| 0.0 : 'Jive, Jive Pakistan!' These will be the chants in Rawalpindi. International cricket came back to Pakistan a few years ago - more prominently, a few months ago. But Test cricket has returned after a decade. Ironically, the same team which last toured this nation, is ready to play a Test 10 years later. Massive moment for everyone, including the players, as everyone will be playing their first Test at their proper home venue! Hello and a warm welcome to the opening day of the Test series between |
| There was some overnight rain because of which, the ground was covered this morning. However, we are expecting the toss and match to start on time. The forecast is a bit iffy for the next two days. |
| TOSS - Right. As expected, the toss is indeed on time. SRI LANKA HAVE WON IT AND ELECTED TO BAT FIRST. No surprises, as hardly does a team elect to field in a Test in Asia. The conditions are a bit chilly as well, so the captain will not like to put his bowlers and fielders into the cold. |
| Sri Lanka (Playing XI) - Dimuth Karunaratne(c), Oshada Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Niroshan Dickwella(wk), Dilruwan Perera, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha and Lahiru Kumara. |
| Pakistan (Playing XI) - Shan Masood, Abid Ali (DEBUT), Azhar Ali(c), Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Asad Shafiq, Mohammad Rizwan(wk), Usman Shinwari (DEBUT), Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi. |
| Interesting to note the playing combinations. NO SPINNER FOR PAKISTAN. Or a proper spinner, shall we say. Yasir Shah has been dropped. They have gone in with four pacers. They did not have this combination even at the 'Gabba. Also, NO FAWAD ALAM, after all the hype! As far as Sri Lanka are concerned, they are following a standard rule - three seamers and one spinner. Will Angelo Mathews bowl? |
| Time for the national anthems. Namo, Namo, Namo Matha first up. |
| The anthems are done and we are moments away from this historic Test in Rawalpindi. It is a pretty hazy morning, with the floodlights already switched on. The pitch looks a bit green, which could be tricky in the month of December. Given the cool conditions, the first session will be crucial for both sides, with the bowlers having their say. |
| The players are out in the middle. Dimuth Karunaratne and Oshada Fernando are out to open for the Lankans. Mohammad Abbas to start off proceedings to Karunaratne. Three slips and a gully in place. |
| 0.1 : M Abbas to Karunaratne, Quiet start. Full and around off, watchfully defended down to the bowler. |
| 0.2 : M Abbas to Karunaratne, Similar ball, this is defended towards mid on. |
| 0.3 : M Abbas to Karunaratne, FOUR! First runs in this historic Test! Loosener from Abbas. Not quite warmed up yet. Full and on the pads, Karunaratne flicks it through mid-wicket. Easy pickings. |
| 0.4 : M Abbas to Karunaratne, Better, in the old corridor of uncertainty, outside off, Dimuth shoulders arms. |
| 0.5 : M Abbas to Karunaratne, Full and around middle, DK looks to flick again but the ball swings in, goes off the inner half and finds the gap at square leg. By the time fine leg can get across, two runs are taken. |
| 0.6 : M Abbas to Karunaratne, Misfield from Naseem. Full and down the leg side, Karunaratne flicks it behind square leg. Naseem comes charging in from fine leg, gets to the ball but then, looks up, taking his eyes off for a second. That is enough for a mistake to be committed. He fumbles and the batsmen take the third. |
| Shaheen Afridi to share the new ball with Abbas. |
| 1.1 : S Afridi to Karunaratne, On a good length on off, Karunaratne defends it off the back foot. |
| 1.2 : S Afridi to Karunaratne, Good length delivery on middle, Karunaratne keeps it out. |
| 1.3 : S Afridi to Karunaratne, FOUR! Poor delivery from Shaheen. Full delivery on the pads, Dimuth flicks it easily towards fine leg for a boundary. |
| 1.4 : S Afridi to Karunaratne, Outside off, the skipper offers no shot to this one. |
| 1.5 : S Afridi to Karunaratne, Again outside off, Karunaratne leaves it alone. |
| 1.6 : S Afridi to Karunaratne, On a good length on off, Karunaratne taps it towards the off side and takes a quick single. |
| 2.1 : M Abbas to Karunaratne, On a good length on off, Karunaratne defends it off the back foot towards mid on. |
| 0.0 : An incredible stat. 232 Tests is what the combined experience of Pakistan's XI for today states. But, every one of them is playing his first home Test. |
| 2.2 : M Abbas to Karunaratne, Full delivery on off, Dimuth looks to drive but it goes off the inner half of the bat towards mid-wicket. |
| 2.3 : M Abbas to Karunaratne, Good length delivery on middle, the skipper blocks it off the front foot. |
| 2.4 : M Abbas to Karunaratne, Outside off, Dimuth shoulders arms to this one. |
| 2.5 : M Abbas to Karunaratne, On a good length and just outside off, Karunaratne lets it go. |
| 2.6 : M Abbas to Karunaratne, Length delivery on leg, Dimuth flicks it through square leg for a run. |
| 3.1 : S Afridi to Karunaratne, Good length delivery on off, Karunaratne defends it off the front foot. |
| 3.2 : S Afridi to Karunaratne, BEATEN! On a good length and outside off, Karunaratne looks to drive but misses it due to the late movement on this one. |
| 3.3 : S Afridi to Karunaratne, Full delivery on middle, Dimuth defends it off the front foot. |
| 3.4 : S Afridi to Karunaratne, On a good length on off, Dimuth plays it to point. |
| 3.5 : S Afridi to Karunaratne, Outside off, the skipper shoulders arms to this one. |
| 3.6 : S Afridi to Karunaratne, Again outside off, Karunaratne lets it go. |
| 4.1 : M Abbas to Fernando, FOUR BYES! Wild, very wild from Abbas. He sprays this down the leg side, Oshada looks to flick but cannot get any bat on it. The ball pitches and then swings further away from Rizwan who dives to his left but in vain. The ball races to the fine leg fence. |
| 4.2 : M Abbas to Fernando, On a good length on middle, Oshada tucks it to mid-wicket. |
| 4.3 : M Abbas to Fernando, On a good length on off, Fernando blocks it off the back foot. |
| 4.4 : M Abbas to Fernando, Bowls it down the leg side, Fernando looks to flick but misses it. |
| 4.5 : M Abbas to Fernando, On a good length on off, Oshada defends it off the back foot. |
