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Murali - 519 not out

Saturday, May 8 2004

Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan is one wicket short of going past Courtney Walsh's record on 519 Test wickets, as he equalled the record on Day 1 of the first Test against Zimbabwe, which at the end of Day 2 the hosts find themselves struggling to save.

Score Summary (At the end of Day 2):

Zimbabwe (1st innings): 199 all out (T Taibu 40, P Utseya 45, D N T Zoysa 53/3, M Muralitharan 45/6)

Sri Lanka (1st innings): 456/7 (ST Jayasuriya 157, MS Atapattu 170)

DAY 1:

Muttiah Muralitharan hogged the spotlight, as by picking up Douglas Hondo - the final wicket of the Zimbabwean innings, he equaled Courtney Walsh's record of 519 Test wickets.

Murali, who finished the day with figures of 45/6, has achieved the feat in only his 89th Test, while it took Courtney Walsh 132.

Earlier, Nuwan Zoysa routed the Zimbabwean top order, after the hosts were put into bat by Sri Lankan skipper Marvan Atapattu, by picking up three wickets.

20-year-old Zimbabwean captain Tatenda Taibu and young all-rounder Prosper Utseya scored scored over 40, to take the second-string Zimbabwean side to a score of 199 all out.

Sri Lanka were 67/0 in reply at stumps, with Atapattu 21 not out and Sanath Jayasuriya unbeaten on 43.

DAY 2:

Zimbabwe's down slide continued, as Sri Lankan openers Atapattu and Jayasuriya put together an opening partnership of 281, both recording centuries.

Jayasuirya's 157 runs came less than a run-a-ball, while Atapattu quite contrary to his opening partner played a patient innings of 170.

It took Taibu to forsake the wicket-keeper's gloves to make the breakthrough, when Jayasuriya was caught at gully off his medium-pace bowling, to end the partnership.

None of the other batsmen were able to stick in the middle for a longer time, however bits and pieces partnerships took the Sri Lankan score to 456/7, a mammoth 257 runs ahead.

Posted by Sudeep