Rain halts Lanka’s progress in reply to Zimbabwe’s total of 406

Sri Lanka got off to a flying start in reply to Zimbabwe’s total of 406 in the first innings before the play was stopped because of bad light and rain on Tuesday.

Lanka were 122 for two at the close of the day, still trailing by 284 runs. The early close means play starts half an hour early on the third day on Wednesday at 0730 GMT.

Sri Lanka openers Dimuth Karunaratne and Oshada Fernando gave them a strong start by adding 94 runs for the first wicket before of them were dismissed on the similar scores of 44 each.

Kusal Mendis, who was lucky to get two lives affter ebing dropped at short leg on one and again at midwicket on 13, both times off Sikandar Raza, was unbeaten on 19 at the close with first Test double-centurion Angelo Mathews on four.

Karunaratne was the first to go, the Sri Lankan captain picking the wrong length to sweep a full delivery from off-spinner Raza and falling leg before.

In the meantime, Donald Tiripano was maintaining a steady line and got his reward when, shortly after, Fernando drove loosely. Wicketkeeper Regis Chakabva, who had earlier dropped Fernando off Victor Nyauchi, moved quickly to take a sharp diving catch to his right. Lasith Embuldeniya, who took a hammering on Monday, mainly at the hands of centurion Sean Williams, picked up three of the last four wickets in the morning session to finish the Zimbabwe innings with four for 182.

Resuming on 352 for six, Zimbabwe lost Chakabva for his overnight 31 in the sixth over of the morning after he gave a faint edge off Embuldeniya to wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella.

Debutant Tinotenda Mutombodzi made 33 before missing a sweep to fall leg before to Dhananjaya de Silva who finished with three for 71.

Some resistance from the last three took the Zimbabwe total past 400 but Embuldeniya accounted for both Tiripano and Nyauchi who was brilliantly caught by De Silva at first slip.

Agencies

Brief scores at close of play on Tuesday:

Zimbabwe 406  (S Williams 107, S Raza 72, B Taylor 62, K Kasuza 38, C Mutombodzi 33, R Chakabva 31; L Embuldeniya 4-182, D de Silva 3-71, S Lakmal 2-37) Sri Lanka 122-2 (D Karunaratne 44, P Fernando 44)

Match situation: Sri Lanka trail Zimbabwe by 284 runs with eight first innings wickets in hand