Pakistan moved nervously into a position of strength against Sri Lanka on the second day of the first Test in Colombo. Having made the most of helpful conditions to dismiss Sri Lanka for 185 by tea, thanks to spectacular opening bursts from Mohammad Asif and Umar Gul, Pakistan overcame an edgy start to end the day on 124 for 4, built from a 94-run partnership between Imran Farhat and Inzamam-ul-Haq. With six wickets in hand and 65 runs behind, they will come out tomorrow with some confidence.
Until Farhat and Inzamam got together, confidence was difficult to find. Three wickets in nine balls - and two in two from Farvez Maharoof including Younis Khan first up - had reduced Pakistan to 28 for 3. Lasith Malinga, headband-ed and afro-ed like John McEnroe, steamed in to provide admirable support. As well as dismissing Faisal Iqbal, he came back late in the day to eke out Farhat for 69, both falling to hooks, top-edged and ill-advised.
Farhat's error had been long telegraphed and his sixth Test fifty was among the most schizophrenic of his career. Through his 90-ball knock were ugly mistimed slogs followed immediately with caressed boundaries straight and through cover. In the 17th over, from Dilhara Fernando, he missed a slog, then cut magnificently and then edged low through slips. He looked more at home against spinners than he did against the pacers, never more so than when he drove, flicked and smashed four boundaries from a Malinga Bandara over and though longevity he never promised, he served a purpose. Ominously for the hosts, Inzamam who began scratchily, was looking typically laidback by the day's close.
By then, conditions had eased considerably since the morning, when they were what you imagine fast-medium bowlers like Asif and Gul would ask for if they could control weather. Both utilized the heavy cloud and humidity well, jagging the ball in and away as if spinning it. Asif was the more effective as he found better lengths and lines for his movement where Gul, betraying the rust of a man in his first Test for two years, veered erratically but not without effect. The decision to field first brought immediate reward, Upul Tharanga trapped off the morning's fourth ball and 16 balls later - four balls before more rain - Sanath Jayasuriya went as many left-handers do: chopping onto stumps a ball neither wide nor short enough.
A 40-minute break later, the morning worsened for the hosts. Asif and Kumar Sangakkara re-enacted the Martin Bicknell-Jacques Rudolph confrontation at the Oval, 2003. Asif moved balls away, then suddenly brought one back as Sangakkara, looking to leave, heard his off-bail being clipped. Thilan Samaraweera came in SOS mode, as he did when scoring a hundred in October 2004 in Faisalabad from 77 for 4, but fell to a more extravagant version of the same trick. With Gul bringing a sort of intern honesty, Sri Lanka at 32 for 5, were down.
That they were not subsequently outed was due to a 111-run sixth wicket partnership between Tillakaratne Dilshan and Maharoof. Dilshan played initially the only way a batsman could in the conditions; driving or defending, he was getting beaten so he attacked. He got off the mark with a square-driven four and then fully unshackled when Gul was finally replaced by Abdul Razzaq half an hour before lunch. He kept going in the same vein till lunch, a stunning cover drive off Asif bettered by a square drive off Razzaq after.
A fuller stomach made him fussier as he chose balls he wanted to go after; three overs after lunch, he slapped Gul through extra cover and next ball, short, was pulled to midwicket. His next boundary - his seventh - didn't come until seven overs later, a whippy cut off Gul again and it brought up his seventh Test fifty. In between, he picked singles cleverly, once driving Razzaq through mid-off for four in the 40th over to bring up the century partnership. All the while Maharoof offered studied support. Protected initially by Dilshan till lunch, he blossomed thereafter, immediately driving Razzaq through mid-off. It was a straightness he adhered to in attack and defence through his Test-best score of 46. He blocked what was necessary and scored whenever the chance arose. Gul strayed short, he sliced him over point, Razzaq strayed down leg and he flicked him fine for the same.
