da dobrowin： Stephen Fleming battled through searing heat and sappinghumidity to score 274 not out, the second-highest score by aNew Zealander in Test cricket
Wisden Bulletin by Charlie Austin26-Apr-2003Stephen Fleming battled through searing heat and sappinghumidity to score 274 not out, the second-highest score by aNew Zealander in Test cricket. It was a patient marathonspanning nearly ten hours, and it left New Zealand in acommanding position against Sri Lanka at the close of play onday two.After four sessions of plodding Test cricket, the game turneddecisively as Fleming pressed down on the accelerator in thesecond afternoon. He added 157 in 272 balls with Scott Styris,playing as a specialist batsman after injuring his shoulder in thewarm-up games, and then 72 in 108 with Jacob Oram.New Zealand piled up a massive 515 for seven before declaring -the third-highest total against Sri Lanka by New Zealand -twenty minutes before the scheduled close. Fleming selflesslydenied himself the chance to surpass the 299 scored by MartinCrowe against Sri Lanka in 1990-1, the highest score by a NewZealander in Test cricket.Left with a tricky six overs before the close of play, withthunderclouds gathering around the ground for the first time inthe match, Marvan Atapattu was trapped lbw for a duck byDarryl Tuffey. It was a poor decision by Darryl Harper – the ballwas slanting down the leg side. Fortunately for Sri Lanka, furtherdamage was prevented as bad light forced the players from thefield in the second over.Sri Lanka’s hopes of a tenth consecutive Test win on home soilwere thus extinguished. Their objective now was to avoid defeat- and before that, to avoid the follow on.Fleming admitted that he could not read Muttiah Muralitharan,Sri Lanka’s star offspinner, but he grew more dominant againsthim as the day progressed. After hours of reaching forward andsmothering the spin with bat or pad, he started to attack: acrisp cover-drive in the first over after lunch was followed by astraight six in Muralitharan’s next over.He enjoyed his fair share of good fortune. Sri Lanka’s fielding wasatrocious, with a total of eight clear catches being floored in theinnings. Mahela Jayawardene, considered one of the safest pairof hands in the side, was the chief offender, spilling three in theday and four in the innings.Had Jayawardene held on to his juggling effort runningbackwards from gully when Fleming was on 121, Sri Lanka’spredicament might not have been so gloomy. He missed out on achance to redeem himself, failing to hold onto a tougher chanceat slip when Fleming had made 141.Fleming found a willing partner in Styris, who raised the tempowell. Actively searching out opportunities to score, he used hisfeet well to the spinners, hitting two straight sixes. He made 63from 139 balls before lofting a catch to Chaminda Vaas on thelong-on boundary (392 for 4).Muralitharan, exasperated on Friday after three catches weredropped off his bowling, claimed his first wicket in his 55th over,when Oram, looking to score quick runs before the declaration,top-edged a sweep and was caught at deep square leg (471 for5).Muralitharan then mopped up Robbie Hart, who was caught by adiving Jayawardene at short leg, to finish with two for 140 from58.5 overs. His fellow offspinner, Kumar Dharmasena, chipped inwith the wicket of Daniel Vettori to finish with 3 for 132 from 40overs – the best figures among the Sri Lankan bowlers.The only wicket to fall during the morning session had been thatof Matthew Sinclair, who looked uncomfortable against Vaas.Armed with a new ball just seven overs old, Vaas had an edgefall short of Romesh Kaluwitharana, and then watched in horroras Sinclair squirted a low catch to gully only for SanathJayasuriya to do a Jayawardene. Finally, as Tillakaratne turnedback to his spinners, Sinclair offered a dolly catch to short leg(235 for three).