Zimbabwe v Sri Lanka | Tri-Series | 3rd Match | Bulawayo | 1/6/2010

[Sir john]

Under-pressure Sri Lanka face confident Zimbabwe

The Preview by Sriram Veera

May 31, 2010
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Match Facts
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Start time 0900 (0700 GMT)

Upul Tharanga awaits his turn at batting practice, Dhaka, January 12, 2010
This series presents another opportunity for Upul Tharanga to cement his spot as an opener © Associated Press
Related Links
Matches: Zimbabwe v Sri Lanka at Bulawayo
Series/Tournaments: Zimbabwe Triangular Series
Teams: Sri Lanka | Zimbabwe

The Big Picture

This series was supposed to be an opportunity to showcase Zimbabwe cricket to the world. Is it in good health? Is the talent there? Is the desire there? The Twenty20 World Cup provided a few answers. Even though they didn't win a game in the tourney, they sparkled in the warm-ups by defeating Australia and Pakistan. This tri-series has hinted at more progress. They produced a clinical win against India in the first ODI in Bulawayo. They have to now to show they can sustain their recent performances. The game against Sri Lanka provides another opportunity.

Sri Lanka chose to rest some players and test a few others in this competition. In their first ODI, they might have fallen well short of setting an ideal target but considering the conditions they batted in - the track was two-paced and there was help for spin and seam in the first half due to overnight rains- it wasn't a poor effort. The ease with which India chased it down was slightly surprising, though. The pitch had certainly eased up but the bowling lacked bite. "To defend a score of 240-odd we had to bowl in the right areas and take half-chances," Dilshan said later. Neither happened. They would try to get their batting and bowling right against Zimbabwe.

That Zimbabwe rely on their four-prong spin attack is no secret. It's as if they are saying: 'We have four spinners who like strangling the batsmen and two of them - Ray Price and Prosper Utseya - have no problem in operating within Powerplays. We will try to get you with spin, tackle it if you can.' It's going to be interesting to see how Sri Lanka tackle that threat.

Form guide (most recent first)
ZimbabweWLLLL
Sri Lanka LWLWW

Watch out for...
You've got to love Ray Price. He doesn't even bother to hide that almost maniacal hatred of the batsmen. Watch out for his angry stares, his long follow-through that ends up at the nose of the batsmen, his screeching appeals, and most importantly for his strangling spin bowling, without which all the rest of his mannerisms would have ended up irritating you.

Tharanga is an unlikely candidate to replace the more popular and the more attacking Sanath Jayasuriya but his job has been made relatively easier by Jayasuriya's recent failures. Tharanga, though, has to score consistently to make that spot his own.

Team news
Zimbabwe (possible) 1 Hamilton Masakadza, 2 Brendan Taylor(wk) 3 Charles Coventry, 4 Greg Lamb, 5 Craig Ervine, 6 Elton Chigumbura (capt.), 7 Andy Blignaut, 8 Graeme Cremer, 9 Prosper Utseya, 10 Chris Mpofu, 11 Ray Price.

Sri Lanka (possible) 1 Upul Tharanga, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt.), 3 Thilan Samaraweera, 4 Angelo Mathews/Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Chamara Silva, 6 Chamara Kapugedera, 7 Thissara Perera, 8 Suraj Randiv, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Dilhara Fernando, 11 Ajantha Mendis.

Stats and trivia

* Ray Price has an economy rate of 3.88 from 75 ODIs. Against Sri Lanka his economy rate gets even better: just 3.36 from seven games

* Upul Tharanga averages 32.40 from 93 ODIs and has collected 231 runs at 38.50 from seven games against Zimbabwe. He hit a hundred in his first ODI against Zimbabwe but he has also two ducks against them.

Quotes
"Our players have played more games now than some of the cricketers we come up against and we cannot go on blaming inexperience any more ... I am hoping to make a difference with my captaincy. We are capable of winning games and we have done it in the past. "
Elton Chigumbura sees no reason why Zimbabwe can't win consistently

Sriram Veera is a staff writer at Cricinfo

zim now in good forum,now lankan time to get defeat,

 

[mastermind_quad]

why Srilanka didn't select any Wicket keeper batsman or they don't have any backup for same?? atleast i haven't heared any name ....Dilsan is not bad in that role but i think SL missing his service in point n cover region more.....

SL will come hard today as they have already lost one game .

I m rooting for SL ...but if Zim manage to win it'll b good for cricket as a whole....!

 

[adnan yasin]

Hurray! The rain has stopped, and the covers are off! If there is no more rain, and the skies do seem to have cleared, we are looking at a 1:00pm start, for a 27-over match, according to Tony Greig. There are some wet puddles in the outfield, and there is a chance that the ropes will be pulled in, depending on how the captains decide to take this forward. Stay tuned for more - the start is still a 110 minutes away. While the kindness of the rain gods bodes well for everyone eager to catch some action, it comes as a major relief for Sri Lanka who would have been in dire straits as far as the series is concerned, if this game were to be washed out. Now, they have a chance to enforce a three-way tie, as we discussed before. Note - there is another set of league games to follow, so still a long way to go before we identify the finalists.

CRICINFO

 

[adnan yasin]

No updates from the last one - we trust the grounds are being readied for a 1.00pm start (i.e. in 44 minutes from now) as discussed before. A few of our readers have asked if the teams can change their XIs now that the match is set to be curtailed. The toss is yet to happen and the teams have NOT yet been announced, so it is all open. There will be a pro-rated reduction of Powerplay overs, and of course, the maximum overs per bowler. Will get you the news, fresh off the press once we have it.

CRICINFO

 

[adnan yasin]

Zimbabwe 15/1 in 4 overs

26 over a side match

 

[adnan yasin]

31/2 in 7 overs


Trouble trouble for zimbabwe.. though their nform players are to come ... and INFORM ervine is at the crease

 

[adnan yasin]

48/2 in 8 overs

17 of the over

 

[Sir john]

zim fold up in 118,very poor batting.

 

[Sir john]

masakadza fought alone battle,
lanka 30/0 in 4 overs.

 

[IAJ]

Match over. Emphatic 9 wicket win for SL.