Sri Lanka - Pakistan play out a drab draw
Sangakkara misses out on a double hundred:
Elmo RODRIGOPULLE reporting
On a wicket that was made for batsmen to revel on, which was a heart
break to bowlers and had DRAW written on it, the second Test between
Pakistan and Sri Lanka petered out to a drab draw on the final day here,
yesterday.
After batting for 16.4 overs before tea and facing eight balls after
tea and making 100 for 2 in their second innings, Pakistan made what
could be described as a mock declaration setting Sri Lanka a victory
target of 261 in 37 overs. With no chance of a decision, and when the
game was called off Sri Lanka was 86 for 2 in 22 overs with Kumar
Sangakkara not out 18 and Mahela Jayawardene one.
The not outs for Pakistan were Taufeeq Umar on 42 and Azhar Ali no
score. Out was Mohammed Hafeez for 21 and Abdur Rehman who made merry
with a breezy 36 with 3 fours and 3 sixes in 22 balls. That the wicket
was made for batting, can be gauged by the fact that four centuries were
scored and two big partnerships for the second wicket were made. Century
makers were Mohammed Hafeez 196, Azhar Ali 157, Tillekeratne Dilshan 121
and Kumar Sangakkara 192.
The second wicket partnerships were – 287 between Hafeez and Ali for
Pakistan and 225 between Dilshan and Sangakkara for Sri Lanka. In the
process of this partnership a 32-year old Sri Lanka record was erased.
It was the best day of the Test, with bright blue skies and the
ground bathed in sun shine which promised a good and interesting day’s
cricket as the umpires and the cricketing actors walked out to the field
for the final day. When play began on the final day, the points of
interest were whether Sri Lanka would avoid the follow on by getting the
74 runs needed and whether Kumar Sangakkara would get his double hundred
that eluded him in Galle, being stranded on 199 owing to an error in the
scoreboard.
The follow on was averted when Angelo Matthews turned a ball from
Saeed Ajmal to leg and a cheer broke out from the sprinkling of
spectators. From that moment the game has a contest was over and it was
only of academic interest. Sangakkara 187 and Matthews 46 took Sri Lanka
to lunch at 367 for 5. A collapse ensued after lunch when Matthews went
for 47 with 4 fours and a six, Sangakkara for 192, Prasanna Jayawardena
6, Nuwan Kulesekera no score and Nuwan Pradeep one. Matthews and
Sangakkara put on 92 for the sixth wicket in 191 balls.
Sri Lanka had lost their last five wickets for 24 being all out for
391 in 124.4 overs, giving Pakistan a lead of 160 which would have
boosted their morale going into the final Test in Pallekelle starting on
Sunday.
As for the Pakistani bowlers, left arm medium pacer Junaid Khan
bowled tirelessly and should have had more than the 5 wickets he had for
73. He bowls with good pace and moves the ball late both ways.
Left arm spinner Abdur Rehman also bowled tidily to return figures of
4 for 78. Off spinner Saeed Ajmal, always the danger man could manage
only one for 106. It would have been frustrating to him and he is sure
to hit back strongly in Pallekelle.
Another double hundred eluded Sangakara when on 192 in a lapse of
concentration he tried to sweep Abdur Rehman and steered a catch to
Taufeeq Umar at square leg. He couldn’t believe it. He stuck it out for
511 minutes, facing 351 deliveries, hitting 15 fours and a six. During
his stay he could not unleash his repertoire of strokes, preferring to
push for ones and twos. But an eye catching stroke was his signature
cover drive. As the end on the fourth day, where three days of play were
marred by rain, the story was that Sri Lanka in reply to Pakistan’s
massive 551 for 6 declared were 278 for 5 with Kumar Sangakkara on 145
and accompanying him to the wicket was Vice Captain Angelo Matthews.
The consensus was that the game was destined to end in an inevitable
draw. But with Sri Lanka still needing 74 to avoid the follow on,
considering that a game is not won or lost till the final ball is
bowled, and also considering that cricket is a funny game, to those who
have played the game, anything was possible. SSC, Wednesday.
SCORECARD
PAKISTAN
1ST INNINGS 551-6 DECLARED
(MOHAMMAD HAFEEZ 196, AZHAR ALI 157)
SRI LANKA
1ST INNINGS (OVERNIGHT 278-5)
T. Paranavitana c Azhar b Junaid 00
T. Dilshan lbw b Junaid 121
K. Sangakkara c Taufeeq b Rehman . 192
M. Jayawardene lbw b Junaid 00
T. Samaraweera lbw b Ajmal 00
S. Randiv lbw b Rehman 05
A. Mathews c Akmal b Junaid 47
P. Jayawardene c Akmal b Rehman 06
N. Kulasekara b Junaid 00
R. Herath not out 10
N. Pradeep c Ajmal b Rehman 01
Extras: (b4, lb5) 09
Total (all out, 124.4 overs) . . . 391
Fall of wickets: 1-11 (Paranavitana), 2-236 (Dilshan), 3-250 (M.
Jayawardene),4-259 (Samaraweera), 5-278 (Randiv), 6-370 (Mathews), 7-378
(Sangakkara), 8-379 (Kulasekara),9-385 (P. Jayawardene), 10-391 (Pradeep).
Bowling: Cheema 24-5-86-0, Junaid 28-6-73-5, Ajmal 34-0-106-1, Rehman
26. 4-5-78-4, Hafeez 8-0-29-0, Azhar 4-0-10-0.
PAKISTAN 2ND INNINGS
Mohammad Hafeez c Dilshan b Randiv 21
Taufeeq Umar not out 42
Abdur Rehman b Randiv 36
Adnan Akmal not out 00
Extras: (nb1) 01
Total (for two wickets, 18 overs) 100
Fall of wickets: 1-51 (Hafeez), 2-99 (Rehman).
Bowling: Kulasekara 5-0-23-0, Pradeep 8-0-48-0 (nb1), Randiv 4-0-28-2,
Herath 1-0-1-0.
SRI LANKA 2ND INNINGS
T. Paranavitana lbw b Ajmal 32
T. Dilshan lbw b Rehman 28
K. Sangakkara not out 24
M. Jayawardene not out 01
Extras: (lb1) 01
Total (for two wickets, 22 overs) 86
Fall of wickets: 1-48 (Dilshan), 2-78 (Paranavitana).
Bowling: Junaid 4-0-21-0, Cheema 2-0-11-0, Rehman 9-2-19-1, Ajmal
7-0-34-1 |
