Sikander Raza registered career-best figures of 7 for 113 to put Zimbabwe firmly in control of the second Test as Sri Lanka were bowled on for 293 on the third afternoon heading into the tea break.
It could have been worse for the visitors had it not been for Vishwa Fernando, who strung together, first a 24-run ninth-wicket partnership with Lasith Embuldeniya, and then a 25-run stand for the final wicket with Lahiru Kumara to bring the deficit down to slightly more tolerable 113.
Fernando was the last Sri Lanka wicket to fall as Regis Chakabva completed a fine diving take behind the stumps off Victor Nyauchi.
The session belonged to Raza, who following his morning heroics when he had removed Sri Lanka’s three middle-order batsmen, struck in his first over after lunch as Niroshan Dickwella was trapped lbw attempting to sweep.
That wicket would have hurt Sri Lanka the most as he was the last recognised batsman alongside Angelo Mathews.
In his next over, Raza then had Suranga Lakmal chipping an easy catch to mid-on. Later he returned to dismiss Embuldeniya, who was caught brilliantly at mid-off by Brian Mudzinganyama, who was fielding for the injured Kevin Kasuza.
However, the most important wicket of the session, that of Angelo Mathews, was provided by seamer Carl Mumba, who had Sri Lanka’s most senior batsman strangled down the leg side for 64. It was just a reward for Zimbabwe’s seam contingent that had toiled fruitlessly all day until then.
While Raza will rightfully take most of the plaudits, Sri Lanka’s new batting coach Grant Flower would have been mortified by the nature of some of the dismissals. Apart from Kusal Mendis, who could count himself a touch unfortunate at having had his pull shot deflect and loop to square leg off Kasuza’s helmet at short leg, every other Sri Lankan dismissal was somewhat avoidable.
That is not to take away from Zimbabwe’s bowlers though, who would argue that such mistakes were coerced by the disciplined lines and lengths their seamers persevered with.
The most of the morning session had been a case of feast and famine for the Sri Lankan batsmen, with long periods of diligent probing outside off stump punctuated by the odd boundary. Raza though had threatened throughout and was rewarded for his attacking line, striking twice in the first hour of play to get rid of Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal.
The Zimbabwe spinner also got the crucial wicket of Dhananjaya at the stroke of lunch to put an end to a threatening 84-run fifth-wicket stand between Mathews and him.
ESPN
