Tri Series Final - Zimbabwe vs Sri Lanka

[tweaker]

Tour Schedule 

 

Sat Oct 29 - Wed Nov 2 
1st Test - Zimbabwe v Sri Lanka
Harare Sports Club

 

 Sun Nov 6 - Thu  Nov 10
2nd Test - Zimbabwe v Sri Lanka
Harare Sports Club

 

 Mon Nov 14 (50 ovs) 
Zimbabwe v Sri Lanka
Harare Sports Club

 

 Wed Nov 16 (50 ovs) 
Sri Lanka v West Indies
Harare Sports Club

 

 Mon Nov 21 (50 ovs) 
Zimbabwe v Sri Lanka
Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo

 

 Wed Nov 23 (50 ovs) 09:00 local 
Sri Lanka v West Indies
Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo

[tweaker]

Lahiru Kumara, the 19-year-old fast bowler, has received a first call-up to the Sri Lankan Test squad to tour Zimbabwe in October. He made his first-class debut this month, and, two matches in, he is set to travel with the seniors to participate in international cricket.

A well-built right-arm seamer from Kandy, Kumara's selection has come on the back of an 11-wicket haul in a Youth Test in Northampton. His 7 for 82 and 4 for 52 were instrumental in England Under-19s suffering their first loss in four-day matches in six years at home. He was also part of the Sri Lankan team at the Under-19 World Cup in February and graduated to the Sri Lanka A team a few weeks ago, picking up three wickets from two first-class matches against West Indies A.

Kumara was among five seam-bowling options that the 15-man squad captained by Angelo Mathews featured, but Suranga Lakmal was the only one with Test-match experience. However, Asela Gunaratne and Lahiru Gamage have played limited-overs cricket for Sri Lanka. The resurfacing of hamstring problems for Nuwan Pradeep and a back injury to Dushmantha Chameera put them out of contention.

Dinesh Chandimal was also not part of the touring party, still recovering from surgery to his thumb, which he had injured during a domestic match in September. In his stead, Niroshan Dickwella has been picked. Although he is a wicketkeeper-batsman, it is perhaps Kusal Perera who will take up the gloves, as he did in their most recent series against Australia - whom they whitewashed 3-0.

Opening batsman Dimuth Karunaratne has been retained despite a spell of five single-digit scores, including two ducks, from his last six Test innings. The selectors have kept faith in him after he struck 131 and 68 captaining Sri Lanka A against West Indies A this month.

Sri Lanka have armed themselves with a strong spin attack led by Rangana Herath and Dilruwan Perera. Left-arm wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan would offer them support on his first tour away from home.

The first of two Tests in Zimbabwe - both to be played in Harare - is set to begin on October 29.

 

 

SL squad for Zim Tests

Angelo Mathews (capt), Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis, Kaushal Silva, Dimuth Karunaratne, Dhananjaya de Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera, Lakshan Sandakan, Kasun Madhushanka, Lahiru Kumara, Lahiru Gamage, Suranga Lakmal, Asela Gunaratne

 

In: Niroshan Dickwella, Kasun Madhushanka, Lahiru Kumara, Lahiru Gamage, Asela Gunaratne

 

Out: Dinesh Chandimal, Nuwan Pradeep, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando and Roshen Silva

 

Zimbabwe squad 

 

There are three uncapped players named in Zimbabwe's 16-man squad for the Test series against Sri Lanka. Tendai Chatara and Tinashe Panyangara, the pacers, were left out due to injuries. Carl Mumba, Tarisai Musakanda and Taurai Muzarabani are the three uncapped players in the squad.

 

The ones making a comeback include batsman Malcolm Waller and the 30-year old Chris Mpofu. Mpofu has played nine Tests so far for twenty wickets at an unflattering average of 44.45. He last played a Test in November 2011. The absence of two senior pacers due to injury could have forced the selectors to go back to Mpofu.

 

The Graeme Cremer-led Zimbabwe are set to play two Tests against Sri Lanka in Harare, the first of which starts on October 29. The first Test at the Harare Sports Club will be Zimbabwe's 100th appearance in the five-day format. This is Cremer's second series as captain of the Test team. He earlier led Zimbabwe in the home Test series against New Zealand, which the hosts lost 2-0.

 

Zimbabwe Squad: Graeme Cremer (c), Tinotenda Mawoyo, Hamilton Masakadza, Craig Ervine, Sean Williams, Regis Chakabva, Peter Moor, Donald Tiripano, Christopher Mpofu, Taurai Muzurabani, Michael Chinouya, Brian Chari, Sikandar Raza, Malcolm Waller, Carl Mumba, Tarisai Musakanda

Edited October 28, 2016 by tweaker

[tweaker]

Stats highlights from Zimbabwe's Test journey as they prepare to play their 100th match, against Sri Lanka on Saturday

 

More wins for Zimbabwe after 99 Tests than India and New Zealand

11 Wins for Zimbabwe in 99 Tests. They have more wins than India and New Zealand had after 99 Tests. India had 10 wins while New Zealand had just seven.

