Arnold leaves Kiwis flabbergasted

By S. Dinakar

COLOMBO, JULY 25. On a day when dark clouds hovered over the Premadasa Stadium, the mood in the Lankan camp must have been gloomy with the home side, in pursuit of a demanding 237, tottering at 27 for four.

However, when the impressive Suresh Perera swung Craig McMillan to the fence with five wickets and nine balls remaining, signalling the end of a dramatic contest, it meant the Lankans had got out of jail.

Now, there was brightness and joy among the Lankan players and supporters, though the light had actually become worse! Amazing what a hard-earned victory can do.

Out in the middle, the heroes of the triumph, Man-of- the-Match Russell Arnold (91 n.o., 116b, 7x4) and Suresh Perera (56 n.o., 51b, 6x4), who raised a hectic 103 runs for the sixth wicket in just 88 balls, along with Mahela Jayawardene who acted as Perera's runner during the latter stages of the youngster's innings, celebrated the occasion with warm hugs. For the sparse crowd too, it was a special moment.

Now the Lankans have six points from three games, while New Zealand has two from three. This means India, yet to open its account after two matches, has a chance to get level with the Kiwis if it can win Thursday's game at the Premadasa Stadium.

Another key player in the drama that unfolded in the Coca-Cola triangular series here on Wednesday was the classy Marvan Atapattu (66, 90b, 7x4), who added 110 in 151 balls for the fifth wicket with Arnold, a partnership that actually provided the Lankans with a platform when all seemed lost.

The Kiwis, without their captain Stephen Fleming and key bowler Dion Nash - both were down with upset stomachs - for the game, ran out of ideas in the climactic stages.

Stand-in skipper Craig McMillan did his side a favour by winning the toss, but it was his erratic bowling during the conclusive stages that dented New Zealand's chances. It was hard to understand why McMillan placed so much trust in his own ability with the ball, when `specialists' still had overs left.

It was the pace duo of Darryl Tuffey and Kyle Mills that made early inroads in the Lankan innings. Mills was, however, fortunate to win the leg-before decision against Sanath Jayasuriya, the ball appeared to pitch a shade outside the leg- stump. Romesh Kaluwitharana, promoted in the batting order, lasted just three balls at No. 3, nicking an away-going delivery from Mills, Parore completing a straight low catch, that was surprisingly referred to the third umpire.

Stunning dismissals

There was no doubting the authenticity of the next catch though, the loose limbed Chris Harris throwing himself to his left and plucking the ball out of thin air, leaving Gunawardene, who had cut Tuffey ferociously, a stunned man.

The next dismissal too took one's breath away. Mahela Jayawardene set off for a single after driving Tuffey to the covers, but Sinclair, swooping on the ball in a flash, and firing in a direct hit, caught the batsman short of his ground.

The solid Atapattu was joined by Russell Arnold, a tenacious customer, and the two were then engaged in repairing the damage.

Atapattu, his body beautifully balanced, drove imperiously through the covers, while Arnold, strong square of the wicket on either side, never missed out on an opportunity when the bowlers erred in line and length. Sri Lanka, gradually, inched its way back into the game.

The two ran wonderfully well between the wickets too. However, ironically, the partnership ended with a run-out. Atapattu flicked Harris in the 34th over, completed one, set out for the second, even as Lou Vincent, quick to pounce on the ball at deep mid-wicket, sent in a flat throw to the striker's end. The Lankan, diving full length in a frantic bid to reach home, managed to get his bat over the line, but had not grounded it when Parore whipped off the bails.

The red light was on and it was time for Atapattu (66, 90b, 7x4) to leave. A sad end to a knock sprinkled with elegant drives, sweetly timed flicks and delectable cuts.

Along with Arnold, Atapattu had put on 110 in 151 balls for the fifth wicket, the duo coming together at a stage when the Kiwis had a stranglehold, and providing Lanka with a chance.

Perera, who bats with a refreshing sense of freedom, earned a promotion in the order, joined Arnold, and was positive from the word go, seizing the initiative from the Kiwi bowlers.

At the start of the last 10 overs, Lanka needed 71 with five wickets in hand, and Arnold cut Harris to the boundary to signal his intentions.

At the conclusion of 44 overs, Lanka required 46 more, and to the cheers of the sparse crowd Perera, now with the services of a runner in Jayawardene due to a sprained thigh muscle, swung Astle to the fence.

In a punishing mood despite the pain, Perera clouted Oram to the fence when the bowler returned and Arnold kept up the momentum, swinging McMillan past the ropes.

Now 17 was needed off three and the contest was going down to the wire. Perera almost settled the issue in the 48th over, hammering Oram for two boundaries. By this stage, the normally brilliant Kiwi fielding was wilting too.

In the 49th over, Arnold slammed McMillan straight down the ground to bring the Lankans to within two runs of the target and soon it was all over, with Perera dismissing McMillan to the boundary. What carried the day for the Lankans was their self- belief, that ability to buck the odds. And Perera has given the side a lot of options.

Astle at it again

Earlier, when the Kiwis batted the in-form Astle, driving uppishly, had a stroke of luck when Perera put down a low return catch, the batsman's individual score being 14. Not the kind to look the gift horse in the mouth, the 30-year-old player from Christchurch proceeded to execute some fine strokes, making room to slam Vaas to the cover-point boundary, and when spin was introduced, square-cutting Kumara Dharmasena to the fence.

The fifty arrived in the 11th over, and this also meant for the first time in the series, the Kiwis had got away to a reasonable start. However, Matthew Sinclair was just getting into his stride when he inexplicably gave the pacey Dilhara Fernando the charge and Jayasuriya made no mistake at widish mid- off.

The beefy Jacob Oram, the make-shift No. 3, in the absence of Fleming, stepped down the track to experienced off- spinner Kumara Dharmasena, but only succeeded in sending a catch to Mahela Jayawardene at long-off.

Astle, timing the ball quite superbly by now, struck Dharmasena over the straightfield for a six and followed that up with a thundering lofted extra-cover drive off Fernando. The opener completed his 50 (59b, 6x4, 1x6), but was dismissed soon, attempting to cut occasional off-spinner Arnold, and seeing his stumps disturbed.

McMillan wasted little time before trying out those cheeky strokes, but also on view was his limited feet movement - he is more of a `stand and deliver' type of batsman.

The chunky player had progressed to 38 adding 44 in 77 balls with the hard working, hard running Lou Vincent, when Muralitharan nailed him on the cut, the ball spinning in to hit the stumps. And then came Gunawardene's stunning catch at midwicket, the fielder flinging himself to his right to hold the ball, even as Vincent (30) pulled Arnold. It was a day when the Lankans maintained their high standards of fielding and catching, Perera's lapse being the only blemish.

Wickets fell at regular intervals towards the end with Dharmasena and Jayasuriya getting into the act, and it was only Adam Parore's dash and flair that carried the Kiwis to a respectable total.

The spunky wicket-keeper batsman took the fight to the bowlers, swinging Dharmasena for a six, picking his ones and twos with a sense of urgency and launching into Jayasuriya in the last over, first pulling him to the fence, and then slog-sweeping him over the mid-wicket ropes.

His 25-ball unbeaten 37 also meant the Lankans had a job on their hands when they returned after the break. The Kiwis were 169 at the 40-over mark, the 200 was reached in 45.5 overs, and 36 more runs were added in the final 25 deliveries. Not bad going on a slow wicket, but the Lankans went one better when their turn came.

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