Sports
Memories of Zimbabwe 2004
Cricket in Harare between Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka invariably stirs memories of that fateful tour 21 years ago, a series that put Sri Lanka on the world map for more reasons than one. It was in Zimbabwe in 2004 that Muttiah Muralitharan, the smiling assassin, toppled Courtney Walsh’s record to become Test cricket’s highest wicket-taker. From then on, Murali and Shane Warne were locked in a neck-and-neck tussle, trading blows like prizefighters until Warne’s retirement left Murali to reign supreme.
That series, though, was more than just leather on willow. ‘Zimbabwe 2004’ was littered with drama both on and off the field. For us reporters, it was a crash course not only in cricket but in the dark underbelly of a nation.
At the helm stood Robert Mugabe — once a freedom fighter, but by then a despot whose policies were driving his nation into isolation. Unlike Nelson Mandela, who united South Africa and bowed out gracefully, Mugabe clung to power with the stickiness of a bat refusing to leave the crease. In trying to curry favour with the black majority, he alienated the white minority and eventually his innings ended in chaos.
Cricket, too, was unravelling. Once a competitive outfit, Zimbabwe imploded in a pay dispute. Senior white players were on the warpath, paving the way for as many as five Test debutants. Against such weakened opposition, Sri Lanka marched through the tour like a side batting on a featherbed — unbeaten, with seven wins from eight games, the solitary warm-up washed away by rain.
The defining moment came when Mluleki Nkala edged one to bat-pad, Mahela Jayawardene snapping up a sharp diving catch. That was Murali’s 520th scalp, Walsh’s long-standing record had tumbled.
There were other highlights. A baby-faced Farveez Maharoof, then Sri Lanka’s Under-19 captain, was blooded in Tests. In one ODI, Zimbabwe were bundled out for a paltry 35, a scorecard that looked more like a phone number, with the match done and dusted inside 27 overs.
But while cricket thrived for Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe outside the boundary ropes was crumbling. Inflation was obscene, one US dollar fetched 5,200 Zimbabwe dollars, and you literally needed a suitcase to encash a mere hundred USD. Sri Lankan doctors clung on in Bulawayo, though most were plotting their escape routes. Ordinary Zimbabweans bore the brunt; only the military seemed immune, wielding unchecked power. And yet, crime was low, unlike Durban or Johannesburg, you could walk the streets of Harare and Bulawayo without feeling you were playing a dangerous shot.
Mugabe’s fortified residence loomed right beside Harare Sports Club. Journalists heading to the ground trudged past checkpoints, sometimes interrupted by presidential helicopters buzzing overhead. The cricket board itself was firmly in Mugabe’s pocket. Its cigar-puffing chief, Peter Chingoka, once publicly threatened AFP’s John Kelly during a press briefing, forcing him to retract comments. The message was clear — toe the line, or perish.
Media accreditation was another minefield. A visiting journalist had to register with the Ministry, cough up USD 250, and endure a bureaucratic send-off to freedom of the press. Britain’s Daily Telegraph dispatched Mihir Bose to cover Murali’s impending milestone, but when Bose strayed into politics, he was promptly deported.
And yet, Zimbabwe was a land of breathtaking beauty. Victoria Falls roared in majestic splendour, a reminder of what the country could offer if freed from the shackles of poor governance.
Years later, Mugabe was finally bundled out in a coup. The nation, much like a side rebuilding after a collapse, is still picking itself up from the wreckage. Zimbabwe’s people deserve better — not a dictator. Their cricket, too, deserves better — not an authoritarian like Chingoka.
by Rex Clementine ✍️
Heavy rain in Guwahati delayed the start of the match between Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Mumbai Indians (MI) by more than two and a half hours. And when play finally began at 10.10 pm, there was another storm awaiting MI.
RR’s openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooriyavanshi ransacked 80 runs in five overs. Sooryavanshi was eventually dismissed for 39 off 14, but Jaiswal rampaged unbeaten through the 11-over innings, scoring 77 off 32 to power RR to 150 for 3.
In reply, MI lost three wickets inside the powerplay, which was reduced to 3.2 overs, and were eventually restricted to 123 for 9. Jofra Archer had provided the first breakthrough, and Sandeep Sharma, Nandre Burger and Ravi Bishnoi picked up two wickets apiece. RR moved to the top of the points table with three wins in three games, while MI suffered their second successive defeat.