2001 Zimbabwe's best year in Test cricket. They won four matches that year and lost as many. The wins in 2001 constitute 36.36% of their total wins in Test matches. They won three games against Bangladesh and one against India.

 

82.5 Percentage of Tests Zimbabwe have lost since the start of 2002 (33 out of 40). Till the end of 2001, they had lost only 29 out of 59 (49%). Their draw percentage till 2001 was a healthy 39%, but since 2002 it has dropped to 7.5%.

ZIMBABWE' S TEST RECORD
Period    Tests    W/ L    Draw    Loss %
 Till Dec 2001     59     7/ 29     23     49.2
 Jan 2002 Onwards     40     4/ 33     3     82.5
 Overall     99     11/ 62     26     62.6
6 Wins against Bangladesh, out of the 11 Tests Zimbabwe have won. Their next best record is against Pakistan - three wins - followed by two against India.

8 Test wins for Zimbabwe in Harare, out of the 32 Tests they have played there. This has been their best ground by far; they have not won more than one Test at any other venue.

 

17 Zimbabwe's win percentage at home. Out of 54 matches, they have won nine and lost 29. In 45 away Tests, though, they have won only two and lost 33. The last away Test that Zimbabwe won was way back in 2001 versus Bangladesh.

 

4794 Test runs for Andy Flower. He is Zimbabwe's most prolific run-scorer and has by far the best average among all Zimbabwe cricketers. The next highest aggregate is 3457, by his brother Grant Flower. Grant, though, has won the most Man-of-the-Match awards in Tests for Zimbabwe, along with Brendon Taylor - both have won two each.

 

216 Number of wickets for Heath Streak. He is the only Zimbabwe bowler to take more than 100 Test wickets. The next best is Ray Price with 80. Streak is also Zimbabwe's most successful captain, with four wins and 11 defeats - a win loss ratio of 0.363.

68 Percentage of ZImbabwe's Tests that Grant Flower played in - 67 out of 99. It is the highest percentage of a team's total matches that any player has played.

13 Instances of Zimbabwe not winning a single Test in a calendar year, out of the 19 years in which they have played at least one Test. Even though they played their first Test in 1992, there was a period between 2006 and 2010 when they didn't play a single Test.

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The last time Sri Lanka played Tests against Zimbabwe was in 2004, when Marvan Atapattu was in his first full series as captain. Kumar Sangakkara made 270 in that Bulawayo Test, his second double-hundred. Between then and now Sangakkara improved his high score twice and retired with only one less double-hundred than Don Bradman's twelve. No Sri Lankans from that tour are on this one.

 

Elton Chigumbura and Tinashe Panyangara made their debuts during that series and remain Zimbabwe's only active cricketers from that tour. Unlike several of those Sri Lankans, who had storied careers, Chigumbura played only 14 Tests and Panyangara nine. The Harare Test beginning this Saturday will only be Zimbabwe's 25th since then, and neither player will feature in it.

 

Between 2004 and 2016, cricket in Zimbabwe has suffered because of the board's financial trouble and a talent exodus as players and coaches sought better opportunities with other teams. Both issues fed off each other.

 

There is a sense of optimism now, though. Heath Streak, one of Zimbabwe's finest cricketers, is back - this time as coach - and has a plan that puts players first. With Tatenda Taibu, who is now a selector and development officer, Streak aims to create a structure that nurtures budding cricketers. And that's whom this match will be about for Zimbabwe.

 

Their next Test series is a return tour to Sri Lanka in June 2017, but Streak has vowed to have plenty of cricket before then, which might mean these fixtures are not make or break for players like the uncapped youngsters Tarisai Musakanda and Carl Mumba, and the returning Malcolm Waller, who hasn't played a Test since 2014. That breathing space could facilitate a positive approach from Zimbabwe instead of being wary of embarrassment, a theme that had crept into their cricket according to Streak.

 

Sri Lanka have a young side of their own. A combination of injuries and player management issues have deprived them of their captain Angelo Mathews, vice-captain Dinesh Chandimal, and fast bowlers Dhammika Prasad, Nuwan Pradeep and Dushmantha Chameera. However, the stand-in captain Rangana Herath was not worried, especially after the recent 3-0 whitewash of Australia.

 

Herath, at the age of 38, was at the forefront of that victory with 28 wickets, and he was supported by fellow spinners Dilruwan Perera and Lakshan Sandakan. However, Sri Lanka were able to play three spinners because Mathews provided a medium-pace option, which they will now be without. Their batting is also inexperienced, with only Dimuth Karunaratne and Upul Tharanga, a late inclusion in the squad, having played more than five away Tests.