| 4.6 : Abbas to Fernando, Massive shout for LBW! No, says umpire Gough. Abbas is not too much interested in the review. Full and outside off, 129.6 kph, coming in, Oshada gets a big stride and then shoulders arms. The ball hits his pads and up go all the Pakistan players, asking the question. Impact does not matter in this case as Fernando is not offering a shot. But perhaps it was not coming back enough to hit the stumps. One of the rare good deliveries this morning. |
| 5.1 : S Afridi to Karunaratne, On a good length on off, Dimuth plays it to covers. |
| 5.2 : S Afridi to Karunaratne, BEATEN! On a good length and outside off, Karunaratne looks to poke at it but misses it. |
| 5.3 : S Afridi to Karunaratne, FOUR! That is a wonderful shot. Full delivery on middle, perhaps a bit too straight from the angle of the left-armer from over the wicket, Karunaratne walks across a touch, covers the line and flicks it through wide mid on for a boundary. |
| 5.4 : S Afridi to Karunaratne, BEATEN! On a good length and outside off, Karunaratne looks to defend but misses it. |
| 5.5 : S Afridi to Karunaratne, Good length delivery on off, Dimuth defends it out. |
| 5.6 : S Afridi to Karunaratne, On a good length on off, the skipper blocks it off the back foot. |
| Usman Shinwari is into the attack. |
| 6.1 : U Shinwari to Fernando, On a good length on middle, Oshada defends it off the back foot. |
| 6.2 : U Shinwari to Fernando, Good length delivery on off, Fernando keeps it out. |
| A bit of a break. Shinwari is not happy with his landing area. The ground staff is being called for, probably for a hammer alongside. Meanwhile, Karunaratne and Oshada call for a mini-drinks break. The DJ has started playing and finally, someone is awakened. No hammer but some sawdust comes out at last, being sprinkled on the landing area. A good two minutes already lost in this. Right. All set for the game to resume. |
| 6.3 : U Shinwari to Fernando, On a good length on middle, Fernando plays it to mid on. |
| 6.4 : U Shinwari to Fernando, Full delivery on middle, Oshada drives it to mid on. |
| 6.5 : U Shinwari to Fernando, Full again on off, Oshada drives it to covers. |
| 6.6 : U Shinwari to Fernando, Good ball to end the over. Outside off, fuller in length, Fernando shoulders arms to this one. The ball then moves a mile, but after it goes past the stumps. The slip cordon likes that. |
| 7.1 : S Afridi to Karunaratne, Bowls a bouncer, Karunaratne does well to duck under it. |
| 7.2 : S Afridi to Karunaratne, On a good length and outside off, Dimuth leaves it alone. |
| 7.3 : S Afridi to Karunaratne, Good length delivery on middle, the skipper defends it out. |
| 7.4 : S Afridi to Karunaratne, On a good length and outside off, Dimuth offers no shot to this one. |
| 7.5 : S Afridi to Karunaratne, Full delivery on middle, Dimuth drives it to mid on. |
| 7.6 : S Afridi to Karunaratne, On a good length on off, Karunaratne plays it towards point. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 8.1 : Shinwari to Karunaratne, Terrific nut. Now, the ball is taking. Now, the seamers are awake. This is the ball with which Usman gets wickets in white-ball cricket. Full and outside off, Karunaratne walks across, looking to flick but misses and is hit on the pads. Usman appeals as he sees the batsman falling over but the umpire is unmoved. Probably going down the leg side. |
| 8.2 : U Shinwari to Karunaratne, Hit on the pads again. On a good length on leg, Karunaratne looks to flick but misses and gets hit on the pads. |
| 8.3 : U Shinwari to Karunaratne, FOUR! The plan is set for that leg-side flick shot but Karunaratne has gone up and over. Not a bad ball at all. Plenty of swing but the skipper has played it nicely. Full and around middle, swinging in, Dimuth walks across and flicks it in the air. 'CATCH IT!' is the call but the ball is well over the man at square leg. |
| 8.4 : U Shinwari to Karunaratne, Full delivery on the pads, Karunaratne flicks it towards fine leg. Naseem Shah in the deep runs to his left, gets to the ball quickly but slips and misfields. Recovers well to stop the boundary and the batsmen pounce on the opportunity to take the second. |
| 8.5 : U Shinwari to Karunaratne, On a good length on leg, Dimuth nudges it towards the leg side. |
| 8.6 : U Shinwari to Karunaratne, Good length delivery on off, Karunaratne offers a calm defense on this one. |
| 9.1 : S Afridi to Fernando, Afridi bowls a good length ball on off, Fernando looks to defend but gets hit on the thigh pad. The bowler appeals for lbw but the umpire shakes his head. |
| 9.2 : S Afridi to Fernando, Full delivery on off, Oshada drives it to mid off. |
| 9.3 : S Afridi to O Fernando, On a good length on off, Fernando looks to play it off the front foot but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 9.4 : S Afridi to Fernando, Good ball! A yorker outside off, Oshada looks to dig it out but is comprehensively beaten. |
| 9.5 : S Afridi to Fernando, On a good length and outside off, Oshada does not bother to play at that. |
| 9.6 : Afridi to Fernando, Full delivery on leg, Fernando looks to flick but misses it and gets hit on the pads. It goes towards the leg side. |
| 10.1 : U Shinwari to Karunaratne, On a good length on middle, Karunaratne defends it off the back foot. |
| 10.2 : U Shinwari to Karunaratne, Good length delivery on off, Dimuth blocks it off the back foot. |
| 10.3 : U Shinwari to Karunaratne, On a good length on middle, Karunaratne keeps it out. |
| 10.4 : U Shinwari to Karunaratne, Outside off, Dimuth shoulders arms to this one. |
| 10.5 : U Shinwari to Karunaratne, Full delivery outside off, Karunaratne drives it through covers. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 10.6 : U Shinwari to Karunaratne, On a good length on leg, Karunaratne looks to flick but misses it and gets hit on the pads. The bowler appeals for lbw but the umpire shakes his head. It goes towards the leg side. The batsmen change ends. The umpire gives it as a leg bye. |
| 11.1 : S Afridi to Karunaratne, Full and swinging into Karunaratne, Dimuth defends it to the leg side off the front foot. |
| 11.2 : S Afridi to Karunaratne, Fuller in length and on off, Dimuth looks to work it to the leg side but wears it on his thigh pad. |
| 11.3 : S Afridi to Karunaratne, Length and around off, Karunaratne flicks it to mid on. |