The afternoon wore on, the pitch eased up, as did Pakistan and Inzamam, allowing the game to gently begin a drift away from Pakistan. Instead of bringing in Asif after lunch as the situation demanded, he persisted with a tired Gul and a flat Razzaq. Time and runs ticked by and the more the game waited for Asif, the more it seemed only he would take a wicket. Sure enough, when he came back, over two hours after his last spell, he struck off his fifth ball back, inducing Maharoof into cross-batted rashness. The decision from Inzamam was two hours too late though the wicket sparked the collapse of the tail, with Danish Kaneria cheekily picking up three wickets, including that of Dilshan for a heroic 69. 185 was more than Sri Lanka could have hoped for, but eventually looked a lot less than they would have aimed for.
How they were out
Upul Tharanga lbw Asif 0 (0 for 1) Pitched in line, nipped back a little as Tharanga shuffled uncertainly
Sanath Jayasuriya b Gul 6 (10 for 2) Played on to short-of-length ball not offering enough width
Kumar Sangakkara b Asif 8 (18 for 3) Leaving a ball that nipped into him rather than out, off-bail clipped
Mahela Jayawardene c Akmal b Gul 1 (26 for 4) Cement-footed cut to a wide ball going wider
Thilan Samaraweera b Asif 4 (32 for 5) Leaving a ball pitching outside off, jagged back to take middle-and-leg
Farvez Maharoof c Younis b Asif 46 (143 for 6) Flashing at one angled across him, Younis takes a blinder
Tillakaratne Dilshan c Younis b Kaneria 69 (149 for 7) Uncertain prod and edge to one that spun across him from round the wicket
Malinga Bandara b Kaneria 16 (162 for 8) Failed to read a googly
Lasith Malinga c Inzamam b Afridi 8 (177 for 9) Looped up a flick to square leg
Dilhara Fernando c Inzamam b Kaneria 16 (185 for 10) Defensive prod smartly snatched up on second attempt at silly mid-off
Pakistan
Shoaib Malik c Bandara b Maharoof 13 (25 for 1) A weak, uppish flick straight to square leg
Younis Khan c Sangakkara b Maharoof 0 (25 for 2) Unsure prod, edged straight to the 'keeper
Faisal Iqbal c Maharoof b Malinga 2 (28 for 3) Top edged a hook straight to deep square leg
Imran Farhat c Bandara b Malinga 69 (122 for 4) Top edges a hook, high to deep square leg
Shahrukh Khan
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Sri Lanka v Pakistan, 1st Test, Colombo, 3rd day
Sri Lanka ease into position of strength
The Bulletin by Osman Samiuddin
March 28, 2006
Sri Lanka185 for 9 and 242 for 2 (Sangakkara 77*, Jayawardene 69*) lead Pakistan 176 (Farhat 69, Maharoof 4-52) by 251 runs Scorecard and ball-by-ball details How they were out
Solid contributions from the Sri Lankan top order ensured that the home side ended day three of a hitherto tight Test firmly in control. Contrasting fifties from Upul Tharanga, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene enabled Sri Lanka to end on 242 for 2, a lead of 251, and a guarantee that the smart work of the bowlers in the morning - they took six wickets for 52 runs as Pakistan collapsed to 176 - was not wasted.
Tharanga had built a solid base in the afternoon with a vital, stodgy 72. He had begun brightly, with some punchy pushes through cover, to tide him till lunch. He mellowed down later, having lost Sanath Jayasuriya, as Pakistan did well to rein in Sri Lanka in the afternoon session. Until his dismissal, upping the tempo soon after tea, he had nudged the game away from the visitors; after it Jayawardene and Sangakkara, with an undefeated 115-run partnership, hurried it further away as Pakistan tired.