 

Herath's story of leading Sri Lanka for the first time 17 years after making his debut adds to the significance of this fixture. It is also Zimbabwe's 100th Test, and they will hope to end their winless record against Sri Lanka.

[Cricketics]

Great to see Heath Streak taking over the job as the coach of his country. I hope he can inspire his boys. Zimbabwe needed one of their former greats. Hopefully he gets enough support from the management, otherwise it will be same old drama.

 

I have a feeling, he is going to turn this team around. There is a tri series to follow this test series and it will be great if Zimbabwe is one of the finalist against Srilanka or Windies.

[tweaker]

Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer scored his maiden test century on Monday to help Zimbabwe avoid the follow-on as they scored 373 in reply to Sri Lanka’s 537 in the first test.

[Zero_Unit]

Atleast they are giving a fight. Hope it ends in a draw. Freaking Zim needs to step up for real 

[tweaker]

Dimuth Karunaratne scored a century as Sri Lanka extended their lead over Zimbabwe to 411 runs before rain and bad light ended play on the fourth day of the first test on Tuesday.

[Sir john]

good fight shown

[tweaker]

Zimbabwe Cricket  on Saturday announced its decision to use the controversial Decision Review System (DRS) for the first time in the country during the second Test against Sri Lanka.Zimbabwe have never objected to the use of the DRS on principle, but the cost of hiring the technology has previously made it prohibitive, according to a report in espncricinfo.Some last-minute additions to the technology propelled ZC to use the DRS after the African minnows suffered the brunt of umpiring flaws in their previous assignments, including the 225-run defeat in the first Test against the islanders.

[Sir john]

starting today

[tweaker]

In July, Zimbabwe hosted New Zealand for two Tests in Bulawayo. Considering this is only the third time in 11 years that they're playing four Tests in a season at home, Sri Lanka's tour ought to have provided continuity. Instead, the players were involved, not for the first time, in a protest with Zimbabwe Cricket over non-payment of match fees. When matters were temporarily resolved in September, the board was grappling with issues surrounding their annual audit which was yet to be submitted to the ICC more than three months after it was due.

 

That delayed the appointment of a new head coach. When Heath Streak finally took over from Makhaya Ntini, who briefly held the role after Dav Whatmore's sacking, he had a little over three weeks to prepare a side that that was once again short on cricket in the lead-up to a major series, with the domestic season yet to be finalised. Considering all this, Zimbabwe's performance in the first Test, also their 100th overall, in Harare was seen as a massive improvement even though they eventually lost by 225 runs.

 

They batted close to 200 overs in the Test - something they've done just twice in the last five years - and took it into the final hour before Sri Lanka dug deep into their reserves to eke out a win. The resistance in both innings was led by Graeme Cremer, the captain, who followed-up his maiden Test century with a gritty 43 in the second dig. It somewhat made up for the top order's inability to build on starts, something the team management would have taken note of.

 

The one aspect that has always been encouraging - even in Zimbabwe's cricketing decline over the last decade-and-a-half - has been the fielding. That came a cropper in Harare - as many as seven catches were dropped in the first innings. Their bowling effort, typically restrictive, was led by debutant medium-pacer Carl Mumba, who took four wickets in the second innings. The other bowlers were largely ineffective. Therefore, a shot at equalling the series seems far-fetched for Zimbabwe, although walking away with a draw is possible, like they showed last week.

For Sri Lanka, time spent in the middle here will take them a step closer to narrowing down on their combination for the bigger battles in South Africa next month. Strong performances from Kusal Perera and Upul Tharanga will add to a healthy selection dilemma once Dinesh Chandimal and Angelo Mathews, the designated captain, return from injuries.

 

Rangana Herath's delayed declaration in the second innings may have been scrutinised had Zimbabwe managed to hold on. For now, it's a decision that can be firmly put on the back-burner as Sri Lanka aim for a clean sweep to cap Herath's first - and possibly last - series as captain.

The implementation of DRS, for the first time in Zimbabwe, will add an element of intrigue. Zimbabwe have been at the centre of a number of poor umpiring decisions in recent times.

 

Form guide
ZimbabweLLLLL 

Sri Lanka WWWWD




Malcolm Waller came into the fray for selection for the first Test on the back of 37 and 87 for Zimbabwe A in a four-day fixture against Pakistan A. Prior to that, he recorded three successive half-centuries in the 50-over format. He made scores of 22 and 0 in the first Test; the timing of his dismissal in the second innings even as Zimbabwe fought to save the Test was crucial. With Tarisai Musakanda, who also made runs against Pakistan A, breathing down his neck, there could be pressure on Waller to make a significant score here.

