00:00Watch out for Chaminda Vaz's magnificent spell of swing and guile against England in
00:05the second test match at Kandy, played from March 11 to 15, 2001.
00:10Although England eventually scraped home by three wickets, Chaminda Vaz produced a balling
00:16performance that kept the match hanging on a knife's edge and had the visitor gasping
00:22for breath, defending a modest target of just 160.
00:27Sri Lanka hopes rested on their strike ballers, and Chaminda Vaz rose to the occasion, with
00:33sheer determination bending his back and swinging the ball both ways to unsettle England's
00:38top order.
00:39His scalps included some of the finest names of that era, Mike Atherton, Marcus Traskothik,
00:46Captain Nasir Hussain, and ever-reliable Alex Stewart.
00:50So relive this gripping contest and enjoy the vintage memories of Chaminda Vaz.
00:55The Destroyer-in-chief who was nearly scripted one of the Sri Lanka's most famous fightbacks.
01:02He had to be out.
01:03He had to be stood.
01:04Now.
01:05Well, I don't think there's any doubt about the edge, I think what they're saying is, did
01:09it carry?
01:10And he's entitled to ask the question, and the Dutson's entitled to stand there.
01:17Oh, it's Chaminda Vaz's Stranglehold on Mike Atherton continued.
01:18There's definitely an edge, I have no doubt about the edge.
01:19I think the date is whether it's carried.
01:24That's out.
01:25Nothing wrong with that.
01:26That's straight into the glance.
01:31I'm sure you'll see the green light go up.
01:32See, what always pulls him is, do you see the grass again?
01:38You see a lot of puffs of grass.
01:40I agree with you, by the way, Bibi, I think that's carried enough.
01:44But watch the grass come up here and that always creates a little bit of an illusion that it
02:03might have bounced.
02:05This is very close.
02:06Nice little healthy edge.
02:08See the rotation on the ball and yes, I think it's gone.
02:11I think it's gone. I think the gloves is what made the grass move.
02:19Well, quite sure. Well done, pal, wants to have a look at this again.
02:28Well, I don't really have any doubt at all. What about you, Baz?
02:31Well, this seems to me he gets his hand underneath it, and that's it. That's out.
02:36I'm glad you're right. And he's got to go.
02:40Eventually, the third umpire. And to be fair to him, he had a look at it.
02:44He saw the grass come up, as I did, so he wanted to be absolutely sure in his mind.
02:48But in the end, Mike Atherton's got to go, and that's a big blow for him then.
02:5224 for one. He departs to Voss again the fourth part.
03:00It's an outside edge.
03:02Just opening up a little bit. Mike Atherton squared up again.
03:05Got the outside edge.
03:07He won't be happy when he sees that again.
03:09But that's the first loss of a wicket for England.
03:11Pursuit of 1.61.
03:13Michael Atherton back in the pavilion.
03:23Oh, it's good now, that.
03:25Yeah.
03:27I need to have another look at that.
03:35He's been slanting everything across the right hander.
03:37Marcus Tescoffic has got into line.
03:39I mean, my immediate reaction.
03:41It's got to have gone down the legs.
03:43I bear in mind the angle here.
03:45That's hit, gone straight on, hit him in line with Midland.
03:49He's never going to hit the stumps.
03:51He's never going to hit the stumps.
03:53That's an absolute shocker.
03:55There is no other word for it.
03:57You see Carey is going to make it up, I think.
04:00Marcus Tescoffic has gone for 13.
04:01It's 25 for 2.
04:03You played a long time, you played a long time.
04:07You tell me how this is out.
04:09Well, the simple reason it's not.
04:11He's into line and looks out if you look down there.
04:13But if you see where Voss is, he is such a wide angle.
04:16It's got to go down from his arm.
04:18You see where the shoulder is.
04:19That's the angle you should be looking at.
04:21Not straight down the wicket.
04:22The tendency is to look straight down the wicket.
04:24It pitches, it doesn't come back.
04:25It's got to be going under the arm.
04:27It's hit him on the roll.
04:33Let's have a look at it.
04:37It was, in fact, going down the leg side.
04:43There goes the finger.
04:49That's the sign.
04:51He's got a bow.
04:52His head goes forward.
04:53That's the wicket.
04:54That's the level after.
04:56He's got a four down.
04:5789 for four.
04:58They're still requiring 72 runs.
05:01Now we're going to see Graham Hiltmore that tight watchman.
05:05That's Hussain shaking his head.
05:07Jemindevar strikes again.
05:09Well, did this hit the gloves?
05:11Did it hit the pad on the way through?
05:13Or did it just graze the bat?
05:15A little bit of rotation on the ball,
05:17so there's a possibility that Amarna just got a feather.
05:20What's there as it does pass?
05:22Does the rotation change?
05:24Certainly a little bit of a sound.
05:26The Sri Lankans are convinced Nasser Hussain is not.
05:29The umpire has got his finger up.
05:31He's got it tight for 15.
05:33The game is really on.
05:3489 for four.
05:36Seemed nice enough with pride.
05:40Is there a deflection?
05:42There's a little hit on the pad there.
05:44Look at his...
05:45On the inside of his bat,
05:46you see him just hitting the middle section of his pad.
05:48That makes that sound.
05:50He didn't graze the bat at the same time.
05:53That would have to be a very good umpire.
05:55I did graze the bat because there's not much deflection.
05:58You see Kure, he looks across too.
06:01At one stage, England were reduced to 97 for five,
06:05wobbling under immense pressure as Chaminda was ripped through their batting line-up.
06:10With four wickets for just 39 runs, he single-handedly kept Sri Lanka alive,
06:15turning a simple chase into a nerve-wracking battle.
06:18The candy crowd roared with every breakthrough, sensing history in the making,
06:23as England's victory march was halted by the brilliance of one left-arm seamer.
06:29Although England eventually etched over the lines,
06:32Chaminda was pal remains a shining example of heart, discipline, and skill.
06:37A reminder that one man's effort can almost tilt the scales of a test match.
06:42Chaminda was showcased the spirit of a true competitor, proving that even on the
06:48when the odds are stacked, one baller can change the mood of an entire game.
06:53These are the kind of spells that make crickets timeless, where tension, drama, and artistry
06:59with the ball leaves man holding their breath.
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07:05Thank you very much.
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