Jayawardene was the spark and he played an innings without equal in this match thus far. From the moment he arrived, he attacked, beginning with a cut and sweep off a luckless Danish Kaneria. The cut quickly became his trademark; two more arrived, each as elegant as the other, before he played the shot of the day, and possibly, the match. To Kaneria, from round the wicket, he danced down and easily lofted straight over long-on for six. He almost matched the elegance with an on-driven four a few overs later off Asif, before completing a 28th Test fifty off 72 balls. He continued at a pace that escaped every other batsman, pulling and cutting freely till late in the day. Elegant and essential, it wasn't entirely without blemish - he was dropped on 54 by Kamran Akmal off Kaneria - but his intervention really took the game away from Pakistan.
Accompanying both batsmen was an unusually grinding 77 from Sangakkara, an innings explained perhaps by indifferent form in his last 10 Tests, which yielded an average just over 35 and a hundred and a fifty (against the weaker attacks of West Indies and Bangladesh). He struggled when he came in at the fall of Jayasuriya's wicket soon after lunch with the score on 54. Kaneria troubled him, not exclusively, and he relied mostly on typically left-handed nudges and glances for runs. Fluency eluded him for long stretches; when he tried to force the pace after tea he almost miscued Shoaib Malik to long-off, then cut streakily over point and was lucky that a top-edged hook off Razzaq found the boundary and not a fielder. But two boundaries late in the day, one cut and one punched through cover, suggested his smoothness was returning.
These three had built on a morning's work done by the three Ms - Maharoof, Muralitharan and Malinga. Pakistan, starting on 124 for 4 with Inzamam-ul-Haq and Razzaq at the crease with a strong lower order, could harbour thoughts of a lead. Nine balls later, such thoughts were dissipating as Maharoof dismissed Inzamam and Sri Lanka never looked back.
Unlike Pakistan yesterday, Sri Lanka's bowlers worked with a pitch that was only grudgingly helpful. The occasional delivery alarmed, as when Maharoof nipped one back violently to dismiss Razzaq, but mostly theirs was a triumph for discipline and effervescence. Maharoof stood out, bowling in areas that batsmen don't particularly like. Outside off-stump, Inzamam was beaten by one that bounced more than he expected. And while Razzaq's dismissal was another addition to the `Dismissals Pageant' for seam bowlers in this match, he pestered everyone around off-stump, not moving the ball as much but with no less effectiveness.
Muralitharan played a willing accomplice, teasing batsmen with flight and using his variations prudently. Shahid Afridi, who had played a quiet little knock until then, was done by a lack of flight and Umar Gul went against informed opinion, deciding to pad away Muralitharan; twice in 15 balls was pushing it and the third time he tried brought no luck from the umpire. The freakish manner of Akmal's dismissal hinted early that this might not be Pakistan's day. By its end, with Sangakkara and Jayawardene in a stirring union, it proved prophetic.
How they were out
Pakistan
Inzamam-ul-Haq c Sangakkara b Maharoof 31 (127 for 5) Attempting a cut to one that bounced more
Abdul Razzaq b Maharoof 8 (138 for 6) Superb ball on uncertain length, nipped back a long way to hit middle stump
Shahid Afridi b Muralitharan 14 (154 for 7) Beaten, cutting, by a ball that spins back sharply to knock off-stump
Umar Gul lbw Muralitharan 2 (160 for 8) Offering no shot one time too many
Mohammad Asif b Malinga 0 (172 for 9) Missed a fast, straight yorker
Kamran Akmal c Tharanga b Muralitharan 27 (172 for 9) Freakish, as full-blooded sweep lodges into short leg's armpit
Sri Lanka
Jayasuriya c Kamran Akmal b Mohammad Asif 13 (53 for 1) Gets a thin edge while hooking
Upul Tharanga c Farhat b Kaneria 72 (127-2) Danced down and miscued a hoick to mid-on
Shoaib Malik's immense but painstakingly composed maiden Test hundred steered Pakistan to an unlikely but spirited draw on the final day of the first Test against Sri Lanka. Malik was given invaluable support by Faisal Iqbal in a 115-run partnership, with whom he defied Sri Lanka for much of the morning and afternoon. The draw thus ended Sri Lankan hopes of a first Test victory against Pakistan at home for 20 years, confirmed Pakistan's recently acquired resolve and displayed Malik's versatility.
