ZIM v SL, 1st Test Day 3 Review: Graeme Cremer ton saves Zimbabwe's blushes

Zimbabwe skipper Graeme Cremer slammed a wonderful century and also managed to remain unbeaten at the close of play as the hosts managed to avoid a first-innings follow-on in the first Test at the Harare Sports Club. The day effectively belonged to Zimbabwe as they managed an impressive fightback with the likes of Peter Moor and Donald Tiripano also managing to make an impact.

The day began with Suranga Lakmal striking for the Lankans early on in the day. The 30-year old Lankan pacer made the ball do most of the talking as Hamilton Masakadza and Tino Mawoyo were dismissed early on in the innings. However, what came next was much worse as far as the hosts were concerned.

Sean Williams and Craig Ervine were the ones to be dismissed to the impressive spinning duo of Dilruwan Perera and Rangana Herath. These were two massive wickets as far as the Lankans were concerned as they poised themselves to go in for the kill.

Malcolm Waller played some exciting shots as well as played a patient game, something the Lankans certainly did not expect. He managed 22 vital runs and seemed to be the only player who managed a start on the day. But, disaster struck yet again as Waller was dismissed for 22 by Dilruwan Perera.

Perera, who had put the Australians in a spin in the second Test match at Galle earlier this year was making the hosts grovel in their own backyard. At 6/139, it seemed as though they would have to change their tracksuits back to their whites and make a comeback and bat once again.

Enter Peter Moor. Prior to the start of the series, Moor had impressed one and all with some impressive batting acumen. He had slammed a ton against a Sri Lankan touring XI and was set to take his post as wicketkeeper-batsman in the starting XI.

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Batting with Graeme Cremer, the duo made sure that they would not perish without a fight. Rangana Herath handed the ball to Lahiru Kumara who was entrusted with polishing off the Zimbabwean tail. The debutante began with a barrage of short-pitched deliveries.

One of these deliveries even knocked-odd the helmet of Cremer who stood his ground despite the setback. What’s better is the simple fact that the Zimbabwean skipper impressed with some impressive character, something that the Zimbabweans were lacking at the time,

He then began to play his shots and fancied himself against Herath and Dilruwan Perera. Peter Moor on the other hand was a tad bit more relentless in his approach as he dispatched the bowlers to the fence at will. Thus, under Heath Streak, the batting had already begun to show a bit of solidity.

That said, they stitched a partnership of 132 runs, definitely a record in recent times at the very least for the Zimbabweans. Kumara’s short-pitched ploy finally did the trick as Moor was dismissed just after the tea interval.

Cremer was joined by Donald Tiripano as the former edged closer to his well-deserved century. To his credit, Tiripano and his defensive structure with the bat was appalling, to say the least. He knocked the ball around and helped his skipper reach his century before he himself came in the reckoning for a half-century.

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Needless to say, Tiripano was denuded a half-century as he was cleaned up by the part-timer Kusal Mendis just 4 runs adrift of his ton. However, in spite of this, Graeme Cremer was a man relieved, not because he reached his ton, but because as a captain, his side had avoided the follow-on, meaning that Sri Lanka would have to bat yet again.

The Lankan openers Krunaratne and Silva survived the three overs bowled in the evening before the close of play.

Brief Scores:

Sri Lanka, 1st innings: 537 all out

Zimbabwe, 2nd innings: 373 all out (G Cremer 102*; S Lakmal 3/69)

Sri Lanka, 2nd innings: 5/0