Tour of Zimbabwe 1999-2000           Captain: Sanath Jayasuriya

Twenty-fifth Test tour

Second official Test-playing  tour of Zimbabwe by Sri Lanka

 (November -

           December 1999)

On 3 November, only two days before departure to Zimbabwe, the new tour manager, CTA Schaffter, was sacked and replaced by Stanley Jayasinghe who was called up from the 'A' team tour of South Africa. Shaffter was alleged to have connections with an extremist Tamil group but insisted these were "malicious, baseless allegations."

TM Dilshan, also called up from the 'A' team tour, scored an excellent 163 not out in the second Test but then controversially ran out Goodwin who wandered from his crease believing that the ball was dead. The Sri Lankans were also accused of sledging the Zimbabwe batsmen.

Sri Lanka's six wicket victory over Zimbabwe in the second Test match at Harare was the fifth occasion where Sri Lanka has scored a Test win abroad.

Previous tour

To Pakistan & Bangladesh 1998-99

Next tour

To Pakistan 1999-00

Members of the Test tour party  (16)

Openers  Sanath Jayasuriya, Marvan Atapattu, Romesh Kaluwitharana (wk)

Batsmen:  Russel Arnold, Mahela Jayawardene, Indika de Saram, Chamara Silva, Tillekeratne Dilshan

Wicket-keeper: Prasanna Jayawardene.

Spin bowlers:  Muttiah Muralitharan, Rangana Herath

Fast bowlers:  Indika Gallage, Chaminda Vaas, Suresh Perera, Pramodya Wickremasinghe, Nuwan Zoysa.

Average age of  team at time of first Test match

(18 November 1999) :

            24 yrs 8 months.

Key to clubs :

B'fd: Bloomfield (1)

CCC: Colombo  (1)

Ct: Colts Cricket Club (2)

Ms : Moors (1)

NCC: Nondescripts (1)

Pa:  Panadura (1)

Sb: Sebastianites (2)

SSC: Sinhalese Sports  (5)

TU: Tamil Union (2)

Key to type : 

LHB left-hand bat,

LBG leg break and googly bowler, 

OB off break,

SLA  slow left-arm bowler,

RFM right arm fast medium bowler

Test Appearances made before the tour

Muralitharan 45,  Jayasuriya 41,  Wickremasinghe 33,  Vaas 31,  Kaluwitharana 30,  Atapattu 26,  Pushpakumara 18,  M Jayawardene 12,  Arnold 9,  Zoysa 7,  Herath 2,  Perera 1,  de Saram 0,  Dilshan 0,  Gallage 0,  P Jayawardene 0,  Silva 0.

Management Team

Schaffter was unceremoniously sacked as manager on a baseless allegation brought against him just two days prior to the national team left for Zimbabwe

Selectors

 S Wettimuny (chairman),  T B Kehelgamuwa,  A L F de Mel,  D S B Kuruppu.

Selection

Unavailable :  Roshan Mahanama (retired from international cricket)

Tour Party Announced :   27 October 1999.

Not selected:  Upul Chandana,.  After the World Cup debacle Arjuna Ranatunga was removed as captain and Sanath Jayasuriya was appointed in July, bringing Arjuna's international career to a close.

Withdrawal : The day after the team was announced Aravinda de Silva withdrew from the team for personal reasons. His replacement, Dilshan, was called up from the Sri Lanka 'A' team in South Africa.

One-day squad:  Upul Chandana and KC Sujeewa de Silva joined the tour party for the ODIs.

Travel

Left Colombo on 5 November and flew via Dubai and Johannesburg to Bulawayo Airport, landing on 6 November.

On-tour selection panel

Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene, Dav Whatmore, Stanley Jayasinghe.

Reinforcements

When Zoysa contracted viral flu and Suresh Perera had a back injury, Ravindra Pushpakumura was flown to Bulawayo from the Sri Lanka A team in South Africa (17 November).  Zoysa then developed a groin strain. He and Perera flew home  on 3 December.

Fixtures/Results

† not first-class

§  one-day international

¹  Bulawayo Athletic Club, ²  Queens Club, 

³ Sports Club

Test appearances on tour

3 - Arnold, Atapattu, de Saram, Dilshan, Jayasuriya, M Jayawardene, Kaluwitharana, Muralitharan, Vaas, Wickremasinghe.

2 -

1 - Gallage, Pushpakumara, Zoysa.

0 - Herath, P Jayawardene, Perera, Silva.

Match appearances

Highlights

•  Atapatta (216*) batted through the innings at Bulawayo. He was the first Sri Lankan opening batsman to score a century while carrying his bat.  Arnold (104*) became the second to achieve this feat at Harare (3rd Test).

•  Zoysa became the first Sri Lankan bowler to do the hat trick in a Test at Harare (2nd Test), reducing Zimbabwe to 0 for 3 in his first over.

•  Vaas took his 100th wicket in his 33rd Test.

Tour Summary

Return to Sri Lanka

5th ODI ends 19 December 1999.

Jayasuriya flew to Australia with the physio Alex Kountouri for an operation on his wrist.

.