Sooryavanshi and Jaiswal don’t need to be told to be aggressive, and that natural instinct was heightened in a rain-shortened contest. If there was any moisture in the pitch due to the weather, there was no evidence of it in the powerplay. MI chose to give the first over not to Trent Boult but to Deepak Chahar and Jaiswal tore into him: 4, 6, 4, 0, 4, 4.
Then came the highly-anticipated battle: 15-year old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi facing Jasprit Bumrah for the first time in his fledgling career. How would he approach one of the greatest bowlers in the game? Bumrah’s first ball was a slot ball. Sooryavanshi played the delivery and not the deliverer, and smashed it over the long-on boundary. The strike rotated back to him over the next two balls, and when Bumrah tested him with an off-pace delivery, Sooryavanshi swivelled and pulled him for another six over deep backward square leg. Round one – 13 off 5 balls – to Sooryavanshi.
Boult came on for the third over and Jaiswal cleared the deep square leg boundary twice and Sooryavanshi once, and by the time the 20-ball powerplay was finished, RR were 59 for 0.
Jaiswal is usually boom or bust against MI. Before this match, he had two centuries and five scores of less than 15 in eight innings against them. On Tuesday, he went boom again, smashing four fours and three sixes in his first nine deliveries. He got to fifty off 23 balls by cracking Hardik Pandya through point.
Sooryavanshi fell to the golden arm of Shardul Thakur, Dhruv Jurel and Riyan Parag fell to the mystery spin of AM Ghazanfar, but Jaiswal didn’t stop. He clobbered Bumrah for a straight six and picked three fours off Shardul in the final over to take RR to 150.
Like they had with the ball, MI suffered 20 balls of powerplay mayhem with the bat. Facing an asking rate of nearly 14, Ryan Rickelton swung Jofra Archer for six over deep midwicket but then top-edged another pull and was caught by Jurel running back. Suryakumar Yadav paddled Nandre Burger for the flattest of sixes over fine leg but was deceived by a hard-length offcutter and caught at deep backward square a ball later. Rohit was pinned lbw for the sixth time in 13 IPL innings by Sandeep. While RR’s powerplay score was 59 for 0; MI responded with 29 for 3.
The pitch had become a little tacky as the match progressed and the RR quicks adapted by using their cutters to good effect. Legspinner Ravi Bishnoi extended his lead at the top of the Purple Cap charts by dismissing Hardik and Tilak Varma in his first over, reducing MI to 46 for 5 after five overs. He should have had a third in his next over, when Sherfane Rutherford miscued to long-on but Jaiswal dropped the chance.
With the required rate soaring to past 17 an over, Naman Dhir and Rutherford tried to revive the chase with a partnership of 47 in 17 balls. But any slim hope MI may have had was extinguished when Sandeep dived forward at short third to take a low catch to end Rutherford’s innings. Burger, Sandeep and Archer closed out the innings to seal RR’s victory by 27 runs.
Brief scores: [11 overs per team]
Rajasthan Royals 150 for 3 in 11 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 77*, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 39, Riyan Parag 20; Shardul Thakur 1-36, AM Ghazanfar 2-21) beat Mumbai Indians 123 for 9 in 11 overs (Tilak Varma 14, Sherfane Rutherford 25, Naman Dhir 25; Jofra Archer 1-17, Nandre Burger 2-21, Sandeep Sharma 2-26, Tushar Deshpande 1-29, Ravi Bishnoi 2-25) by 27 runs
[Cricinfo]
Sri Lanka have turned to seasoned Australian campaigner Jammie Siddons to steady the ship and sharpen their edge, with the new women’s head coach making it clear that toppling heavyweights, not merely making up the numbers, will be the name of the game.
Siddons, a well-travelled coach with miles on the clock, has set his sights firmly on the upcoming Women’s World Cup in England, where Sri Lanka will open proceedings against the hosts at Edgbaston in June. It’s a baptism by fire, England in their own backyard, but the message from the dressing room is simple: try and beat top teams regularly.
Drawn alongside England, West Indies, New Zealand, Ireland and Scotland in a six-team group, Sri Lanka know there’s little room for passengers. It’s sink or swim.
