Sri Lanka faces an uphill task
Sri Lanka, which conceded a big 164-run lead in the first innings, moved to 88 for one at stumps on the third day in the second cricket Test at the Dubai Stadium here on Friday.
Opener Tharanga Paranavitana (42) and former captain Kumar Sangakkara (29) remained unbeaten, having put on 66 valuable runs for the unbroken second wicket stand after having lost opener Lahiru Thirimanne early.
Sri Lanka still needs 76 runs to avoid an innings defeat.
Sri Lanka will look for a repeat of its second innings performance in the drawn first Test in Abu Dhabi, where Sangakkara scored an epic match-saving double hundred.
So cautious were the batsmen against Pakistan's pace-cum-spin attack that Paranavitana hit only two boundaries and Sangakkara is yet to hit any during a near two hour stay at the crease.
Tight line
Pakistan's bowlers unleashed a tight line and length and appealed vociferously as the ball spun, but failed to remove the second wicket pair.
Earlier, Pakistan was dismissed for 403 an hour after lunch, with Asad Shafiq scoring 59 and wicket-keeper and batsman Adnan Akmal chipping in with a useful 41. Dhammika Prasad and Tillakaratne Dilshan chipped in with three wickets apiece while Chanaka Welegedara and spinner Rangana Herath took two each.
It was Welegedara who gave Sri Lanka the much-needed early breakthrough by dismissing Misbah-ul- Haq (41) in the second over of the day and nightwatchman Saeed Ajmal (20) after Pakistan resumed at 281 for four.
Pakistan had looked to its captain Misbah to steer it to a big lead, but the experienced batsman fell caught by Jayawardene, chasing a wide delivery from Welegedara. Misbah hit two boundaries and a six.
Ajmal frustrated the Sri Lankan bowlers, adding an invaluable 41 for the sixth wicket before Welegedara produced a sharp outgoing delivery and the ensuing edge was well taken by Angelo Mathews in the slips.
Shafiq, initially cautious, then opened up by hoisting left-arm spinner Rangana Herath over long-on for a six and at the other end Akmal drove Welegedara twice to cover boundaries.
In the same Welegedara over Shafiq hit another boundary to take Pakistan's lead past the hundred mark, before a couple off Herath saw him reach his third Test half-century.
Shafiq fell soon after lunch when he cut Prasad casually into the hands of gully where Mahela Jayawardene held an easy catch. Shafiq had hit four boundaries and a six.
Herath then dismissed Abdul Rehman (0) and Umar Gul (2) in the same over before Dilshan had Akmal caught behind to finish the innings.
Scoreboard
Sri Lanka — 1st innings: 239.
Pakistan — 1st innings: M. Hafeez lbw b Prasad 33, T. Umar c Silva b Prasad 27, Azhar Ali lbw b Dilshan 100, Younis Khan b Dilshan 55, Misbah-ul-Haq c Jayawardene b Welegedara 41, S. Ajmal c Mathews b Welegedara 20, A. Shafiq c Jayawardene b Prasad 59, A. Akmal c Silva b Dilshan 41, A. Rehman b Herath 0, U. Gul lbw b Herath 2, Junaid Khan (not out) 0, Extras (b-10, lb-10, nb-3, w-2): 25; Total (in 141.5 overs) 403.
Fall of wickets: 1-63, 2-64, 3-181, 4-275, 5-283, 6-324, 7-394, 8-397, 9-399.
Sri Lanka bowling: Welegedara 29-7-79-2, Prasad 32-2-104-3, Herath 37-5-89-2, Lakmal 24-8-54-0, Dilshan 19.1-1-57-3.
Sri Lanka — 2nd innings: T. Paranavitana (batting) 42, L. Thirimanne b Hafeez 8, K. Sangakkara (batting) 29, Extras (b-6, lb-1, nb-2): 9; Total (for one wkt. in 45 overs) 88.
Fall of wicket: 1-22.
Pakistan bowling: Gul 7-2-15-0, Junaid 6-0-14-0, Hafeez 11-1-24-1, Rehman 13-2-20-0, Ajmal 8-4-8-0.
No comments:
Post a Comment