Taylor stitches another upset win

The vuvuzela is an instrument of much frustration. When not blown correctly,the long-necked African trumpet...

The vuvuzela is an instrument of much frustration. When not blown correctly,the long-necked African trumpet (named after the sound it produces) emits no sound and is often thought to be defective. But once the technique of playing it is mastered,the reverberations cause a deafening roar,with the amplifications travelling loud and far.

Just like the trumpet,Brendan Taylor was the cause of many headaches for Zimbabwean cricket. The selectors were certain that Taylor was blessed with bundles of talent,but werent sure if he would ever put it to use,almost always throwing his wicket away after getting set at the crease. Although his scores of 81 and 74 against India in the tri-series were both match-winning knocks,a three-figure score was long overdue. All that changed on Monday.

As the vuvuzelas thundered across the Harare Sports Complex,Taylor raised his bat in the direction of the echoes,marking his second century in ODI cricket,his first in a winning cause,this time over Sri Lanka by eight wickets.

Chasing down 237 for their third win of the series,Taylor scored an unbeaten 119 his highest score in ODIs while constantly making sure that the momentum remains with the hosts before the final on Wednesday. Batting for a little more than three hours,the 24-year old showed the full face of the bat to the Sri Lankan bowling attack,regardless of whether it was spin or seam. Determined to stay in the middle till the end,Taylor played shots out of the coaching manual,sticking to the V like a guidebook,while hitting seven out of nine boundaries along the carpet.

Soon after he reached his ton though,Taylor was back to his aggressive self. He reverse-swept Suraj Randiv for a four,just before smashing one out of the park to put Zimbabwe on the brink. Tatenda Taibu (42 not out) and Justice Chibhabha (58) provided great support 22-yards away,but it was only justified that Taylor scored the winning boundary a vicious pull off Thilan Tushara.

It was really frustrating for me and the team management. But I worked on my mind prior to the series and prepared myself to score big runs. This is what I wanted to master,scoring big runs,because I knew I could do it. This was my best innings so far,and all credit goes to batting with a clear mind, Taylor said.

For Tillakaratne Dilshan and Sri Lanka,it was once again a case of so close yet so far. Having done everything right to take the score to 122 for no loss after 20 overs in the first innings,Dilshan and opening partner Upul Tharanga made the Zimbabweans pay for their poor bowling on the field. Chibhabha and Chris Mpofu were brought in for Greg Lamb and Andy Blignaut they both suffered niggles prior to the game and their lack of experience was cruelly exposed. Just as Sri Lanka threatened to post a 300 plus score for the first time in the tournament,the spinners struck back. From 122/0,Sri Lanka were all out for 236,with Prosper Utseya (2/41) and Graeme Cremer (2/33) responsible for the downfall.

Story continues below this ad

The Sri Lankan management now have plenty of headaches to solve,while Zimbabwe just solved theirs.