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SRI LANKA INNINGS
13th over - WICKET - Chandimal c Mpofu b Utseya 9, SL 113-4 Some delightful local ladies tooting on their horns in the crowd, smashing. Deary me, Chandimal’s been given a life, Lamb spilling a dolly on the long-on boundary, and Jayawardene gets those horns tooting again with a delicate square-cut. Sri Lanka really starting to pour it on now, Chandimal lofting Utseya straight for six, but he’s gone next ball, skewing a drive to Mpofu.
12th over - 100-3 Dinesh Chandimal is next up for Sri Lanka and he brings up the 100 with a gentle nudge to long-on.
12th over - Sangakkara c Price b Cremer 3, SL 96-3 Sri Lanka will have 180-190 in their sights from here, but they’ll have to do it without their skipper - strange dismissal that, Sangakkara going for the pull and blobbing the ball straight to Ray Price at short fine-leg.
11th over - SL 94-2 Jayawardene swings Lamb over mid-wicket for a couple more runs before showing delightful hands, opening the face and running Lamb away for two more. Jayawardene swings over mid-wicket again, but that’s a neat bit of fielding there from Charles Coventry, clawing the ball back and saving four. More drinks, four overs after the last lot…
10th over - SL 86-2 Jayawardene picks up two with a trademark backaway and square-cut. Sangakkara is off the mark with a dab to mid-on and there are six runs from that over, bowled by Utseya.
9th over - WICKET - Perera c Chigumbura b Lamb 23, SL 80-2 Right in the slot from Lamb and that’s gone miles from Perera, the 71st six of the tournament so far. But he’s gone next ball - a waist-high full-toss from Lamb, Perera fizzes it to long-on, where it’s well taken by Chigumbura.
8th over - SL 73-1 Bizarrely, we’ve got a drinks break after seven overs. Back in the real world, captain Prosper Utseya brings himself on to bowl and he’s whipped down the pitch for a couple by Perera. Utseya is short and squat and shuffles into the crease as if on casters. Jayawardene clips him away for one and that’s the fastest fifty in the tournament so far, from just 27 balls. He’s in some serious nick this lad, and not a slog in sight.
7th over - SL 67-1 Zimbabwe can spread the field now, so it’s milking time. Spin from both ends now, it’s Greg Lamb, formerly of Hampshire, into the attack. Pressure building on Perera, three dot balls in a row… but there’s the release, the tall left-hander sending a steepling six over the head of the fielder at long-on.
6th over - SL 59-1 Fifty up for Sri Lanka, before Jayawardene spots the short ball from Price and clubs him through mid-wicket for four. Price losing his discipline, short again and this time it’s Perera who makes room and laces him through cover-point for four more. I’d hate to see what happens when Sri Lanka decide to step up a gear…
5th over - SL 49-1 Never accuse Jayawardene of being a thrasher, that’s a proper cricket shot - little shimmy with the feet and a lofted drive for six. Tight, Perera dabbing round the corner and Jayawardene would have been out given a direct hit. Jayawardene is incontinent with runs in Guyana - down the track again and lofting Chigumbura over the top for four more, before rocking back and pinging the ball to the point boundary. Jayawardene has 43 from 22 balls.
4th over - SL 33-1 Jayawardene makes room and whip-cracks the ball through point, but that’s an athletic spot of fielding to limit him to one run. The left-handed Thissara Perera is up the order, not sure why, presumably to do some thrashing. Not much hammer in that over though, just four runs from it.
3rd over - SL 29-1 Fine over from Chigumbura so far, four dot balls, but that’s a sweet shot from Jayawardene, just tweaking a rising ball over wicket-keeper Tatenda Taibu for four.
3rd over - WICKET Dilshan c Mpofu b Chigumbura 1, SL 24-1 That’s the end of Dilshan, going for some long handle against Chigumbura, not quite middling it and holing out to Mpofu running in from long-off.
2nd over - SL 24-0 Ray Price, for whom the word “wily” might have been coined, to bowl the second over. His first ball is a leg-side wide and his second is clipped to long-on by Dilshan for one run. A few more cheap runs before Ray gets a smidgeon of movement back into Dilshan and very nearly bowls him off his pads. That’s huge from Jayawardene, plonking a size 10 down the track and heaving Price over square-leg for six more.
1st over - SL 14-0 Chris Mpofu with the first over for Zimbabwe and his second ball is short and wide and scythed to the boundary by Mahela Jayawardene. Boom - the next delivery is over-pitched and Jayawardene cosies it over the long-off boundary for six. Ominous. That’s liquid cricket, Jayawardene whipping Mpofu over mid-wicket for four more, 14 from the over…
1429: Right, here come the Sri Lankan openers and the Zimbabweans are already out - play in a couple of minutes. The talk is that this track is about as lively as a damp mattress, so don’t expect too many fireworks…
1423: As you will see below, Muralitharan has been replaced by off-spinner Suraj *****v, left-arm seamer Chanaka Welegedara has been replaced by all-rounder Thissara Perera. For Zimbabwe, Andy Blignaut, Vusi Sibanda, Chamu Chibhabha and Timycen Maruma have been omitted from their 15-man squad.
Sri Lanka: Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara (captain), Dinesh Chandimal, Chamara Kapugedera, Angelo Mathews, Sanath Jayasuriya, Suraj *****v, Lasith Malinga, Ajantha Mendis, Thissara Perera.Zimbabwe: Hamilton Masakadza, Brendan Taylor, Tatenda Taibu, Craig Ervine, Elton Chigumbura, Charles Coventry, Greg Lamb, Graeme Cremer, Prosper Utseya (captain), Ray Price, Chris Mpofu.
Zimbabwe captain Prosper Utseya: “Our bowling has been very disciplined recently, so no problem that we are bowling first. I might consider opening with two spinners today, but the seamers will also get an opportunity.”
1416: I have just been asked to let you know that West Indies v England will be live on Test Match Special from 1815 BST.
1410: I haven’t got the teams for you yet, but I will ping them over when they arrive. What I do know is that the Zimmers side will be jam-packed with spinners, with the fiery Ray Price likely to open.
1406: Sri Lanka have won the toss and skipper Kumar Sangakkara has decided to have a bat…
1402: Hello darlings. It’s Sri Lanka versus Zimbabwe up first this afternoon, and the Sri Lankans have to win in Providence, or they’re toast. That might not be as simple as you think - Sri Lanka have been dealt a big blow with the news that Muttiah Muralitharan is out of the tournament, while Zimbabwe beat Australia and Pakistan in warm-up matches.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
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