Malik's was truly a marathon effort, spanning over eight hours. Until the fun-filled dash at the end, his innings was one-paced throughout and his concentrated restraint nothing short of remarkable. Where he once hit South Africa's bowlers for five sixes in two overs of a one-day international, he didn't hit his first one here till his 354th delivery (and then did it again two balls later.)
In a radical departure from his thrusting ODI one-down self, he rarely attacked yet hardly looked in trouble or unruffled. He was tested early in the day by the ever-sly Muttiah Muralitharan, who having lulled him into comfort with looping, one-paced off-breaks, decided to unveil his doosras soon after. In Muralitharan's fifth over of the morning, two doosras beat him, one catching the edge and the other bringing an appeal for a stumping.
At that point, the chattering choir that is Sri Lanka's close fielders-cordon became rather intimidating and with most deliveries bringing ooohs and aaahs (though none were as saucily pronounced as Kumar Sangakkara's), tension surfaced. An 80-minute rain break immediately after helped eased some of it, but post-lunch Malik really dug himself in. His third fifty against Sri Lanka came five overs after the lunch break with a characteristic checked flick to fine leg for two.
As Muralitharan finally gave way - until then he was seemingly intent on bowling unchanged forever - to be replaced by the lollipops of Tillakaratne Dilshan, Malik caressed his first ball through extra cover to bring up a century partnership with Iqbal. But as befits such vast knocks, he wasn't without fortune and a fair amount of it. Kumar Sangakkara will remember with some fondness his century on the fourth day but is equally less likely to forget dropping Malik when he was on 14.
Umpire Steve Davis presented him considerable benefit in turning down a strong leg-before shout when the new ball arrived midway through the afternoon, bringing with it another session of Farvez Maharoof's inquisitive seam bowling. And on 94, twenty minutes after tea, he was incorrectly given not out by Rudi Koertzen when Sangakkara made up for his lapse, off Sanath Jayasuriya. But a few overs later, as he cut his 320th ball for four to bring up his century, few would have begrudged him his luck. The celebration was as unflustered as most of his innings; for a maiden hundred and for a makeshift Test opener struggling to prove his worth, it was surprisingly low-key.
For half his pains today, he was given feisty support from Iqbal. From the moment he drove Maharoof in the first over of the day, on one knee through cover, he looked at ease. As he had done in his maiden Test century against India, he used his feet well, especially against Muralitharan, dancing down to on-drive him for four early on. He used his head even better, restraining the urge to attack throughout his knock, although the feet did twinkle again, this time to Bandara halfway through the afternoon, when slapping a fifth boundary to bring up a crucial half-century.
It was only when the new ball was taken, and expertly used by Maharoof, that Iqbal and Malik were really troubled. At a healthy pace, Maharoof found permutations of line, length, bounce and movement that had seemed, until then, impossible. As with Muralitharan in the morning though, support at the other end was absent. Iqbal, having played and missed twice in Lasith Malinga's first over of the new ball, fell in the second. Maharoof moved one in and trapped Iqbal in front. He troubled Inzamam-ul-Haq too but as tea approached, the captain was driving Muralitharan and company off front and back foot and on his way.
Inzamam's dismissal to the indefatigable Muralitharan hinted at an uneasy last hour, but by then Sri Lanka had lost their verve, much as the pitch had done in the last two days. When Mahela Jayawardene finally decided to bring to rest the wonderfully innovative manipulations he had tirelessly worked to force a win, with seven overs remaining, Pakistan had somehow reprised their efforts from Mohali a year ago. Thus came to end an intriguing contest that Sri Lanka were eventually unlucky not to win, yet fortunate after their start, not to lose.
How they were out
Faisal Iqbal lbw Maharoof 60 (186 for 3) Trapped in front of off-stump to one that nipped back
Inzamam-ul-Haq c Dilshan b Muralitharan 48 (267 for 4) Prodded forward to an off-break, smartly snapped up by silly mid-off
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