| 11.4 : S Afridi to Karunaratne, Good length and around off, driven straight to the man at covers. |
| Square leg has gone out. A short leg is in place as well. |
| 11.5 : S Afridi to Karunaratne, Tap and run. This is the way you play Test cricket. Shaheen bowls full and on the pads, Karunaratne pushes it to mid-wicket and hares to the other end. |
| 11.6 : S Afridi to Fernando, Around off, solidly blocked off the back foot by Fernando. |
| 12.1 : U Shinwari to Karunaratne, Huge appeal for LBW! Umpire is unmoved. Shinwari is making Karunaratne dance to his tunes. He is getting good shape into the left hander. He brings the ball in and Karunaratne is late in his flick shot as the ball hits him on the pads. An appeal goes up but umpire shakes his head. Azhar Ali decides against the review. The ball tracker later shows that the impact was in line but the wickets was umpire's call.Hard luck for the bowler there. |
| 12.2 : U Shinwari to Karunaratne, Full and outside off, swinging in, Karunaratne works it towards mid-wicket. |
| 12.3 : U Shinwari to Karunaratne, A short ball now, Dimuth swivels and plays the pull nicely, well in control, all along the ground, through square leg. Two runs taken. |
| 12.4 : U Shinwari to Karunaratne, Landed outside off, pushed straight to point. |
| 12.5 : U Shinwari to Karunaratne, OUT, BOWLED! Wait, the bails do not fall! Full and outside off, Karunaratne gets across and shoulders arms. The ball comes back in a long way and there is a noise as the ball goes past the pad. The bowler and keeper look to have a chat, as they feel it has hit the pad. Was the ball not doing enough to hit the stumps? Oh dear... here comes the replay. Ball has hit the off stump, but the bail has been rooted to the sticks! |
| 12.6 : U Shinwari to Karunaratne, Full and around off, coming in, pushed towards mid on. |
| Second bowling change of the morning. 16-year old Naseem Shah replaces Shaheen Shah. |
| 13.1 : N Shah to Fernando, Finally Oshada Fernando is off the mark on the 20th ball he has faced. Though a risky one. Fernando won't mind it. Fernando works this length ball to the leg side and calls for a quick single. The fielder there pounces on ball and throws it towards the non stiker's end. This time the bails come off but Fernando was well in. |
| 13.2 : N Shah to Karunaratne, BEATEN! This time Shah bowls in the corridor of uncertainty. Dimuth looks to lay bat on ball but misses it as the ball goes past the outside edge and into the mitts of the keeper. |
| 13.3 : N Shah to Karunaratne, Length and on off, defended to the off side. |
| 13.4 : N Shah to Karunaratne, Outside off, punched off the back foot for a single. |
| 13.5 : N Shah to Fernando, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 13.6 : N Shah to Fernando, Full and around off, Oshada defends watchfully. |
| DRINKS BREAK. A tough hour for the hosts. They have not found enough movement and when they have, wickets have not come by. Sri Lanka have not had to do much to survive and they have done decently to ensure that they are wicketless. |
| 14.1 : U Shinwari to Karunaratne, Full and around off, Karunaratne looks to defend but the ball goes off the inside edge onto his pads and deflects to the leg side. A run taken. |
| 14.2 : U Shinwari to Fernando, Full and around off, watchfully defended. |
| 14.3 : U Shinwari to Fernando, Around off, worked towards short mid-wicket. |
| 14.4 : U Shinwari to Fernando, Length and around off, blocked off the back foot to the bowler. |
| 14.5 : U Shinwari to O Fernando, FOUR! That is such a good shot. Sweet timing there. This should get the batsman going. He bowls one on a length and around off, Fernando drives it through mid off and the ball races to the long off fence. |
| 14.6 : U Shinwari to Fernando, Length and around off, driven through covers. The batsmen take a couple. |
| 15.1 : N Shah to Karunaratne, Length and on off, defended to mid on off the front foot. |
| 15.2 : N Shah to Karunaratne, BYES! Shah bowls one outside off and on a fuller length, Dimuth lets it go through. The ball fails to bounce and goes in between the keeper's legs towards fine leg. A bye is signalled as the batsmen cross ends. |
| 15.3 : N Shah to Fernando, Good length and on off, defended to mid on. |
| 15.4 : N Shah to Fernando, Back of a length and on off, Fernando hops and defends it to the leg side. |
| 15.5 : N Shah to Fernando, Another back of a length ball on off, Fernando once again defends it unconvincingly to the leg side. |
| 15.6 : N Shah to Fernando, Length ball on off, defended off the back foot towards mid-wicket. |
| Mohammad Abbas comes back on. 3-1-10-0 so far. |
| 16.1 : M Abbas to Karunaratne, Length and on off, Karunaratne looks to work it to the leg side but gets hit on the pads. |
| 16.2 : M Abbas to Karunaratne, FOUR! Creamed. Nice way to bring up the 50-run stand. Karunaratne can play through the off side too. Full and outside off, Dimuth leans and drives it through the covers. Not a soul moves. This is a good solid start, though one feels that half the battle was won at the toss itself. |
| 16.3 : M Abbas to Karunaratne, Around off, defended from the crease. |
| 16.4 : M Abbas to Karunaratne, Full and outside off, driven straight to mid off. |
| 16.5 : M Abbas to Karunaratne, Down the leg side, flicked through fine leg for a run. |
| 16.6 : M Abbas to Fernando, Full and around off, watchfully defended towards cover. |
| 17.1 : N Shah to Karunaratne, On a good length on middle, Karunaratne defends it to mid-wicket. |
| 17.2 : N Shah to Karunaratne, Full delivery on middle, Dimuth defends it off the back foot. |
| 17.3 : N Shah to Karunaratne, Outside off, the skipper does not bother to play at that. |
| 17.4 : N Shah to Karunaratne, FOUR! Easy pickings for the skipper. Full delivery on middle, Karunaratne flicks it through mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 17.5 : N Shah to Karunaratne, Outside off, Dimuth offers no shot to this one. |
| 17.6 : Shah to Karunaratne, OH! That was nasty! Karunaratne is on the ground. A sharp bouncer from Naseem, Dimuth looks to duck under it but the ball does not bounce as much as he thought it would. Gets hit on the helmet. It goes towards the gully region where the fielder takes the catch. Naseem straightaway starts to celebrate but then realizes that the batsman is in a bit of a bother. Asks the opposition skipper whether he is okay and umpire Kettleborough immediately calls for the physio to com |
