
B.K.G. Mendis not out 19
A.D. Mathews not out 4
EXTRAS (b-2, lb-9) 11
TOTAL (for two wkts, 54 overs) 122
FALL OF WKTS: 1-94, 2-104.
TO BAT: L.D. Chandimal, D.M. de Silva, N. Dickwella, R.A.S. Lakmal, L. Embuldeniya, M.V.T. Fernando, C.B.R.L.S. Kumara.
BOWLING (to-date): Mumba 9-1-23-0; Sikandar Raza 17-4-39-1; Tiripano 12-9-5-1; Nyauchi 11-4-17-0; Mutombodzi 5-0-27-0
Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2020
