Dimuth Karunaratne blunts Pakistan bowling with seventh Test hundred

DUBAI, Saturday – Dimuth Karunaratne became Sri Lanka’s first centurion in a night Test match played with the pink ball when he stroked his way to his seventh hundred and place his team on a firm footing at the end of the first day of the second Test against Pakistan played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium here on Friday.

Karunaratne’s rock solid knock of 133 not out off 281 balls (15 fours, 1 six) was the foundation on which Sri Lanka built their total after Dinesh Chandimal had won his second consecutive toss of the series and chose to bat first on a firm pitch.

Chandimal who made a marathon 155 not out in the first Test made good a lucky escape at square leg (when Abbas dropped him) to remain unbeaten on 49 off 153 balls (5 fours).

With Karunaratne, Chandimal had stitched together an unfinished fourth wicket partnership of 118.

Although there was so much talk of what the pink ball would do under lights there was hardly any lateral movement or spin to threaten the batsmen. It was a good toss to win because the pitch played true and Pakistan were made to fight hard although the three wickets they captured had anything to do with the ball behaving extraordinarily, but due to poor shot making.

Karunaratne survived a testing opening over from Mohammad Amir before breaking into his stride to outscore his opening partner Kaushal Silva in an opening stand of 63.

To Silva fell the honour of scoring the first run off the pink ball for his country but he fell with his score on 27 when tried to pounce on a rank long hop from Yasir Shah but only managed to under edge the ball to wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed.

Debutant Sadeera Samarawickrama played with an air of confidence right from the first ball and was well into his stride racing to a run a ball 38 inclusive of five fours and a six when Amir in a new spell got him first ball – the batsman offering him a return catch off a leading edge which he did well to hold onto.

Sri Lanka lost another wicket immediately when the out of form Kusal Mendis was consumed easily by Yasir also with the first ball of a new spell. Mendis played an awful shot to be caught in the slips for one.

With these two quick wickets Pakistan managed to pull things around reducing Sri Lanka’s scoring rate from 96 in the first session to 78 in the second.

However they were denied of any further success by Karunaratne and Chandimal who batted throughout the final session to place the team on a high pedestal.

Karunaratne pacing his innings well reached his century off two consecutive boundaries off Amir – a pull and a cut consuming 197 balls (14 fours).

Once Karunaratne and Chandimal had settled down the Pakistan attack was made to look less threatening than they were in the morning session perhaps with second new ball when Karunaratne took a painful blow on top of his right knee when offering no shot to a delivery from Amir shortly before the close.

However Pakistan lost Amir towards the end when he pulled up halfway from his 17th over and left the field. Yasir completed the over.

Sri Lanka made two changes by capping two debutants – top order batsman Samarawickrama replacing injured vice-captain Lahiru Thirimanne (stiff back) and paceman Lahiru Gamage taking the place of left-arm wrist spinner Lakshan Sandakan. They became Sri Lanka’s 142nd and 143rd Test cricketers. Pakistan made one change with Wahab Riaz replacing Hasan Ali. Sri Lanka leads the two-match series 1-0.