Only Test: Raza 97* stretches Zimbabwe lead to 262

Tags: Zimbabwe tour of Sri Lanka,2017, Sri Lanka Vs Zimbabwe,Only Test at Colombo, Jul 14-18, 2017, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe

Published on: Jul 17, 2017

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Sikandar Raza hit a gritty 97 not out to help Zimbabwe recover from a top-order collapse and stretch their second-innings lead over Sri Lanka to 262 in the one-off Test on Sunday

Zimbabwe tour of Sri Lanka : Sri Lanka Vs Zimbabwe,Only Test at Colombo, Jul 14-18, 2017

Toss: Zimbabwe won the toss and chose to bat first

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Raza 97* stretches Zimbabwe lead to 262

Sikandar Raza hit a gritty 97 not out to help Zimbabwe recover from a top-order collapse and stretch their second-innings lead over Sri Lanka to 262 in the one-off Test on Sunday (July 16).
The visitors were 252 for 6 at stumps on the third day, with Raza and Malcolm Waller (57) putting on an unbeaten 107-run stand for the seventh wicket at Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium.
Raza lifted Zimbabwe from a precarious 23 for 4, and then 59 for 5, after Rangana Herath rattled the batting with four early wickets.
Herath, who got three wickets before the lunch break, bowled Sean Williams for 22 in the second session as Zimbabwe teetered dangerously close to losing their 10-run advantage.
It was then that Raza put together 86 runs with Peter Moor (40) for the sixth wicket to turn the tables on Sri Lanka. Moor later fell to Lahiru Kumara.
Raza, who registered his fifth Test fifty, used the sweep shot to great effect against the spinners as he found another partner in Waller to thwart the Sri Lankan bowling attack.
But it was Herath's left-arm spin that undid the fine work from leg-spinner Cremer (5-125).
Herath, who registered his 30th Test five-wicket haul in the first innings, ran riot at the start of Zimabwe's second essay to get the wickets of Hamilton Masakadza, Tarisai Musakanda and Regis Chakabva.
Off-spinner Dilruwan Perera joined forces to get the prized wicket of first-innings centurion Craig Ervine for five at the stroke of lunch.
While Sri Lanka look for redemption under new Test captain Dinesh Chandimal after their shock loss in the one-day series against Zimbabwe, the visitors eye their first-ever Test win over the islanders.

Zimbabwe team:

H Masakadza,RW ChakabvaTarisai Musakanda, CR Ervine, SC Williams, Sikandar Raza Butt, M Waller, Peter Moor(wk),AG Cremer(c), C Mpofu, Donald Tiripano

Sri Lanka team:

WU Tharanga, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis, LD Chandimal(c), AD Mathews, Asela Gunaratne, DPDN Dickwella(wk), Dilruwan Perera, HMRKB Herath, RAS Lakmal, Lahiru Kumara

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