Herath damages Zimbabwe in four-over spell

Innings Zimbabwe 356 lead Sri Lanka 346 (Tharanga 71, Chandimal 55, Gunaratne 45, Cremer 5-125) by 10 runs
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Graeme Cremer claimed his maiden five-wicket haul in Tests © AFP

It took Zimbabwe 20.3 overs to claim Sri Lanka’s last three wickets. It took Sri Lanka only 8.3 overs to wipe out Zimbabwe’s top four. In a seven-wicket session, Zimbabwe eked out a 10-run lead, then collapsed to find themselves effectively 33 for 4, with Rangana Herath in ominous form. After day two, coach Heath Streak said they would like a lead of at least 200 heading into a fourth innings. On a pitch that has now begun to spit, the middle order will have to bat very well to set Sri Lanka that sort of target.

This, despite Graeme Cremer having completed the first ever five-wicket haul by a Zimbabwe captain, earlier in the morning. With Sri Lanka hesitant to look for boundary options, Cremer bowled from one end unchanged, while Sean Williams did the same at the other. A hamstrung Asela Gunaratne wound up with 45, and Sri Lanka added only 53 to their overnight score.

With the bat, Herath would add only 19 to his overnight score, and yet, it would turn out to be his morning. With ball in hand, he needed an over to settle, but the first delivery of his second over was of a higher quality than Regis Chakabva had the ability to handle. Breaking more sharply than any of his deliveries in the first over, the ball missed Chakabva’s defensive shot, and hit the top of the off stump. That over would go on to be a wicket-maiden, which Herath’s next would be as well. This time, having beaten Tarisai Musakanda’s inside edge with a slider, Herath tossed the ball up slightly wider, tempted Musakanda into an expansive drive, and then had him caught sharply by Dimuth Karunaratne at slip.

Herath’s next – in his following over – was perhaps the most controversial wicket of the session. Attempting a big sweep, Hamilton Masakadza was struck in front of the wickets. There was no doubt the ball would go on to hit the stumps, but perhaps feeling it brushed his glove on the way, Masakadza reviewed the out decision, and there was not enough evidence to overturn the on-field call.

Dilruwan Perera claimed only one wicket, but it was a good one. In getting Craig Ervine to edge to slip, he dismissed the form batsman in the opposition ranks.

Sri Lanka’s overnight pair had begun watchfully. They worked the singles and twos, despite the obvious discomfort in Gunaratne’s strained hamstring. It wasn’t until the end of the seventh over of the day that either one of them struck a boundary, and even that was an accident – a bottom edge skimming to the fine boundary off Rangana Herath’s bat.

Herath was out not long after, attempting perhaps his most aggressive shot of the day. Having overturned an lbw shout off the previous ball from Williams, Herath ran down the pitch, missed the ball by a distance, and although wicketkeeper Regis Chakabva fumbled the ball twice, Herath was stumped nonetheless.

Suranga Lakmal briefly brought a little energy to Sri Lanka’s innings, hitting two fours in his 20-ball 14, but did not last long enough to see Sri Lanka level the scores – Cremer taking a return catch off his leading edge. Though Sri Lanka would face 34 further balls after Lakmal was out, they mustered only three singles, wih Gunaratne reluctant to turn the strike over to No. 11 batsman Lahiru Kumara. Gunaratne would be the last man out, however. He played on to Cremer and was out for 45.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

Source: ESPN Crickinfo