ICC T20 …
VETERAN opener and former skipper Mahela Jayawardene struck the second ton of the 2010 International Cricket Council (ICC) Twenty20 tournament, as Sri Lanka defeated Zimbabwe by 14 runs (Duckworth/Lewis) in their second group B match at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, yesterday. Sri Lanka won the toss earlier and with no Muttiah Muralitharan in their final eleven (out with groin injury), opted to bat first and never regretted that decision, as the in-form Jayawardene waded into the Zimbabweans bowling attack like a pig taking to mud, before falling for an even ton made off 64 deliveries with 10 fours and four sixes, as Sri Lanka scored an imposing 173-7 from their 20 overs.
Two rain interruptions prevented Zimbabwe from making any sort of reply and when the heavens opened up 14 minutes after play resumed from the first interruption, they were 29-1 after five overs, instead of the magical figure of 43.
After getting out of the way from a Christopher Mpofu’s short delivery, Jayawardene struck the next two deliveries for a four and a six over point and long off respectively, while the final ball of the first over was struck over mid on by Jayawardene as Sri Lanka raced to 14 without loss in the first over.
Left-arm orthodox spinner Ray Price shared the new ball with Mpofu and Jayawardene did not show any signs of mercy to him, when he slog-swept his final delivery over square leg for six, before his opening partner Tillakaratne Dilshan (2) was caught by Mpofu at long off when he attempted to hit Elton Chigumbura out of the ground.
His demise did not deter Jayawardene, who having top-scored in Sri Lanka’s loss to New Zealand in their first group B match at the same venue last Friday, struck Chigumbura for a boundary which was followed by two more fours in the bowler’s next over and another off Price carried Sri Lanka to 55-1 at the end of six overs.
Thissara Perera 23 (1×4; 2×6) replaced Dilshan who was used as a pinch hitter by the Tamil Tigers and he turned out to be a worthy partner to Jayawardene also, when he struck Price for a four square of the wicket. He realised his second half-century of this year’s tournament from 27 deliveries with three fours and four sixes, as struck both Alexander Cremer and Zimbabwe’s skipper Prosper Utseya for four.
But he lost Perera who had earlier struck Gregory Lamb for a pair of sixes in successive overs, before he was caught by Chigumbura running around from long on off Lamb, but not before he had added 56 for the third wicket with Jayawardene from 6.3 overs.
The quick demise of Kumar Sangakkara (3), Dinesh Chandimal (9) and Angelo Matthews (4), left Sri Lanka on 138-5 in the 17th over but most importantly, Jayawardene was still there on 87.
He got to his 100 from 63 deliveries with 10 fours and four sixes, accumulating his second 50 from 36 balls with four fours and one six, as he struck both Cremer and Lamb for four, while the former was struck over long on for six.
Zimbabwe had the final laugh, when they removed both Jayawardene and Chamara Kapugedara 13 (2×6) who struck both Mpofu and Price for maximums back over their head, in the space of two balls in the penultimate over of their innings.
They both holed out to Hamilton Masakadza and Cremer in the deep, with Jayawardene facing 64 deliveries and hitting 10 fours and four sixes in his belligerent innings which took Sri Lanka to 173-7 at the end of their 20 overs, against the bowling of Price and Lamb who took two wickets each for 31 and 34 runs respectively.
Zimbabwe’s innings began in overcast conditions and after facing one over, the heavens opened up at 11:13 h forcing the players off the field, with the African nation, who had defeated Australia in their warm-up game, on 4 without loss with both Masakadza (4) and Tatenda Taibu on two.
When play began at 12:21 h, Zimbabwe were given a revised target of 106 to get from 11 overs and they lost Masakadza who was run-out by the full length of the pitch to be 10-1 in the second over of their innings.
Brandon Taylor joined Taibu but the heavens showed them no mercy, as rain intervened to stop play at 12:35 h, with Zimbabwe who needed to be 43-1, on 29-1 after five overs which meant that the match was constituted as far as Sri Lanka was concerned as they were ahead by 14 runs on the D/L system.

SRI LANKA innings
M. Jayawardene c Cremer b Price    100
T. Dilshan c Mpofu b Chigumbura    2
T. Perera c Chigumbura b Lamb    23
K. Sangakkara c Price b Cremer    3
D. Chandimal c Mpofu b Utseya    9
A. Mathews c Ervine b Lamb    4
C. Kapugedera c Masakadza b Price    13
S. Jayasuriya not out    3
L. Malinga not out    2
Extras: (lb-5, w-9)    14    
Total: (7 wkts, 20 overs)    173
Fall of wickets: 1-24, 2-80, 3-96, 4-113, 5-138, 6-166, 7-166.
Bowling: Mpofu 3-0-27-0, Price 4-0-31-2, Chigumbura 2-0-21-1, Lamb 4-0-34-2, Utseya 4-0-32-1, Cremer 3-0-23-1,
ZIMBABWE (target: 44 runs from five overs)
H. Masakadza run-out    4
T. Taibu not out    12
B. Taylor not out    11
Extras: (w-2)    2
Total: (one wkt, 5 overs)    29
Fall of wickets: 1-10. 
Bowling: Mendis 2-0-9-0, Malinga 1-0-6-0, Jayasuriya 1-0-8-0, Randiv 1-0-6-0.
Points: Sri Lanka 2, Zimbabwe 0.