Veteran left-hander Hashan Tillakaratne scored his second century of theseries and Russel Arnold partially broke off the shackles of poor form asSri Lanka batted throughout the third day of this third and finalJanashakthi National Test match
Charlie Austin01-Dec-2001Veteran left-hander Hashan Tillakaratne scored his second century of theseries and Russel Arnold partially broke off the shackles of poor form asSri Lanka batted throughout the third day of this third and finalJanashakthi National Test match.The day had been touted beforehand as a pivotal one and with Sri Lankaovertaking the West Indies first innings total with five wickets to spare,the odds are now stacked against the tourists avoiding the humiliation of aseries whitewash.By the close of play Sri Lanka had turned a 197 run deficit into an 87 runlead after 141-run fifth wicket partnership between Tillakaratne and Arnoldand then an unbroken 133 sixth wicket partnership between Tillakaratne andThilan Samaraweera.Tillakaratne innings was the highlight of the day and the best of his fourhundreds since returning to the side four months ago after a two-yearabsence. Whether he should have been discarded after the 1999 World Cup isdebatable, but one senses his frustration at being sidelined has made himeven hungrier for success in the twilight of his career.During this series he scored 105 not out in Galle, 87 and 7* in Kandy andnow an unbeaten 143 here, which surpasses his previous career best (136*)scored against India in August. Remarkably, he has only been out once in theseries having batted for just short of seventeen hours.The 34-year-old, who was troubled with a hamstring injury for much of the day, is known best for his dour accumulation and back-to-the-wall defiance, but on this occasion he showed another side, batting stylishly and vigorously to reach his fifty off 77-balls and hundred off 149 balls. His timing was impeccable; especially his straight drives which fizzed across the lush green outfield to the boundary.Tillakaratne came to the crease after the fall of Mahela Jayawardene for 32,who was trapped lbw by Mervyn Dillon, after the first half hour thismorning. It appeared a crucial break through as Jaywardene is also in regalform, whilst Arnold, the remaining batsmen, hadn’t scored a fifty for 10consecutive innings.But Arnold finally repaid some of the faith shown in him by the selectorsand team management as he went onto score 65 in a controlled inningsspanning nearly four hours. The 28-year-old left-hander hadn’t lost his formcompletely, just his capacity to stay at the wicket. He was hitting the ballcleanly, but had suffered from an over-eagerness to dominate and anover-reliance on those nurdles and flicks that he employs so well in theone-day game. This time he played straighter and with greater patience.Still, he will be cursing his failure to capitalise fully and score acentury after being caught behind off a cross batted shot.Sri Lanka were 345 for five at that stage, mid-way through the afternoon,still with a deficit of 45 runs. But the obdurate Thilan Samaraweera stayedwith Tillakaratne till the close to post the pair’s third century stand infive Test matches. Samaraweera was 68 not out at the close having playedwithin his limitations and with great application.Four months ago Dav Whatmore was bemoaning a wobbly late middle-order, butthe adhesive pair have helped solve that the problem for meantime, at leaston sub-continental wickets, anyway, where Samaraweera can play a role withhis off-spin.”Hashan (Tillakaratne) has been batting very well for us since he cameback,” he said. “He took a couple of games to get back into the grove butsince then he showed us what we have been missing.”Thilan (Samaraweera) is a very committed cricketer. He may not have theskill of the Jayasuriya’s and Jayawardene’s but he is very determined andthat determination can be as effective in its own way.”Tomorrow Sri Lanka will try to chisel out as large a lead as possible. Thereis no great urgency with over six sessions remaining, though there may beconcerns that the pitch seems to be wearing too slowly.West Indies are not out of the game if they can conjure up a early morningcollapse, but this seems unlikely with a bowling attack – with the singleexception of Dillon who bowled with great heart – that is looking moreinnocuous with each passing session. They were further handicapped by a sideinjury to leg-spinner Dinanath Ramnarine, who has only been able to bowl 17overs in the innings.
