Cricket: Kapil creeps closer to Hadlee's record

KAPIL DEV moved closer to the world record for Test wickets yesterday when play finally got under way in the first Test between India and Sri Lanka at Kandy. Needing 12 wickets to overtake Sir Richard Hadlee's haul of 431 he captured a wicket with his fifth delivery on the second day of the rain-affected Test after Sri Lanka were put in. The teams managed only 50 minutes play on Saturday and yesterday's morning session was wiped out by rain.

Kapil, playing in his 125th Test, took his 421st wicket when Roshan Mahanama was caught by the wicketkeeper Kiran More without scoring.

In two overs, Prabhakar then snapped up the wicket of the other opener, Chandika Hathurusinghe, and Aravinda de Silva - both held by Anil Kumble at gully - to leave the home side at 8 for 3.

Sri Lanka would have been in a worse position had the Indian captain, Mohammad Azharuddin, scooped up a catch from his counterpart, Arjuna Ranatunga, in Prabhakar's fourth over.

SRI LANKA - First innings

R S Mahanama c More b Kapil Dev 0

U C Hathurusinghe c Kumble b Prabhakar 4

A P Gurusinha not out 10

Aravinda de Silva c Kumble b Prabhakar 1

* A Ranatunga not out 7

Extras (lb1 nb1) 2

Total (for 3) 24

Fall: 1-0 2-6 3-8.

To bat: H Tillekeratne, Ashley de Silva, D Liyanage, C P H Ramanayake, M Muralidaran, K P J Warnaweera.

Bowling: Kapil Dev 5-1-10-1; Prabhakar 6-1-13-2; Srinath 1-1-0-0.

INDIA: N S Sidhu, M Prabhakar, V G Kambli, * M Azharuddin, S R Tendulkar, P K Amre, Kapil Dev, K S More, A Kumble, R K Chauhan, J Srinath.