Williams ton gives Zimbabwe upper hand against SL

Published January 28, 2020
HARARE: Sri Lankan paceman Suranga Lakmal bowls during the second Test against Zimbabwe at the Harare Cricket Club on Monday.—AFP
HARARE: Sri Lankan paceman Suranga Lakmal bowls during the second Test against Zimbabwe at the Harare Cricket Club on Monday.—AFP

HARARE: A fine second Test century by Sean Williams enabled Zimbabwe to dominate the opening day of the second Test against Sri Lanka at the Harare Sports Club on Monday, as they reached 352 for six at the close.

The Zimbabwe captain, who won the toss and chose to bat first, made 107 from 137 balls, an innings which swung between the swashbuckling, with 10 fours and three sixes, and the pragmatic.

He was well backed up by Brendan Taylor who made a run-a-ball 62 and Sikandar Raza who hit two sixes and four fours in his 72.

Looking to bounce back from last week’s 10-wicket defeat at the same venue in the first Test, Zimbabwe pressed on in the evening with Regis Chakabva on 31 and debutant Tinotenda Mutombodzi on 10.

After the early losses of Prince Masvaure and Craig Ervine, Taylor began the counter-attack, hitting 10 fours and one six over long-off from left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya in his brisk knock.

Taylor scored the lion’s share of the runs in a 65-run partnership with opener Kevin Kasuza who played in spite of being ‘substituted’ for the second innings in last week’s first Test after being hit on the head while fielding at short leg.

Kasuza batted through the morning before losing his off stump to Suranga Lakmal for 38.

Lakmal, who bowled superbly in the first Test, produced another fine delivery to remove Taylor, nipping one back to peg him leg before.

Williams began swiftly galloping to 36 from just 36 balls. He slowed slightly to reach his third Test half-century and found a handy partner in Raza.

Together they added 159 for the fifth wicket as the Sri Lankans struggled to plug the gaps in the field.

The breakthrough came when Raza went for a big heave off left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya and picked out a tumbling Angelo Mathews at long-on.

Williams went on to bring up his second Test century — his first was against New Zealand in Bulawayo four years ago — by sweeping Embuldeniya for four.

He gave it away in the next over, however, when he attempted to slog a straight ball from Dhananjaya de Silva over midwicket and was bowled.

Sri Lanka took the new ball immediately but were unable to make further inroads as Chakabva and Mutombodzi batted watchfully through to the close.

The visitors had begun the day well with Lahiru Kumara finding the edge of Masvaure’s bat for nine before Irvine nudged De Silva to short leg where Oshada Fernando snapped up a sharp catch.

Zimbabwe made two changes to the side that lost the first Test with Carl Mumba replacing the injured Kyle Jarvis and all-rounder Mutombodzi, who bowls leg-spin, coming in for his Test debut ahead of Ainsley Ndlovu.

Sri Lanka made one change with left-arm pace bowler Vishwa Fernando coming in for Kasun Rajitha.

Zimbabwe made it into the final hour on the fifth day of the first Test but lost on their return to the international arena having been briefly suspended by the International Cricket Council last year because of government interference.

Scoreboard

ZIMBABWE (1st Innings):

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 not out 31 C.T. Mutombodzi not out 10 EXTRAS (B-8, LB-2, NB-1) 11 TOTAL (for six wkts, 90 overs) 352 FALL OF WKTS: 1-21, 2-49, 3-114, 4-133, 5-292, 6-324 TO BAT: D.T. Tiripano, V.M. Nyauchi, C.T. Mumba. BOWLING (to-date): Lakmal 17-6-31-2 (1nb); M.V.T. Fernando 14-1-45-0; Kumara 15-3-46-1; Embuldeniya 30-3-153-1; de Silva 14-0-67-2.

SRI LANKA: F.D.M. Karunaratne, B.O.P. Fernando, B.K.G. Mendis, A.D. Mathews, 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. UMPIRES: Aleem Dar (Pakistan) and N.N. Menon (India). TV UMPIRE: L. Rusere (Zimbabwe). MATCH REFEREE: J. Srinath (India)

Published in Dawn, January 28th, 2020

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