Zimbabwe Routed 5-0
Friday, April 30 2004
Sri Lanka have completed their ODI leg of the troubled nation of Zimbabwe with a clean sweep in the 5 match series despite an improved display by the home side.
Winning the toss and batting, Marvan Atapattu returned to the Sri Lankan side following a match off alongside Muttiah Muralitharan in game 4.
Saman Jayantha - a major beneficiary thus far in the series of the weak Zimbabwean attack - fell early before Atapattu (38) and Mahela Jayawardene (47) steadied the cause with a 72-run stand.
Following the dismissal of Jayawardene with the score at 128 the Sri Lankans lost another 2 wickets in a short period as Zimbabwean captain Tatenda Taibu claimed his maiden ODI wicket. The wicket of Upul Chandana followed in the later stages of the innings.
Russel Arnold and Farveez Maharoof safely guided the Sri Lankans past 200 and towards 250 in the latter overs.
Maharoof compiled a career-best 38 from just 30 deliveries in his 3rd ODI while Arnold's evenly paced 51* was his 20th half-century in the shorter form of the game for Sri Lanka.
Tawanda Mupariwa claimed 2/44 for the second successive match, while Taibu finished with 2/42.
The response to Sri Lanka's 246 the Zimbabweans started in strong fashion as Stuart Matsikenyeri and Brendan Taylor compiled 79 for the opening wicket - the strongest opening stand in recent memory from a Zimbabwean pair.
Once Matsikenyeri was stumped for 37, however, a familiar pattern began to emerge. Dion Ebrahim fell in quick time, while Tatenda Taibu (26) and Taylor continued to resist at the neglect of the required run rate.
The fall of Taylor for 74 - his maiden ODI half-century - signaled the beginning of the end for the African nation as Muttiah Muralitharan tore through the lower order in registering yet another 5-wicket haul in ODI cricket - his 8th.
Upul Chandana and Rangana Herath claimed 2 wickets each as the Sri Lankans gained possibly the most predictable 5-0 victory in ODI history.
Final Scores:
Sri Lanka 7/246 (R Arnold 51*, M Jayawardene 47; T Taibu 2/42, T Mupariwa 2/44)
Zimbabwe 221 (B Taylor 74; M Muralitharan 5/23, R Herath 2/36, U Chandana 2/50)
Sri Lanka won by 25 runs.
Sri Lanka win the 5 match series 5-0.
Posted by Andre
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