| The physio is out in the middle. Karunaratne does not look too dazed, so that is a good sign. He is wearing the right kind of protection, beneath the helmet, just about covering that region between the head and neck. He has got up and is ready to play now. Replays show that he did not get hit on the helmet at all. It is even below the neck, onto the shoulder almost. |
| 18.1 : M Abbas to Fernando, Full delivery on off, Fernando defends it off the front foot. |
| 18.2 : M Abbas to O Fernando, Full again on off, Oshada drives it past the bowler towards mid off. |
| 18.3 : M Abbas to Fernando, On a good length on middle, Fernando flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 18.4 : M Abbas to Fernando, On a length on middle, Fernando tucks it to mid-wicket. |
| 18.5 : M Abbas to Fernando, Short and outside off, Fernando cuts it towards point where Shinwari misfields and it goes through him. Shan Masood chases it from cover and does well to stop it before the ropes. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 18.6 : M Abbas to Fernando, On a good length on off, Oshada keeps it out. |
| 19.1 : N Shah to D Karunaratne, The leg stump is missed by a whisker! Wow. Things are slowly starting to happen. Excellent bowling too. Reads the batsman's mind, anticipating that Karunaratne would be expecting a bouncer, given that he got hit an over ago. But the length is a fuller one which takes Dimuth by surprise. He is late, as he is deep inside the crease and makes a tentative push towards cover. The ball, as a result, exposes the gap between bat and pad. Almost sneaks through but takes the |
| 19.2 : N Shah to Fernando, Full delivery on middle, Fernando drives it towards mid on and takes a quick single. |
| 19.3 : N Shah to Karunaratne, Bowls a bouncer on leg stump, the skipper does well to duck under it. |
| 19.4 : N Shah to Karunaratne, BEATEN! Are we seeing the aftereffects of the hit on the head? Short and outside off, Dimuth looks to chase this delivery but misses it. No feet movement at all. |
| 19.5 : Shah to Karunaratne, On a good length and outside off, Karunaratne offers no shot to this one. |
| 19.6 : N Shah to Karunaratne, Bowls a bouncer, Karunaratne ducks under it. |
| 20.1 : M Abbas to Fernando, Length delivery outside off, Fernando taps it to point. |
| 20.2 : M Abbas to Fernando, On a length and outside off, Oshada plays it to point. |
| 20.3 : M Abbas to O Fernando, FOUR! CLASSY! Oshada is slowly getting into his groove now. Full and around off, Fernando drives this pretty straight, thumping into the ground first and then getting it well past mid on. Not straight as an arrow, but straight enough to beat the mid on fielder. |
| 20.4 : M Abbas to Fernando, FOUR! Consecutive boundaries for Oshada. Pakistan losing their line and length now. Or, they are getting frustrated. Length delivery on the pads, Fernando flicks it towards fine leg for a boundary. |
| 20.5 : M Abbas to Fernando, On a good length on off, Fernando defends it off the front foot. |
| 20.6 : M Abbas to Fernando, Good length delivery on middle, Oshada defends it to point. |
| 21.1 : N Shah to D Karunaratne, FOUR! Full delivery outside off, Karunaratne looks to drive but gets an outside edge. It goes past point for a boundary. |
| 21.2 : N Shah to Karunaratne, On a good length on off, the skipper defends it off the back foot. |
| 21.3 : N Shah to Karunaratne, Bowls a bouncer, Dimuth does well to duck under it. |
| 21.4 : N Shah to Karunaratne, On a good length on off, Karunaratne keeps it out. |
| 21.5 : N Shah to Karunaratne, Length delivery on off, Dimuth punches it to point. |
| 21.6 : N Shah to Karunaratne, On a good length on middle, the skipper tucks it towards short leg. |
| 22.1 : M Abbas to Fernando, On a good length on off, Fernando defends it off the front foot. |
| 22.2 : M Abbas to Fernando, Outside off, Oshada shoulders arms to this one. |
| 22.3 : M Abbas to Fernando, Full delivery on middle, Fernando plays it to mid on. |
| 22.4 : M Abbas to Fernando, On a good length on off, Oshada blocks it off the back foot. |
| 22.5 : M Abbas to Fernando, Good length delivery on off, Oshada plays it to the off side. |
| 22.6 : M Abbas to Fernando, On a good length on off, Fernando taps it to point. |
| Shaheen Afridi is back on. 6-2-11-0 are his figures so far. |
| 23.1 : S Afridi to Karunaratne, Outside off, Dimuth offers no shot to this one. |
| 23.2 : S Afridi to Karunaratne, On a length and outside off, Karunaratne taps it to point. |
| 23.3 : S Afridi to Karunaratne, FOUR! 50 for Dimuth Karunaratne. It is his 24th in Tests. Full delivery outside off, Karunaratne looks to defend but gets an outside edge. However, it is played with soft hands. Hence, it goes all along the ground, between first slip and wide second slip, to the third man fence. |
| 23.4 : S Afridi to Karunaratne, On a good length and outside off, Dimuth looks to defend but gets an outside edge on this one. It goes towards third man. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 23.5 : S Afridi to O Fernando, Full delivery on middle, Oshada drives it to mid on. |
| 23.6 : S Afridi to O Fernando, Full again on off, Oshada drives it to covers. |
| 24.1 : M Abbas to Karunaratne, Good length delivery on off, Karunaratne defends it off the back foot. |
| 24.2 : M Abbas to Karunaratne, Outside off, Dimuth shoulders arms to this one. |
| 24.3 : M Abbas to Karunaratne, On a good length on middle, the skipper defends it off the front foot. |
| 24.4 : M Abbas to Karunaratne, Good length delivery on middle, Dimuth blocks it off the back foot. |
| 24.5 : M Abbas to Karunaratne, On a good length on off, Karunaratne defends it out. |
| 24.6 : M Abbas to Karunaratne, FOUR! Nice shot. Full and outside off, Dimuth drives it through covers for a boundary. |
| Spin to probably bowl the final over before Lunch. No Yasir, so Haris Sohail is on. |
| 25.1 : H Sohail to Fernando, Tossed up delivery on middle, Fernando sweeps it to mid-wicket. |
| 25.2 : H Sohail to Fernando, Flighted delivery on off, Oshada drives it through covers. The batsmen take a single. |
| 25.3 : H Sohail to Karunaratne, Floated delivery on off, Dimuth keeps it out. |
