RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Lowest scores defended at SSC Colombo in Test cricket listed originally appeared on Cricket News .
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KEY TAKEAWAYS:
Australia hold the record, defending 181 against Sri Lanka at SSC Colombo in 1992.
Sri Lanka have defended targets of 271, 296 and 324 at the venue.
India have Sri Lanka under pressure in the ongoing Test, with the hosts leading by meagre runs on Day 5.
What is the lowest score defended at SSC Colombo in Test cricket?
The lowest successful defense of fourth innings total at Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo is 181 runs set and won by Australia against Sri Lanka in the year 1992.
Australia was bowled out for 256 in their first innings while Sri Lanka managed to score 547/8. Then Australia bounced back and scored 471 runs in their second innings, setting a target of 181 runs for Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka looked in control at 127/3 while chasing 181 runs, but Greg Matthews and Shane Warne put in an amazing effort and bowled them out for 164. Thus, Australia managed to win the match by 16 runs and successfully defended the lowest target in Test cricket history.
MORE: India vs Sri Lanka 2nd Test, Day 5 live score/result
Lowest fourth-innings targets defended at SSC Colombo
Rank Target Team defending Opponent Result 1 181 Australia Sri Lanka Australia won by 16 runs 2 271 Sri Lanka Pakistan Sri Lanka won by 105 runs 3 296 Sri Lanka New Zealand Sri Lanka won by 164 runs 4 324 Sri Lanka South Africa Sri Lanka won by 163 runs 5 327 England Sri Lanka England won by 42 runs MORE: Instances when a team has lost after enforcing follow-on in a Test
Sri Lanka face a different challenge against India
The present scenario at SSC is slightly different from the aforementioned examples, as India are not going to set up a target for the fourth innings after having played the first innings.
The visitors ended their first innings by declaring on 503/9. They bowled out Sri Lanka for 290, thereby registering a lead of 213 runs. Follow-on was enforced, as Sri Lanka scored 267/6 on Day 5, increasing the lead by less than the current lowest fourth-innings targets successfully defended at SSC Colombo. The rain is the biggest hindrance for India in winning the series sweep.
The position of Sri Lanka indicates that they will have to find a way to survive along with setting a difficult target for the Indians. It will be ideal for the hosts to cross the 200 run mark quickly; however, this will entail a lot of risks.
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Can Sri Lanka force a win against India?
For Sri Lanka to somehow manage a 200-plus lead and attempt a win is a very daring decision indeed. But in this case, the equation becomes somewhat complex due to the time left and the weather interruptions in Colombo.
The home team will have no choice but to find a draw a better option than allowing themselves to lose, which would give India a 2-0 lead in the series from a mere 1-0. For India, even though Sri Lanka may not win, making sure that the opposition bats long enough and takes the match away from them will deny them the series whitewash.
But for India, the situation is rather simple, as all they need to do is to make sure they get the rest of the wickets in the shortest possible time and chase down whatever lead Sri Lanka set for them. Batting the fourth innings at SSC may not be easy, but chasing anything up to 200 might just be possible.
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