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SL
set a challenging 264-run target for India to win
Kandy,
August 24: Muttiah
Muralitharan, not regarded as one of the best batsman around, tore
into the Indian attack on the third day of the second Test at
Kandy. Coming in at 140 for seven, the spinner scored a
wild-hitting career-best 67 off 65 balls before being the last
batsmen out with the team on 221. India will chase 264 for the
win.
Earlier, Indian seamer Venkatesh Prasad grabbed five wickets to
reduce Sri Lanka to 172 for nine at tea
When rain forced an early tea, Sri Lanka led by 214 runs on a
wearing wicket that is beginning to keep low. Muttiah
Muralitharan, whose off-spin will play a key role in Sri Lanka's
bid for a decisive 2-0 lead in the three-match series, showed his
worth with the bat by making an unbeaten 26 off 16 balls.
If India have a great chance to win the match, they must thank
Prasad, who complemented Zaheer Khan's four-wicket effort after
Sri Lanka resumed at their lunch score of 124-5. Sri Lanka would
have lost another wicket at that score had Hemang Badani not
spilled Suresh Perera at second slip off skipper Sourav Ganguly.
Badani, however, made amends a few overs later when he took a low
catch in the same position off Prasad to get rid of Perera for 15.
Prasad then trapped Hashan Tillekeratne leg-before for 16 to
reduce Sri Lanka to 140/7 just 182 runs ahead.
Muralitharan delighted his home crowd by smashing the first ball
from Prasad to the mid-wicket fence before hooking the last ball
of the over for six. Muralitharan saw Prasad claim Chaminda Vaas
leg-before and rattle Dilhara Fernando's stumps, but still managed
to strike the same bowler for a four and six in the company of
last man Ruchira Perera.
Zaheer, who claimed three wickets in the first innings and removed
the dangerous Sanath Jayasuriya late on Thursday evening, struck
with the third delivery of the day. Moving the ball about in
overcast conditions, Zaheer forced Kumar Sangakkara to edge a
catch to wicket-keeper Sameer Dighe.
Dighe then dived to his right to pick up a low catch to remove the
other overnight batsman, Marvan Atapattu (45) off Venkatesh Prasad
and make Sri Lanka 84/3. It should have been 88/4 soon after when
Mahela Jayawardena was stranded in mid-wicket, but Indian captain
Sourav Ganguly failed to pick up a throw from Shiv Das.
Jayawardena, who hit 104 in the first innings, moved to 25 when
Zaheer, returning for his second spell, had him edging a catch to
Hemang Badani at second slip. Sri Lanka led by only 150 runs at
that stage, encouraging Ganguly to set attacking fields in the
hunt for another quick wicket.
Russel Arnold opened his account by driving Harvinder Singh to the
mid-off fence, but those were his only runs as Zaheer trapped him
leg-before with a ball that dipped in sharply from outside the
off-stump.
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