West Indies v Sri Lanka - Test Series

couragous cloke · Post by **couragous cloke** » Sun Jun 22, 2003 10:03 pm

one word - LARA! last tiem he played sri-lanka he scored 688 runs in 3 tests. windies are already 2 fa 160 odd and with lara in, will be looking to set a damanding total.

also Hinds is in Career best form and is in the 70's once more! still plenty of batting to come

and the great man murali has bowled 9 overs for 52. they know how to play spin dont worry about that

Post by **Donny** » Mon Jun 23, 2003 10:31 am

Rain stopped play with the Windies on 4/272. Hinds made 118. He put on 174 for the 3rd. wicket with Lara.

Lara (93 n.o.) is playing very carefully but this Test is looking like a draw or a Sri Lankan win. With the Windies still 82 runs behind, and three days gone, SL would need to crash through the rest of the Windies batting to get a result.

For the Windies to have a chance of winning, Lara needs to be bold. A declaration is called for. Either straight away, 82 behind, or after an hour with the scores level. Even then, they'd need to dismiss SL cheaply as they wouldn't want to be chasing too many on the last day.

Lazza · Post by **Lazza** » Mon Jun 23, 2003 10:13 pm

I cant see SL losing this one from here. A draw due to rain is the
most likely outcome. Murali going mad and running through the WI second
innings is the ONLY other possibility. WI cannot win this from here.

Post by **Donny** » Tue Jun 24, 2003 11:20 am

No play on a day of inspections
Wisden Cricinfo staff - June 23, 2003

Inspection followed inspection at the Beausejour Stadium in St Lucia on the scheduled fourth day of the first Test between West Indies and Sri Lanka. There was a lot of rain overnight, but after the weather relented it looked as if a start might be made after tea - but the ground was still wet in places, and as the clouds closed in again the umpires, Billy Bowden and Daryl Harper, finally admitted defeat and called play off for the day.

Play will start earlier than scheduled tomorrow, weather permitting, but with only one day's play left and West Indies' first innings not yet completed, it seems certain that St Lucia's inaugural Test - the first of this short two-match series - will end in a draw.

Post by **Donny** » Tue Jun 24, 2003 2:18 pm

OK, Charlie, bite the bullet.

It's almost an impossibility to win this if you bat on but if you declare before start of play, there's an outside chance of a win.

Yes, you'd have to take 10 wickets in under 3 hours without a trump in your pack of bowlers but stranger things have happened.

If you did manage to skittle them, you'd be looking at about 200 to win in 45 overs. Your first innings run rate was nearly 5, early, so it's not out of the question. Ganga anchor the innings and Gayle, Hinds and Lara hit out.

Let's hope there's some play. C'mon, Charlie, give it a go. History will see your 93 n.o. in a far better light than a century in a boring last day draw.

couragous cloke · Post by **couragous cloke** » Tue Jun 24, 2003 8:31 pm

hmmmm, now that i think about it i hope they try your theory donny, its possible, and you'd think westindies would have a better chance of winning if they did it. How exciting could the game be if sri lanka get some wickets and windies need a few more runs. COM'N LARA GO FOR IT.

Post by **Donny** » Wed Jun 25, 2003 11:15 am

In an absolutely meaningless day of Test cricket, Lara decided to bat on, and on, and on. Very disappointing.

All that was achieved was a Lara double hundred (209), a Murali bag of wickets (5/138) and some batting practice for the SL openers.

The Windies crawled to 9 dec./477. They added 205 runs in 64 overs. What was the point ?

Jayasuriya (72 n.o.) and Atapattu (50 n.o.) just batted out the remaining overs. They were left with no choice.

Even if the Windies had gone out there and blazed for an hour, wiped off the deficit and declared, there would've been 5 hours left and still an outside chance of a win.

It was a day that did Test cricket, and Lara's reputation, no favours, at all.

couragous cloke · Post by **couragous cloke** » Wed Jun 25, 2003 8:53 pm

beautiful, i couldnt of asked for much more! LARA you are a champion!!!

cant wait for the decider in jamaca i think it is.

Post by **Donny** » Thu Jun 26, 2003 7:12 pm

Post by **Donny** » Fri Jun 27, 2003 7:06 pm

Fidel Edwards to make his debut
Sa'adi Thawfeeq - June 26, 2003

Fidel Edwards, the highly rated West Indian quick bowler, was named in the final X1 to take on Sri Lanka in the second Test at Sabina Park, Kingston, starting on Friday, June 27. The 21-year old Edwards, who played just one first-class match for Barbados, will make his debut on a pitch expected to delight fast bowlers. He was brought into the squad at the insistence of Brian Lara, causing a stir in the Caribbean.

Younger brother of Pedro Collins, Edwards's slinging round-arm action is being compared to Jeff Thompsons and his inswinging yorkers remind talent spotters of Waqar Younis in his pomp. Edwards was named the Most Improved Bowler in the Shell Cricket Academy, Grenada. Dr Rudi Webster, the Academy Director, rated him among the most disciplined players to have attended the academy.

The squad announced by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) had two other Barbadian quick bowlers, Corey Collymore and Vasbert Drakes. Merv Dillon was dropped, after going wicketless in the rain-hit first Test at St Lucia.

Post by **Donny** » Sat Jun 28, 2003 10:13 am

It was like days of old for West Indies cricket lovers as their team began the 2nd. Test against Sri Lanka with 4 fast bowlers.

Ganga and Dillon were left out and with some apparent life in the wicket, Lara sent SL in to bat.

Only Sangakkara dug in as he top scored with a gutsy 75 in a total of 208. After bowling well early, debutant Fidel Edwards was given the second new ball and finished with 5/36 from 15.4 overs.

Amazingly, this was only Edwards second first class game !!

Collymore took 2/28 from 15 and Banks strangled the middle order with 2/31 from 22.

At stumps, the Windies are 0/4.

Post by **Donny** » Sat Jun 28, 2003 10:15 am

couragous cloke · Post by **couragous cloke** » Sun Jun 29, 2003 12:13 am

great start for the youngster, although he did clean up the tail, he'll gain alot of confidence out of it.

as donny said it'll be interesting to see if the pitch played a part in it 2day!

GO WINDIES!!!!!

Post by **Donny** » Sun Jun 29, 2003 1:13 pm

Yes, the Sri Lankans hit back to gain a small first innings lead when they dismissed the West Indians for 191.

Nissanka took 5/64 and Murali, 2/38 whilst Gayle and Sarwan top scored for the windies with 31 apiece.

By stumps, The Windies had gained the upper hand again by taking 5 SL wickets for only 129 runs.

Collymore has 2/26 and Taylor, 2/38. All batsmen got starts but Jayawardene's 32 was the top score.

With SL 146 ahead, anything can happen here. If they can scramble another 50 or so it will be game on. When one considers 25 wickets have fallen for only 528 runs, the home team will not want to chase more than 180 or so.

Vaas, Nissanka and Murali loom as big dangers on this challenging wicket and the third, and probably last, day looks like being a beauty.

Post by **Donny** » Sun Jun 29, 2003 2:07 pm

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West Indies v Sri Lanka - Test Series