“The World Cup is our big focus and we’ve got some tough games coming up,” Siddons told reporters on the sidelines of a floodlit training session at the CCC. “England at home will be a hard nut to crack. West Indies and New Zealand are quality sides as well.”
Before the main event, Sri Lanka will have a dress rehearsal in Bangladesh, a chance to blood fresh faces.
“We’re heading to Bangladesh before the World Cup and that gives us an opportunity to look at some of the new players coming through,” Siddons added, casting an eye on the next crop.
Sri Lanka’s women have made steady strides over the past two years under Rumesh Rathnayake, but as any seasoned observer will tell you, fine margins often decide games at this level and there are still a few loose ends to tie up.
Fielding, particularly in the deep, has been their Achilles’ heel. Dropped catches have cost them dear, while a lack of firepower with the bat has meant they’ve often been caught playing catch-up against the game’s heavyweights; Australia, England and India.
“From a bowling perspective, we need a few more tricks in the bag. The girls have to develop variations, slower balls, cutters and cut down the boundaries. That’s something we’ve been working on,” he said, underlining the need to outthink rather than outmuscle opponents.
For years, Sri Lanka have leaned heavily on the broad shoulders of Chamari Atapattu, their talisman, their match-winner, their go-to player when the chips are down. Siddons knows that while Chamari remains the crown jewel, cricket is no one-woman show.
“She’s our major player and we’ve depended a lot on her,” he admitted. “But we need a few more to put their hands up. Chamari still has plenty to offer.”
Encouragingly, Siddons has already spotted bright talents in the pace department, a rare commodity in the women’s game in Sri Lanka.
“I’ve seen a couple of very exciting fast bowling talents who haven’t played much yet. They could be key for us,” he said, hinting at new-ball options that could ruffle a few feathers.
Off the field, Sri Lanka Cricket has invested heavily over the last five years, the board has cast the net wide taking the game to schools, strengthening domestic competitions and ensuring a steady pipeline of talent.
There has been no shortage of cricket either, with bilateral series home and away giving players valuable time in the middle. The Under-19 side is currently cutting its teeth in Australia, while development squads are being kept busy with regular tours and fixtures.
Central contracts and match fees are now part of the furniture, a far cry from the hand-to-mouth existence of yesteryear, though there remains room for improvement.
An absorbing contest is on the cards during the morning session on the final day as the next 28 overs are likely to decide the finalist from the first semi final of the Under 19 Division I Tier ‘A’ tournament between St. Joseph’s College and Prince of Wales College at the D.H.H. Ground, Madampella today.
The semi-final moved towards a tense first innings finish after Prince of Wales reached 242 for five at stumps on the second day in reply to St. Joseph’s commanding first innings total of 354.
Open batsman Thusindu Deemantha played a remarkable innings of patience and determination, remaining unbeaten on 102 to keep the Cambrians’ hopes alive. His knock clearly reflected Prince of Wales’ strategy of batting for first innings points against the strong Darley Road outfit.
Deemantha displayed admirable grit to anchor the innings, facing as many as 248 deliveries during his stay at the crease. His unbeaten century included eight boundaries and he is set to resume his innings for a third consecutive day today after having first walked in to bat on Monday evening.
From the outset it was evident that Prince of Wales were aiming to stretch their innings as long as possible in pursuit of first innings advantage. According to tournament regulations, the first innings is restricted to 120 overs and the Cambrians now have 28 overs remaining to surpass the Josephian total.
St. Joseph’s bowlers will be eager to make early breakthroughs and expose the lower order to their formidable spin trio of Vigneswaran Akash, Vishwa Peiris and Nushan Perera. The three spinners dominated proceedings on the second day, accounting for 76 of the 92 overs bowled to Prince of Wales.
While Nushan Perera and Vishwa Peiris maintained tight control with economy rates below 2.5 runs per over, Akash bowled his 20 overs for just over three runs an over. Peiris was the most successful among them with two wickets.
For Prince of Wales, Oshan Maneesha contributed a valuable 38 runs while Gavesha Fernando played an important supporting role. Fernando joined Deemantha in a crucial 108-run fourth wicket partnership that steadied the innings and carried the Cambrians closer to the Josephian total.
With Deemantha firmly set at the crease and the Cambrians still needing to close the gap, the opening session today promises a gripping battle as both teams fight for a place in the final. (RF)
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