| Interesting. Rizwan encourages his fielders to quickly get back to positions. 'EK AUR OVER KARNA HAI, EK MINUTE BAAKI HAI!' he screams, meaning that let's do one more over guys, one minute is still left on the clock. |
| 25.4 : H Sohail to Karunaratne, Tossed up on leg, Karunaratne comes down the track, takes it on the full and flicks it through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 25.5 : H Sohail to Fernando, SIX! Ahahaha! We are seeing the first maximum of the match! Amazing shot. Flighted delivery on middle, Fernando comes down the track and lofts it over the bowler's head for a biggie. Perhaps this will be the last over before the break now. |
| 25.6 : H Sohail to O Fernando, Short delivery outside off, Oshada makes room and cuts it through point for a single. Pakistan fielders anxiously look at Kettleborough, hoping for one more over but he takes the bails off. THAT WILL BE LUNCH ON DAY 1! |
| Lot to think about for Azhar Ali. A wicketless opening session, on a pitch which had a bit of grass. Chilly conditions, slightly overcast to begin with and mainly - NO REGULAR SPINNER. Clearly, he would have wanted more. At least a wicket. |
| A session which did not see much happen, in spite of it being the first of a Test match. The ball barely moved and there were hardly any event balls, with a few missing the stumps and a couple taking the outside edges. There was a moment when Karunaratne was bowled but the bails did not fall. However, other than that, a fairly ordinary bowling session. |
| What is wrong with Mohammad Abbas? Is he good only with the old ball when it becomes to reverse? An uninspiring beginning - 8-2-29-0, with no consistent line and length, that he is usually known for. Is he down on confidence? The others at least bowled consistently but sadly for them, nothing in the pitch aided them. |
| Test cricket is all about patience. It took Oshada Fernando 20 balls to get off the mark and 26 to score his first boundary. You look at the partnership and will find that it is skewed. 57 to one, 26 to the other! Normally, this takes a toll on the other partner. But Karunaratne has not let that affect him. He is happy to play his own game, allowing the other guy to play his own and slowly settle in. Might as well bear the fruits of it, if Oshada opens up post Lunch. |
| If no wickets fell in the opening session, how many do you expect come the second, which is known to be a batsman's paradise? One can expect the run rate to increase and the bowlers to feel the toil in the afternoon sun. In this process, if a rash shot produces a wicket, it might come by, else, it may be a lonnggggg one for the hosts. Join us back at 12.25 pm local (0725 GMT). |
| ... Day 1, Session 2 ... |
| We are back for the second session. The Pakistan players are out in the middle. Dimuth Karunaratne and Oshada Fernando will resume their innings for Sri Lanka. Shaheen Afridi will start the proceedings for the second session. |
| 26.1 : S Afridi to Fernando, On a good length on off, Fernando drives it to covers. |
| 26.2 : S Afridi to Fernando, Full delivery on off, Oshada drives it to covers. |
| 26.3 : S Afridi to Fernando, Outside off, Fernando shoulders arms to this one. |
| 26.4 : S Afridi to Fernando, Full delivery on middle, Oshada drives it to mid on. |
| 26.5 : S Afridi to Fernando, On a good length on off, Oshada defends it off the front foot. |
| 26.6 : S Afridi to Fernando, Outside off, Oshada leaves it alone. |
| Naseem Shah to bowl from the other end. 5-1-12-0 so far. |
| 27.1 : N Shah to Karunaratne, On a good length on off, Karunaratne taps it to point. |
| 27.2 : N Shah to Karunaratne, On a length on middle, Karunaratne flicks it towards square leg for a run. |
| 27.3 : N Shah to Fernando, Good length delivery on off, Fernando defends it off the back foot. |
| 27.4 : N Shah to Fernando, Outside off, Oshada shoulders arms to this one. |
| 27.5 : N Shah to Fernando, On a good length on off, Fernando defends it off the back foot. |
| 27.6 : N Shah to Fernando, Bowls a bouncer on the leg side, Oshada lets it sail through to the keeper. |
| 28.1 : S Afridi to Karunaratne, Good length delivery on off, Dimuth defends it off the front foot. |
| 28.2 : S Afridi to D Karunaratne, On a good length on middle, Karunaratne defends it to mid on off the back foot. |
| 28.3 : S Afridi to Karunaratne, Length delivery on off, the skipper taps it to covers. |
| 28.4 : S Afridi to Karunaratne, On a good length on off, Dimuth defends it out. |
| 28.5 : S Afridi to Karunaratne, Full delivery on off, Karunaratne drives it straight back towards the bowler. |
| 28.6 : S Afridi to D Karunaratne, Full again on middle, Dimuth drives it to mid on. |
| 29.1 : N Shah to Fernando, On a good length on off, Fernando defends it off the back foot. |
| 29.2 : N Shah to Fernando, FOUR! Excellent shot. Full delivery outside off, Fernando drives it beautifully through covers for a boundary. |
| 29.3 : N Shah to Fernando, Good length delivery on middle, Oshada keeps it out. |
| 29.4 : N Shah to Fernando, Length delivery on middle, Fernando flicks it towards square leg for a run. |
| 29.5 : N Shah to Karunaratne, On a good length on off, Karunaratne punches it to point. |
| 29.6 : N Shah to Karunaratne, Length delivery outside off, Karunaratne taps it through point. The batsmen take a single. |
| There is an appeal for lbw! Sri Lanka have taken the review. No bat. Three reds. Gone! |
| 30.1 : Afridi to Karunaratne, OUT! LBW! Full delivery on middle, Karunaratne looks to defend but misses it and gets hit on the pads. The bowler appeals for lbw and the umpire raises his finger. Dimuth takes the review. Ball Tracker shows that it is hitting the middle stump. |
| 0.0 : Kusal Mendis walks in at number 3, replacing his skipper. |
| 30.2 : S Afridi to Mendis, Bowls a bouncer outside off, Mendis lets it go. |
| 30.3 : S Afridi to Mendis, Outside off, Mendis shoulders arms to this one. |
| 30.4 : S Afridi to K Mendis, Full delivery on off, Mendis drives it to mid off. |
| 30.5 : S Afridi to Mendis, Outside off, Kusal shoulders arms to this one. |
| 30.6 : S Afridi to Mendis, Full delivery on leg, Mendis looks to flick but gets an inside edge. It goes towards square leg. The batsmen change ends. |
| 31.1 : N Shah to Mendis, On a good length on middle, Mendis defends it off the back foot. |
