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| June 10, 2003 | Tuesday | Rabi-us-Sani 9, 1424 |
Sri Lanka’s big chase leaves Windies stunned
BRIDGETOWN (Barbados), June 9: Sri Lanka overhauled an imposing target of 312 on Sunday to defeat West Indies by four wickets and take an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match One-day International series (partly reported in Monday’s edition).
A gutsy 89 off 71 balls by Upul Chandana and sloppy fielding by West Indies were important factors in a stubborn fightback by the touring team.
Sri Lanka needed 18 runs off the last 12 balls but fast bowler Vasbert Drakes went for 14 in a costly penultimate over.
Tillekeratne Dilshan wrapped up the game and the series with a boundary as Sri Lanka reached their target of 313 with three balls to spare.
Skipper Brian Lara’s innings of 116 had carried the West Indies to a record one-day score at the Kensington Oval ground. But Sri Lanka went one better to equal their previous best when chasing a target in a One-day International.
“In my career (199 ODIs) there are very few times that Sri Lanka has put on that rate, chasing more than 300 runs,” skipper Marvan Atapattu told reporters.
“To do that and win a series abroad is a tremendous achievement and I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Man-of-the-Match Chandana was called into the side in the belief his leg spin would come in useful on a slow wicket. His figures of none for 40 from four overs were forgettable but he turned in a batting display he called his “best ever knock”.
Sri Lanka started briskly with Romesh Kaluwitharana and Sanath Jayasuriya putting on 71 for the first wicket. Mervyn Dillon and Corey Collymore conceded 56 runs off the first eight overs.
Marlon Samuels managed to slow the run rate and in his second over he tempted Jayasuriya (41) into slicing a catch to Drakes at backward point.
West Indies seemed to be on course when Kaluwitharana was run out for 34 by a sharp throw from Ricardo Powell, leaving Sri Lanka on 78 for two.
Atapattu was lucky to escape when Chris Gayle dropped a simple chance at slip but he dug in to make 47 before being run out by a spectacular long-range throw from Sarwan.
Chandana, though, provided the aggression Sri Lanka needed. Young off spinner Ryan Hurley, who had performed well, was his first victim, going for two sixes over mid wicket in consecutive overs.
Kumar Sangakkara also weighed in with 31 before he pulled Drakes straight to Wavell Hinds at deep mid wicket.
Chandana then forged a 101-run stand with Mahela Jayawardene which was helped by a catalogue of errors in the field.
Hurley and David Bernard both dropped Chandana in the outfield in the 47th over before he was finally caught at mid wicket off Collymore after thumping six fours and four sixes.
Drakes’s bowling fell apart in the penultimate over, although he did remove Jayawardene for 32.
Lara acknowledged his team’s bowling and fielding had wilted under pressure.
“You are not going to win the game if one batsman gets three or four chances in the field...it’s a mental thing. We seem to be left wanting under pressure,” he said.
Scoreboard
WEST INDIES:
C.H. Gayle run out 94
W.W. Hinds lbw b Vaas 10
B.C. Lara c Jayasuriya b Nissanka 116
R.R. Sarwan run out 3
M.N. Samuels not out 56
R.L. Powell not out 9
EXTRAS (w-16, lb-3, nb-5) 24
TOTAL (for four wickets, 50 overs) 312
FALL OF WKTS: 1-30, 2-167, 3-174, 4-283
DID NOT BAT: R.D. Jacobs, R.O. Hurley, V.C. Drakes, M. Dillon, C.D. Collymore.
BOWLING: Vaas 10-4-33-1; Nissanka 10-0-67-1; Dharmasena 8-0-54-0; Muralitharan 10-1-53-0; Jayasuriya 6-0-51-0; Chandana 4-0-40-0; Dilshan 2-0-11-0.
SRI LANKA:
S.T. Jayasuriya c Drakes b Samuels 41
R.S. Kaluwitharana run out 34
M.S. Atapattu run out 47
K.C. Sangakkara c Hinds b Drakes 31
U.D.U. Chandana c Powell b Collymore 89
D.P.M. Jayawardene c Lara b Drakes 32
T.M. Dilshan not out 13
H.D.P.K. Dharmasena not out 3
EXTRAS (lb-5, w-12, nb-6) 23
TOTAL (for six wickets, 49.3 overs) 313
FALL OF WKTS: 1-71, 2-78, 3-153, 4-192, 5-293, 6-301
DID NOT BAT: W.P.U.J.C. Vaas, M. Muralitharan, R.A.P. Nissanka.
BOWLING: Dillon 10-0-66-0; Collymore 9.3-0-51-1; Samuels 10-0-50-1; Hurley 5-0-29-0; Gayle 5-0-40-0; Drakes 7-1-49-2; Sarwan 1-0-5-0; Hinds 2-0-18-0.
MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Upul Chandana.
THIRD MATCH: St Vincent on Wednesday.—Reuters
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