 

Dilruwan Perera's utility in this Sri Lankan line-up, especially at home, can't be understated. He's a more-than-capable lower-order batsman, and a tidy offspinner. But on surfaces that aid swing and seam movement, like Sri Lanka could encounter in South Africa, it remains to be seen how effective he would be. Perhaps another solid performance in the second Test could go a long way in convincing the team management that he could be a contender for a spot even if Sri Lanka decide to play an extra fast bowler.

 

Team news
Streak and Tatenda Taibu, the selection convenor, have spoken of the need for continuity, which means Zimbabwe are likely to field the same XI despite their top-order batsmen failing to convert starts. That could mean Musakanda, who made 87 against Pakistan A to earn his selection in the Test squad, may have to wait longer for his first Test cap.

 

Zimbabwe: (probable) 1 Tino Mawoyo, 2 Brian Chari, 3 Hamilton Masakadza, 4 Craig Ervine, 5 Sean Williams, 6 Peter Moor, 7 Malcolm Waller, 8 Graeme Cremer, 9 Donald Tiripano, 10 Carl Mumba, 11 Chris Mpofu

 

Sri Lanka picked up 20 wickets, but were stretched a fair bit. With the top order among the runs in both innings, there could be a temptation to bring in left-arm wrist spinner Lakshan Sandakan to boost their bowling stocks. That could mean Asela Gunaratne, who made 53 and 16 not out, may have to make way.

 

Sri Lanka: (probable) 1 Kaushal Silva, 2 Dimuth Karunaratne, 3 Kusal Perera, 4 Kusal Mendis, 5 Upul Tharanga, 6 Dananjaya de Silva, 7 Dilruwan Perera, 8 Rangana Herath, 9 Suranga Lakmal, 10 Lakshan Sandakan/Asela Gunaratne 11 Lahiru Kumara

 

Pitch and conditions

A similar pitch to the one last week is expected, which points to another workout for the bowlers. There is solace, though, in the fact that conditions are expected to be a lot cooler following intermittent spells of summer rain since the conclusion of the first Test. There could be brief rain interruptions from time-to-time in this Test.

 

Stats and trivia

Herath will surpass Anil Kumble and have the second-most number of wickets by a spinner in his first 75 Tests if he takes nine wickets in the match. Kumble had 346; Herath, after 74 games, is on 338. Muttiah Muralitharan tops the list with 420 wickets after 75
Cremer aggregated more than half of his career runs (258 runs in 26 innings) in the first Test alone through scores of 102* and 43

Quotes

"We know that we can't control what decisions go our way, but as long as we're playing that positive brand of cricket then hopefully a few things will go our way. We've just got to do the best we can with bat or ball." 
Zimbabwe's captain Graeme Cremer when asked about his team being rather luckless with umpiring decisions in the first Test

 

"From the beginning it was a different challenge and a different experience but I've enjoyed every moment. I've had a lot of confidence from my playing career, so that has helped as well."

Sri Lanka's stand-in captain Rangana Herath

 

Source espncricinfo

Edited November 6, 2016 by tweaker

[tweaker]

Zimbabwe won the toss & elected to field

[tweaker]

Sri Lankan left-hand batsman Upul Tharanga has been selected as the stand-in skipper of Sri Lanka for the upcoming One-Day International tri-series, featuring Zimbabwe and West Indies

 

 

Sri Lanka squad: Upul Tharanga (c), Kusal Janith Perera (wk & v/c), Dhananjaya De Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Kusal Mendis, Shehan Jayasuriya, Asela Gunaratne, Sachith Pathirana, Nuwan Kulasekara, Dasun Shanaka, Nuwan Pradeep, Lahiru Kumara, Suranga Lakmal, Lakshan Sandakan, Jeffrey Vandersay

[tweaker]

SL 70/2 

[tweaker]

Dhananjaya de Silva scored his second test century to lift Sri Lanka to 290 for five at the close of play

[Laaloo]

Why 4 ODIs?

[tweaker]

Craig Ervine and Brian Chari,  hit unbeaten half-centuries, to lead Zimbabwe's recovery from an early wobble. They closed the second day of the second Test in Harare at 126 for 2, still 378 runs adrift of Sri Lanka's 504.

[tweaker]

[tweaker]

Rangana Herath, Sri Lanka's stand-in captain, who on the previous day had become just the third bowler after Muttiah Muralitharan and Dale Steyn to complete five-wicket hauls against all Test oppositions, picked up five wickets to leave Zimbabwe in a spin. Along the way, he became the first bowler to take 50 wickets in 2016. Chasing an improbable 491, after Sri Lanka's declaration on 258 for 9 midway through the second session, Zimbabwe slumped to 180 for 7, with first-innings half-centurion Craig Ervine and Donald Tiripano at the crease.