| 31.2 : N Shah to Mendis, Outside off, Mendis shoulders arms to this one. |
| 31.3 : N Shah to Mendis, Good length delivery on middle, Kusal defends it out. |
| 31.4 : N Shah to Mendis, Length ball around off, Mendis solidly blocks it off his back foot. |
| 31.5 : N Shah to Mendis, Beauty! This is a very good ball by young Naseem. He steams in and bowls it on a lenght. He holds it with a good seam position. The ball shapes away from the batter. Mendis looks to defend but gets beaten. Lucky not to edge that as that was not far away from the outside edge. |
| 31.6 : N Shah to Mendis, This time Mendis does not even try to defend this length ball outside off. |
| 32.1 : S Afridi to Fernando, FOUR! Nicely placed. Good length ball around off, Oshada opens the face of the bar in the last minute and strokes it the gap wide of gully for a boundary. After intially taking it very slow, he is starting to score more consistently. |
| 32.2 : S Afridi to Fernando, On a good length on leg, Mendis looks to flick but misses it and gets hit on the pads. |
| 32.3 : S Afridi to Fernando, On a length on middle, Fernando flicks it through mid-wicket. The batsmen take a run. |
| 32.4 : S Afridi to Mendis, Full delivery on off, Mendis drives it towards covers where Azhar Ali dives and makes a fine stop. The batsmen still manage to take a single. |
| 32.5 : S Afridi to Fernando, Bowls a bouncer outside off, Oshada watches it sail through to the keeper. |
| 32.6 : S Afridi to Fernando, Full delivery on off, Fernando drives it back towards the bowler. |
| 33.1 : N Shah to Mendis, This stayed low. Mendis is lucky to survive that. Length ball on off, Kusal looks to defend but the ball keeps low. He is quick enough to bend his back and gets some bat on it. It hits the inner half of his bat and onto the pads. Is this the sign of the pitch breaking down or just an odd ball? |
| 33.2 : N Shah to Mendis, Good length delivery on off, Kusal defends it to covers. |
| 33.3 : N Shah to Mendis, Bowls a bumper, Mendis easily ducks under it. |
| 33.4 : N Shah to Mendis, Play and a miss! Good length delivery outside off, Mendis looks to defend but misses it. |
| 33.5 : N Shah to Mendis, Full delivery on middle, Kusal flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 33.6 : N Shah to Mendis, Good ball but also a very good leave. Good length delivery outside off, it shapes back in. Mendis is aware of his off pole and leaves it alone. The ball just about misses the stump there. |
| Mohammad Abbas is back. He has struggled today so far but with Dimuth Karunaratne back in the pavilion can this be the turning point for him as well? |
| 34.1 : M Abbas to Fernando, On a good length on leg, Oshada looks to flick but it goes off his thigh pad. It goes towards the leg side. The batsmen take a run. The umpire gives it as a leg bye. |
| 34.2 : M Abbas to Mendis, Good length delivery on off, Mendis defends it off the front foot. |
| 34.3 : M Abbas to Mendis, Length delivery on off, Kusal taps it to point. |
| 34.4 : M Abbas to Mendis, On a length and outside off, Kusal plays it to covers. |
| 34.5 : M Abbas to Mendis, On a good length on off, Mendis plays it to covers. |
| 34.6 : M Abbas to Mendis, Good length delivery on middle, Kusal defends it off the back foot. |
| 35.1 : N Shah to Fernando, Full delivery on off, Oshada drives it to mid off. |
| 35.2 : N Shah to Fernando, FOUR! Uppish but safe. Full around off, Oshada drives it but it goes off the outer half of his bat over covers. He stays true with the shot and hence the ball clears the infield for a boundary. |
| 35.3 : N Shah to Fernando, OUT! Caught! Naseem has the last laugh. Both the openers back in the hut. The young pacer is ecstatic. Naseem after being hit for a boundary in the previous ball, hits the deck hard around off. It is in the channel of uncertainty. Oshada has a poke at it but gets surprised by the movement. The ball takes the outside edge and goes straight to the man at first slip. Haris Sohail there makes no mistake. After being lathargic in the first session, Pakistan are finding joy i |
| Angelo Mathews is the new batsman in. |
| 35.4 : N Shah to Mathews, Outside off, Mathews offers no shot to this one. |
| 35.5 : N Shah to Mathews, On a good length and outside off, Mathews lets it go. |
| 35.6 : N Shah to Mathews, Length delivery on middle, Angelo tucks it to short leg. |
| 36.1 : M Abbas to Mendis, Good length delivery on off, Mendis keeps it out. |
| 36.2 : M Abbas to Mendis, On a good length on off, Kusal punches it to point. |
| 36.3 : Abbas to Mendis, FOUR! Good shot. Length delivery outside off, Mendis taps it through point for a boundary. |
| 36.4 : M Abbas to Mendis, On a good length on middle, Mendis defends it off the back foot. |
| 36.5 : M Abbas to Mendis, Good length delivery on off, Kusal blocks it well. |
| 36.6 : M Abbas to Mendis, On a length on off, Kusal plays it to point. |
| 37.1 : N Shah to A Mathews, Ohh! Almost the second for Naseem. He is making the ball talk now. Fuller on middle and off, Mathews looks to flick it but the ball goes off the leading edge. Angelo plays it with soft hands and hence the ball does not carry to the man at third slip. Ohhs and ahhs from the Pakistan players. Right now Naseem has his tail up and he would be eager to add one more to his account. |
| 37.2 : N Shah to Mathews, Length delivery on off, Angelo punches it towards point. The batsmen take a run. |
| 37.3 : N Shah to Mendis, Outside off, Mathews does not bother to play at that. |
| 37.4 : N Shah to Mendis, Good length delivery on middle, Mendis defends it off the back foot. |
| 37.5 : N Shah to Mendis, Good leave by Kusal Mendis. On a good length and outside off, Mendis leaves it alone. |
| 37.6 : N Shah to Mendis, Full delivery on middle, Mendis flicks it towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 38.1 : M Abbas to Mendis, On a good length on off, Mendis defends it off the front foot. |
| 38.2 : M Abbas to Mendis, Full delivery on leg, Mendis flicks it through square leg. The batsmen take a single. |
| Ahhh... Mathews is not happy. Abbas comes steaming in, but Angelo bails out. Some disturbance behind the sightscreen. |
| 38.3 : M Abbas to Mathews, On a good length on off, Mathews defends it off the back foot. |
| 38.4 : M Abbas to Mathews, Good length delivery on middle, Angelo blocks it off the back foot. |
