Sri Lanka finish on top with Pakistan 118 for 5 at stumps on Day 3 of 1st Test at Galle
Sri Lanka came back well after being bowled out for 300 to reduce Pakistan to 118/5 at Stumps on Day 3 of 1st Test at Galle.
Sri Lanka finished Day 3 on top © AFP
Sri Lanka finish Day Three on top against Pakistan in the first Test at Galle. The were bowled out for 300 but came back superbly to have Pakistan 118 for five when rains forced early stumps. Sarfraz Ahmed and Asad Shafiq battled it out for them before rains came in.
Pakistan did not start their innings well, losing both their openers Mohammad Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad to Dhammika Prasad. Prasad had Hafeez caught in the very first over by Dimuth Karunaratne at second slip and then returned to trap Shehzad in front of the stumps. Azhar Ali threatened to get going before Rangana Herath struck him in front of the stumps to reduce them to 38 for three at Tea. LIVE CRICKET BLOG: Sri Lanka vs Pakistan, 1st Test, Galle, Day 3
Both Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq steadied Pakistan with a 51-run stand and just when both of them were looking at ease, Dilruwan Perera got one to dip and went past a lunging Younis to dismiss him for 47. Nuwan Pradeep then dismissed Misbah for 20 to have Pakistan on the mat. They are 118 for five and still 32 runs away from avoiding the follow-on; which will be their first target. Pakistan will know that they cannot afford to slip up and give Sri Lanka any more chances in the game. The hosts on the other hand will want to keep taking wickets and try and force a result.
Sri Lanka were eventually bowled out for a score of 300. Kaushal Silva was the main batsman for them scoring 125. He got very little support from the other end as wicket kept falling at regular intervals. Wahab Riaz was the pick of the bowler taking up 3 for 74. Shah and Babar too played their part in maintaining the pressure on the hosts. Shah might not have taken that many wickets but he bowled better and deserve more wickets. Read: Pakistan hope Zulfiqar Babar, Yasir Shah combine to ‘Rangana Herath’ Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka had managed to score 178 for three at the end of Day 2 thanks to the brilliant 112 run stand between Silva and Kumar Sangakkara. Sangakkara missed out on a good score after getting out just after scoring his 52nd Test half-century. Pakistan could have easily had many more wicket at they taken their chances. Almost all the batsmen had a life given to them by the visitors. Read: Sri Lanka vs Pakistan 2015, 1st Test at Galle: Pakistan fielders let bowlers down
Earlier on Day Two, Pakistan won the toss and elected to field first. Misbah-ul-Haq said that it was a situational call and they wanted to make first use of the conditions on offer with so much rain. Angelo Mathews wanted to bat first anyway and was not upset about losing the toss. Rain had washed out the entire first day’s play. LIVE CRICKET SCORECARD: Sri Lanka vs Pakistan, 1st Test, Galle, Day 3
Brief scores:
Sri Lanka 300 (Kaushal Silva 125, Kumar Sangakkara 50; Wahab Riaz 3 for 74, Zulfiqar Babar 3 for 64) lead Pakistan 118 for 5 (Younis Khan 47; Dhammika Prasad 2 for 24) by 182 runs.
(Nikhil Popat is a diehard cricket enthusiast and a PotterHead till the end of time. He can be followed on Twitter @CricCrazyNIKS)
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