Niroshan Dickwella and Asela Gunaratne guided Sri Lanka to a record 388 target to beat Zimbabwe by four wickets yesterday in a pulsating end to their one-off Test
Asela Gunaratne
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Niroshan Dickwella and Asela Gunaratne guided Sri Lanka to a record 388 target to beat Zimbabwe by four wickets yesterday in a pulsating end to their one-off Test.
A crucial 121-run sixth-wicket stand between Gunaratne (80 not out) and Dickwella (81) secured Sri Lanka's best-ever run chase.
Sri Lanka's previous best was against South Africa in 2006, when they achieved a 352-run target. Yesterday's chase was also the highest in Asia and fifth best in Tests.
Man-of-the-match Gunaratne anchored the chase to perfection after Dickwella's departure, putting on an unbeaten 67-run partnership with Dilruwan Perera (29 not out) to take Sri Lanka to victory.
The win in Colombo was a boost for new Test captain Dinesh Chandimal and eased Sri Lanka's pain after a shock defeat in the one-day series against the minnows.
"It's always challenging as a captain but it's about doing the right things on and off the field," said Chandimal, who took over after Angelo Mathews quit because of the ODI loss.
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