| 38.5 : M Abbas to Mathews, Outside off, Angelo lets it go. |
| 38.6 : M Abbas to Mathews, Full delivery on middle, Mathews defends it out. |
| Drinks Break! A very good session so far for the hosts. They have managed to get rid of both the openers and with two relatively new batsmen at the crease they would look to strike a couple more before the end of the session. Sri Lanka will need to rebuild here they have a very talented batsman in Kusal Mendis and the experienced Angelo Mathews out in the middle. Can the duo succeed in doing so? |
| Usman Shinwari to bowl after the break. 5-1-17-0, his figures so far. He did manage to hit the stumps in his first spell but to his dismay the bails refused to fall down. |
| 39.1 : U Shinwari to K Mendis, Full delivery on off, Mendis looks to defend but gets an edge on this one. It goes towards the slip region. |
| 39.2 : U Shinwari to Mendis, Length delivery on off, Mendis taps it through point. The batsmen take a run. |
| 39.3 : U Shinwari to Mathews, Good length delivery on off, Angelo defends it off the front foot. |
| 39.4 : U Shinwari to Mathews, On a good length on middle, Mathews keeps it out. |
| 39.5 : U Shinwari to Mathews, Length delivery on off, Mathews punches it through point. The batsmen get two runs. |
| 39.6 : U Shinwari to Mathews, Outside off, Angelo does not bother to play at that. |
| 40.1 : M Abbas to Mendis, On a good length on off, Kusal defends it off the back foot. |
| 40.2 : M Abbas to Mendis, Outside off, Mendis leaves it alone. |
| 40.3 : M Abbas to Mendis, Full delivery on middle, Mendis drives it to mid on. |
| 40.4 : M Abbas to Mendis, Length delivery on middle, Mendis pulls it towards square leg for a run. |
| 40.5 : M Abbas to Mathews, On a length on off, Mathews taps it to point. |
| 40.6 : M Abbas to Mathews, Length delivery on middle, Mathews flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 41.1 : U Shinwari to Mendis, On a good length on middle, Mendis defends it off the back foot. |
| 41.2 : U Shinwari to Mendis, Outside off, Kusal shoulders arms to this one. |
| 41.3 : U Shinwari to Mendis, BEATEN! Good length delivery outside off, Mendis looks to defend but misses it. |
| 41.4 : U Shinwari to Mendis, On a good length on off, Mendis defends it off the front foot. |
| 41.5 : U Shinwari to Mendis, Outside off, Kusal offers no shot to this one. |
| 41.6 : U Shinwari to Mendis, OUT! Caught! Debut Test wicket for Usman Shinwari and he deserves every bit of it. He was unlucky in his first spell but this time he has a wicket to his name. He has persisted with the off pole line and that has reaped its reward. Slightly fuller outside off, he comes wide of the crease. The ball straightens up after pitching. Kusal Mendis strides forward to defend but ends up getting a thick outside edge and goes straight into the mitts of the keeper. Rizwan takes a |
| Dinesh Chandimal is the next man in. |
| 42.1 : M Abbas to A Mathews, EDGED AND FOUR. Fuller on off, Angelo looks to defend but the ball shapes away just a tad. It takes the outside edge of Mathews' bat. It goes all along the ground through the vacant gully region for a boundary. The key there was he played it with soft hands. |
| 42.2 : M Abbas to Mathews, Outside off, Angelo lets it go. |
| 42.3 : M Abbas to Mathews, Good length delivery on off, Mathews defends it off the back foot. |
| 42.4 : M Abbas to Mathews, On a good length on middle, Mathews looks to defend but gets an inside edge on it. It goes towards the leg side. |
| Slight issue around the sight-screen. Well Roshan Abeysinghe is standing around the sight-screen and he has been told to move. |
| 42.5 : M Abbas to Mathews, Full delivery on middle, Mathews flicks it towards mid-wicket where the substitute fielder Yasir Shah does well to stop it with a dive. |
| 42.6 : M Abbas to Mathews, On a good length on leg, Mathews looks to flick but gets hit on the thigh pad. |
| 43.1 : U Shinwari to Chandimal, Outside off, Chandimal shoulders arms to this one. |
| 43.2 : U Shinwari to Chandimal, On a good length on middle, Chandimal plays it to mid on off the back foot. |
| 43.3 : U Shinwari to Chandimal, Full delivery outside off, Dinesh drives it to covers. |
| 43.4 : U Shinwari to Chandimal, Good length delivery on middle, Chandimal blocks it well. |
| 43.5 : U Shinwari to Chandimal, Full delivery on off, Chandimal drives it to covers. |
| 43.6 : U Shinwari to Chandimal, Length delivery on middle, Chandimal flicks it through mid-wicket. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 44.1 : M Abbas to Mathews, On a good length on off, Mathews taps it towards point. The batsmen take a single. |
| 44.2 : M Abbas to D Chandimal, OUT! Bowled! Abbas now with the wicket. All four pacers have a scalp to his name. Beautiful ball this. A perfect seam bowlers wicket. This is a beautiful delivery. Good length ball on middle and off, Chandimal looks to defend but the ball moves away off the seam and squares Dinesh all ends up. It hits the top of off stump. Abbas is jumping up and screaming in joy. Poor from Chandimal as well, his feet never moved and Sri Lanka after a good start are falling like a p |
| Dhananjaya de Silva is the new man in. |
| 44.3 : M Abbas to Silva, On a good length on off, Dhananjaya blocks it off the back foot. |
| 44.4 : M Abbas to Silva, Length delivery on middle, Dhananjaya tucks it to mid-wicket. |
| 44.5 : M Abbas to Silva, Dhananjaya is off the mark. Lose ball from Abbas. It is on the pads, Mathews glances it towards fine leg and gets a couple to get off the mark. |
| 44.6 : M Abbas to Silva, Outside off, Dhananjaya does not go chasing after it. |
| 45.1 : U Shinwari to Mathews, Length delivery on off, Mathews defends it towards cover. |
| 45.2 : U Shinwari to Mathews, Full on off, Mathews flicks it to the right of mid off. The fielder there dives on that side and saves runs for his side. |
| 45.3 : U Shinwari to Mathews, On a good length on off, Mathews plays it to point. |
| 45.4 : U Shinwari to Mathews, Bowls a bouncer outside leg, Mathews does well to duck under it. |
| 45.5 : U Shinwari to Mathews, Good length delivery on off, Angelo defends it off the back foot. |
| 45.6 : U Shinwari to Mathews, On a good length on off, Mathews defends it off the front foot. |
