Cricket: Houghton hits career best

Zimbabwe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .427-8 Sri Lanka (First Edition) DAVE HOUGHTON, the former Zimbabwe captain, held centre stage in Bulawayo yesterday when he scored a career-best 266 on the second day in the second Test against Sri Lanka.

Houghton, who did not give a chance until he had passed the 250 mark, batted for more than 11 hours before falling leg before to Chaminda Vaas three overs before the close, having hit 35 fours and three sixes.

The 37-year-old's first landmark was to pass his own record for Zimbabwe's highest individual Test score of 121, made against India in Harare two years ago. He then beat his previous career-best of 202, which was made against the England A team in the 1989-90 season.

(Zimbabwe won toss; second day) ZIMBABWE - First Innings (Overnight: 213 for 4) G W Flower c Dassanayake b W'singhe. . . . 1 M H Dekker c Mahanama b Dharmasena. . . . .0 A D R Campbell st Dissanayake b M'aran. . 18 D L Houghton lbw b Vaas. . . . . . . . . 266 * A Flower c M'aran b Dharmasena. . . . . 50 G J Whittal c Tillekeratne b W'singhe. . .12 W R James c Dissanayake b Dharmasena. . . 33 H H Streak c Dharmasena b Vaas. . . . . . .0 J A Rennie not out. . . . . . . . . . . . 15 S G Peall not out. . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Extras (lb8 b5 nb13 w1). . . . . . . . . .27 Total (for 8). . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427 Fall: 1-3 2-5 3-65 4-186 5-223 6-323 7-335 8-419.

Did not bat: M P Jarvis.

Bowling: Wickramasinghe 37-7-108-2 (8nb 1w); Vaas 42-14-76-3 (2nb); Dharmasena 45-11- 109-2 (1nb); Muralitharan 54-21-102-1 (2nb); De Silva 1-0-4-0; A Gurusinha 4-0-15-0.

SRI LANKA: * R S Mahanama, A P Gurusinha, S Ranatunga, P A de Silva, A Ranatunga, H P Tillakaratne, P B Dissanayake, M Muralitharan, H D P K Dharmasena, G P Wickramasinghe, C Vaas.