Cricket: Sri Lanka make chaotic start

New Zealand 222 and 273 Sri Lanka 170 and 20-2

Sri Lanka made a disastrous start to their quest for victory late on the third day of the second Test against New Zealand in Hamilton yesterday. Sri Lanka's chances of scoring the 326 required received an immediate setback when Sanath Jayasuriya ran himself out while seeking a second run in the second over.

Worse was to follow in the ninth over when left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori bowled Hashan Tillekaratne around his legs.

New Zealand were dismissed for 273 in their second innings, thanks to half-centuries by Bryan Young, Stephen Fleming and Nathan Astle. Off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who took 3 for 62, became the first Sri Lankan to take 100 wickets in Tests.

Third day; New Zealand won toss

NEW ZEALAND - First Innings 222 (B A Pocock 85).

SRI LANKA - First Innings 170 (H T Davis 5-63, D Vettori 4-46).

NEW ZEALAND - Second innings

(Overnight: 53 for 1)

B A Young c Ranatunga b Dharmasena 62

M J Horne st Kaluwitharana b Muralitharan 16

*S P Fleming b Muralitharan 59

N J Astle c Mahanama b Vaas 52

C L Cairns c sub b Muralitharan 4

A C Parore run out 2

D N Patel c P A de Silva b Dharmasena 4

D Vettori b Zoysa 6

S B Doull c Mahanama b Zoysa 25

H T Davis not out 2

Extras (b9, lb11, w7, nb7) 34

Total (97.4 overs) 273

Fall (cont): 2-64, 3-108, 4-183, 5-198, 6-201, 7-211, 8-239, 9-243, 10- 273.

Bowling: Vaas 15-3-34-1; Zoysa 22.4-7-53-3 (w7, nb3); Dharmasena 24-5- 75-2; S de Silva 10-2-29-0; Muralitharan 26-7-62-3 (nb4).

SRI LANKA - Second innings

S T Jayasuriya run out 3

R S Mahanama not out 6

H P Tillekaratne b Vettori 10

W P U J C Vaas not out 0

Extras (w1) 1

Total (for 2, 11 overs) 20

Fall: 1-5, 2-16.

To bat: *A Ranatunga, P A de Silva, R S Kaluwitharana, D N Zoysa, M Muralitharan, H D P K Dharmasena, S C de Silva.

Bowling: Doull 4-2-4-0; Davis 5-0-12-0 (w1); Vettori 2-0-4-1.

Umpires: D B Cowie (NZ) and Mahboob Shah (Pak).