Maravan Atapattu in action in Harare on Friday. (Reuters)

Harare: Sanath Jayasuriya and Maravan Atapattu smashed big centuries as Sri Lanka piled on the misery of the strife-torn Zimbabweans.

At stumps on Day II of the first Test at the Harare Sports Club on Friday, the tourists reached 456 for seven in their first innings, a lead of 257 runs.

The openers put on a first wicket stand of 281 to set the foundation for a match-winning total after Zimbabwe had been shot out for 199 on Thursday.

Jayasuriya was more aggressive, hitting his 12th Test hundred. His 157, studded with 28 boundaries and a six, came off just 147 balls. Skipper Atapattu survived a close leg-before appeal and was dropped by stand-in wicketkeeper Alester Magwedere after captain Tatenda Taibu removed the gloves to bowl. He also escaped a close run-out chance.

But his 170 was otherwise a patient knock and he fell just 30 short of what would have been his sixth Test double century. At 369 for three, when Kumar Sangakkara fell for 11, Sri Lanka were in a prime position, but the arrival of the new ball sparked a sudden change in events.

The tourists lost their next four wickets for 45 runs as the middle-order provided the Zimbabweans, with five new caps in their line-up after former skipper Heath Streak and his fellow white rebels refused to play, with cause for hope.

Chaminda Vaas and the debutant Farveez Maharoof plugged the gap and saw the innings through to the close with an unbeaten partnership of 42.

The young and inexperienced Zimbabwe team was in disarray during the first half of the day, bowling erratically and fielding below standard.

But the new ball successes changed that and in the closing stages their bowling and fielding were both tight. However, they will still face a considerable score on Saturday in order to avoid defeat by an innings.

They will also have to contend once more with Muttiah Muralidharan, who needs just one more victim to become the highest wicket-taker in the history of Test cricket.

Rebels available again

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s rebel cricketers have agreed to mediation and will make themselves available for selection, one of the players said on Friday.

The breakthrough was made during a meeting between the 15 players and Much Masunda, a professional arbitrator.

“It’s going to go through mediation,” the player said. “We met this morning and it was made clear to us that legally this should go through a mediation process first and hopefully that will lead to arbitration.

“That’s where we’re heading for now and the players will make themselves available now.”

The players had earlier made themselves before the start of the first Test and a few of them, including Streak, were even named in the squad. Later, there was another dramatic change, and the rebels went back to their non-conformist stand.

(AFP)