Published: Jul 03, 2015, 05:48 PM (IST)
Edited: Jul 03, 2015, 07:23 PM (IST)
Yasir Shah and Azhar Ali rip through Sri Lankan batting line-up to finish Day One of the third Test at 272 for 8 against Sri Lanka at Pallekele. Despite of Dimuth Karunaratne‘s ton, Sri Lanka find themselves on the verge of getting bowled out early on Day Two. Sri Lanka did not get off to a good start as they lost Kaushal Silva for just nine. Upul Tharanga walked in at No.3 and did a fine job in his comeback match as he put on 91 for the second wicket with opener Dimuth Karunaratne, out of which he contributed 46. Sri Lanka were in a good position when Tharanga was stumped off the bowling of leg-spinner Yasir Shah. Full updates: Sri Lanka vs Pakistan, 3rd Test Day 1 at Pallekele
Yasir, who picked up seven wickets in an innings in the previous Test looked in fantastic touch as he got rid of Lahiru Thirimanne and skipper Angelo Mathews got out cheaply after playing a couple of rash shots. Sri Lanka lost four wickets before tea and Pakistan were right on top at this stage. Meanwhile, Karunaratne had played exceptionally well and looked set to get a huge score. Full scorecard: Sri Lanka vs Pakistan, 3rd Test Day 1 at Pallekele
Karunaratne then got to his second Test century and made batting look very easy when the other batsmen were struggling. Jehan Mubarak, playing his first Test in seven years got a decent start but was unable to convert. Just when Sri Lanka were looking to pile on the runs, part-time bowler Azhar Ali haulted the run-flow, first getting rid of the well set Karunaratne for 130 and following it up with the wicket of Dhammika Prasad for a first-ball duck.
Sri Lanka were on the verge of getting bowled out after Pakistan took the new ball when Dinesh Chandimal was dismissed for 24. He has not had the best of series and will be disappointed to get out at the latter stages of the day. Pakistan have just two more wickets to pick up when play resumes on Day Two. Yasir is just one short of yet another five-wicket haul in the series.
Earlier, Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq won the toss and elected to bowl first. Legendary batsman Kumar Sangakkara had opted out of the game, but will play the Test series against India following this series. Both teams made four changes in their playing XI. The major exclusion for Pakistan is that of Mohammad Hafeez, who will fly to India for his bowling test. Rangana Herath on the other hand, has been dropped by Sri Lanka following a string of poor performances in this series.
The three-match series is tied at 1-1 and the winner of this match will take the series 2-1.
Brief scores:
Sri Lanka: 272 for 8 (Dimuth Karunaratne 130, Upul Tharanga 46; Yasir Shah 4 for 77, Azhar Ali 2 for 35) vs Pakistan.
(Pramod Ananth is a reporter at CricketCountry. He has represented Karnataka table tennis under-15, and is a hardcore supporter of Liverpool FC. His Twitter handle is @pramz)
