da betsul： Sri Lanka won the first game of a three-match One-Day International seriesby five wickets at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium today
da bet vitoria： Charlie Austin23-Mar-2001Sri Lanka won the first game of a three-match One-Day International seriesby five wickets at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium today. It wasan extraordinary day in Dambulla’s rich history, as the town, famed for itsBuddhist cave temples and previously dependent upon the vegetable trade,staged its inaugural international cricket match after six months of hecticconstruction work.The working lives of thousands of local residents of this normally sleepytown were transformed last September when the ambitious, some say foolhardy,Sri Lankan cricket board decided to build the country’s eighth internationalvenue on 65 acres of dry land jungle. Local farmers threw down their hoes tobecome groundsmen and builders laboured for 155 mad, long days.Thus, when the inaugural international match was played today, crowdsflocked to the stadium, most through the ticket gates, but many also pouredthrough a hole in the fence after the start of play. The stands, literallybursting at the seams in a state of half completion, vibrated withexcitement, and the band, precariously perched on the top of the hastilyfinished Grand Stand, hardly took a breath all day.Unfortunately the cricket, despite the best efforts of Sanath Jaysuriya, whoblasted 39 from 35 balls, failed to match the atmosphere of the occasion, asthe ball dominated the bat and England were bundled out for just 143 in 48.5overs. Sri Lanka then threatened to recreate the tension of the Testseries, as they lost three wickets for eight runs in the middle order,before Russel Arnold (39*) and Marvan Atapattu (40), both of whom registereda pair in the Third Test, guided Sri Lanka home.Indeed a low-scoring affair had been predicted. Andy Akinson, a renownedgroundsman-cum-international pitch consultant, was given just eight weeks toprepare the playing surface and, although he completed his task – thanks inpart to 500 local women, who painstakingly transplanted individual blades ofgrass into the square – even he had no idea how the dry brown would behaveon the eve on the match.In the event it surpassed expectations and though slow in pace and slightlyvariable in bounce, England should have scored more runs having won the tossand batted first when the pitch was at its best. They, however, struggledagainst Sri Lanka’s spinners after Nuwan Zoysa had nipped out both AlecStewart and Graeme Hick in the early overs.Kumar Dharmasena and Russel Arnold both bowled tightly after the successfulburst from the new ball pair and Arnold also picked up the wicket of MarcusTrescothick for 21, as the broad-shouldered left-hander tried to manoeuvre astraight ball into the leg side and was bowled. It was Muttiah Muralitharanthough that condemned England to their poor total.Sri Lanka’s magical spinner, spurred on by game taunts from teammates thatHarbhajan Singh had now displaced him as the premier spinner in the worldand still fuming at perceived umpiring injustice during the England Testseries, returned to his normal match-winning mould, as he took four wicketsin the innings and three in a crucial first spell.England, having slipped to 75 for three midway through their innings, weretrying to rebuild when Michael Vaughan, who made his ODI debut when hereplaced Nick Knight this morning, dragged his foot while sweeping and wasstumped for nine. Andrew Flintoff was also stumped in Muralitharan’s nextover and Craig White was deceived by the “other one” to be caught at slipfor a first ball duck. England had slumped to 97 for six.Graham Thorpe, acting England captain in the absence of the injured NasserHussain, carried on where he left off in the Test series and once again theSri Lankans were unable to dismiss him, as he scored an unbeaten 62 off 107balls.Sanath Jayasuriya, who chastised his players this week for theirirresponsibility in the Test series, started the Sri Lanka innings with abang. He hit ten runs off Andrew Caddick’s first over and raced to 39 off 35balls. The innings, however, then started to falter as England’s fast bowlers – four of whom played in the game in case the pitch played as badly as it could – probed away.Romesh Kaluwitharana had already been dismissed, caught behind as he triedto drive an Andrew Caddick away swinger, when Jayasuriya was unlucky to beadjudged leg before wicket to a delivery from Alan Mullally that was slidingdown the leg side. Mahela Jayawardene was an unlucky recipient of a deliveryof unusual bounce from Darren Gough and Kumar Sangakkara hung his bat out todry to become the third Sri Lankan batsman caught behind.Sri Lanka were 58 for four and after their woeful second innings performanceat the Sinhalese Sports Club, the game looked to be back on an even keel.With the pitch now getting lower and lower, Arnold and Atapattu appliedthemselves well, however, as they added 70 runs in 132 balls. By the time Atapattu was trapped lbw for 40 by a short delivery that crept along the ground, Sri Lanka were home and dry.
