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| April 25, 2003 | Friday | Safar 22, 1424 |
Kiwis prepare for Muralitharan test
COLOMBO, April 24: New Zealand go into the first Test against Sri Lanka here from Friday with a one-point agenda: keep prolific off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan at bay.
Kiwi captain Stephen Fleming admitted his side would have been favourites to win the two-match series if Muralitharan was not around, adding Sri Lanka was not half the side without him.
“They’ve got the biggest strikepower in the world in Murali,” Fleming said of the spin wizard who has claimed an astonishing 437 wickets in just 78 Tests. “He can turn a match at any point. Without him, Sri Lanka are not a very successful side.”
During the last Test series between the two teams, six years ago in Sri Lanka, Muralitharan grabbed 19 wickets in three matches as the hosts came from behind to win 2-1.
Fleming, who ended that series as the highest scorer on both sides with 359 runs at a superb average of 71.80, said Muralitharan was a bigger menace now.
“He wasn’t bowling as well as he is now and did not have the one that goes away,” the New Zealand captain said.
With the first Test to be played on Muralitharan’s club ground at the P. Sara Stadium in Colombo and the second in his home city of Kandy, the Kiwis clearly have their task cut out.
Sri Lanka, under new captain Hashan Tillekeratne after Sanath Jayasuriya stepped down last week to concentrate on his cricket, could field as many as four spinners for the first Test.
Besides Murali and left-armer Jayasuriya, the Sri Lankans have three other spinners in Kumar Dharmasena, Upul Chandana and newcomer Kaushalya Lokuarachchi to choose from if they decide to play five batsmen.
“The Tamil Union square usually takes a bit of turn, but we will have another look at the wicket on Friday before deciding whom to play,” skipper Tillekeratne said.
New Zealand are one of the few non-Asian team to have done well in Sri Lanka, winning their inaugural series 2-0 in 1982 and losing just three of their nine Tests in this country.
Teams (from):
Sri Lanka: Hashan Tillekeratne (captain), Sanath Jayasuriya, Marvan Atapattu, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Michael Vandort, Tillekeratne Dilshan, Muttiah Muralitharan, Kumar Dharmasena, Kaushalya Lokuarachchi, Upul Chandana, Chaminda Vaas, Prabath Nissanka, Darshana Gamage.
New Zealand: Stephen Fleming (captain), Matthew Horne, Mark Richardson, Lou Vincent, Matthew Sinclair, Scott Styris, Robbie Hart, Ian Butler, Jacob Oram, Daryl Tuffey, Daniel Vettori, Paul Wiseman, Richard Jones, Ian Butler.
Umpires: Daryl Harper and Simon Taufel (both Australia).
Match referee: Gundappa Viswanath (India).—AFP
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