| 46.1 : M Abbas to Silva, Good length delivery on middle, Dhananjaya blocks it off the front foot. |
| 46.2 : M Abbas to Silva, On a good length on off, Dhananjaya blocks it off the front foot. |
| 46.3 : M Abbas to Silva, Outside off, Dhananjaya leaves it alone. |
| 46.4 : M Abbas to Silva, Bowls it down the leg side, Dhananjaya looks to flick but misses it. |
| 46.5 : M Abbas to Silva, On a good length on off, Dhananjaya blocks it off the front foot. |
| 46.6 : M Abbas to Silva, Full delivery on middle, Dhananjaya flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| Shaheen Afridi is back on. 11-4-24-1, his numbers so far. |
| 47.1 : S Afridi to Mathews, Good length delivery on middle, Mathews defends it off the back foot. |
| 47.2 : S Afridi to Mathews, Full delivery on middle, Angelo flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 47.3 : S Afridi to A Mathews, Full again on middle, Mathews drives it to mid on. |
| 47.4 : S Afridi to Mathews, NO BALL! Shaheen oversteps! Length delivery on middle, Mathews flicks it through mid-wicket. The batsmen take a single. |
| S Afridi to Silva, On a good length on off, Dhananjaya defends it off the back foot. |
| 47.5 : S Afridi to Silva, Full delivery on middle, de Silva plays it to mid on. |
| 47.6 : S Afridi to Silva, Bowls a bouncer, Dhananjaya ducks under it. |
| 48.1 : M Abbas to Mathews, Short delivery outside off, Mathews cuts it to point. |
| 48.2 : M Abbas to Mathews, On a good length on middle, Mathews defends it off the back foot. |
| 48.3 : M Abbas to Mathews, Outside off, Angelo leaves it alone. |
| 48.4 : M Abbas to Mathews, FOUR! Finally the barrage of dot balls comes to an end. Poor effort from Naseem. Slightly overpitched on middle, Mathews leans forward and drives it past mid on. Naseem Shah there is late and lazy in his dive and the ball goes past him to the fence. |
| 48.5 : M Abbas to Mathews, On a good length on off, Mathews plays it to point. |
| 48.6 : M Abbas to Mathews, Good length delivery on middle, Angelo defends it off the back foot. |
| 49.1 : S Afridi to Silva, Outside off, Dhananjaya shoulders arms to this one. |
| 49.2 : S Afridi to Silva, On a good length on off, Dhananjaya defends it off the front foot. |
| 49.3 : S Afridi to Silva, Good length delivery on middle, de Silva keeps it out. |
| 49.4 : S Afridi to de Silva, Full delivery on middle, Dhananjaya drives it to mid on. |
| 49.5 : S Afridi to de Silva, Full again on middle, Dhananjaya plays it towards mid on where Azhar Ali picks the ball and goes for a direct hit at the bowler's end but misses it. The batsmen still take a single. |
| 49.6 : S Afridi to Mathews, Ohh... almost had the fifth one there. Smart bowling this from Shaheen. He takes the pace off the ball and bowls a slower one on off. Mathews is outfoxed by it and ends up flicking it uppishly but luckily that falls in no man's land away from the man at short mid-wicket. Dramatic way to end the session. That will be Tea on Day 1. |
| An excellent session for the hosts. They were poor in the first session but have managed to pull their way back. 4 wickets and each pacer has bagged one. Shaheen Afridi started the proceedings. Naseem followed it up and then came Shinwari's moment in the spotlight as he bagged his maiden Test wicket. Abbas then joined the party. Sri Lanka would be unhappy with their effort as after a solid opening stand of 96 runs they crumbled. Their approach has been ultra defensive and have struggled to add r |
| ... Day 1, Session 3 ... |
| The Pakistan players are back out in the middle and are being given a team talk by their coach, Misbah-ul-Haq. They are followed out by the Sri Lankan batters, Angelo Mathews and Dhananjaya de Silva. Shan Masood will start the proceedings with the ball for the hosts with Mathews on strike. |
| 50.1 : S Masood to Mathews, Starts the session with a yorker wide outside off, Mathews jams it out to the left of the bowler. |
| 50.2 : S Masood to Mathews, Another very full ball, this time on middle. Angelo digs it out towards the bowler. |
| 50.3 : S Masood to Mathews, Length ball outside off, Mathews does not fiddle with it. |
| 50.4 : S Masood to Mathews, Fullish ball on middle and off, defended by Mathews. |
| 50.5 : S Masood to Mathews, Good cricket all round! A full ball wide outside off, Mathews creams it towards the cover region. Imam-ul-Haq there dives to his left and saves at least a couple of runs for his side. Lively start to the session here. |
| 50.6 : S Masood to A Mathews, Full ball on off, driven towards the man at mid off. |
| Usman Shinwari to bowl from the other end to start the session. |
| 51.1 : U Shinwari to Silva, Good length ball on off, Dhananjaya defends it off the back foot. |
| 51.2 : U Shinwari to Silva, Usman goes full now on off. Dhananjaya pushes it to mid off. |
| 51.3 : U Shinwari to de Silva, Once again it is full on off, Dhananjaya once again pushes it to mid off. |
| 51.4 : U Shinwari to Silva, Good length delivery on off. Dhananjaya once again blocks it with a dead bat. |
| 51.5 : U Shinwari to Silva, Hits the deck hard on off, Dhananjaya defends it off the back foot. |
| 51.6 : U Shinwari to de Silva, Changes his line and goes full again. Dhananjaya pushes it to mid off. Maiden first up for Shinwari in the last session. |
| 52.1 : S Afridi to Mathews, Full delivery on off, Mathews drives it uppishly towards mid off. |
| 52.2 : S Afridi to Mathews, Full again on off, Angelo drives it to mid off. |
| 52.3 : S Afridi to Mathews, Length delivery outside off, Mathews punches it to point. |
| 52.4 : S Afridi to Mathews, Outside off, Mathews shoulders arms to this one. |
| 52.5 : S Afridi to Mathews, On a good length on off, Mathews defends it off the back foot. |
| 52.6 : S Afridi to Mathews, Outside off, Mathews leaves it alone. |
| 53.1 : U Shinwari to Silva, Length delivery on middle, Dhananjaya flicks it through mid-wicket. The batsmen take a single. |
| 53.2 : U Shinwari to Mathews, On a good length on off, Mathews defends it off the back foot. |
| 53.3 : U Shinwari to Mathews, On a length on middle, Mathews flicks it towards square leg. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 53.4 : U Shinwari to Silva, Length delivery on leg, Dhananjaya looks to flick but gets hit on the pads. It goes towards the leg side. The batsmen take a run. The umpire gives it as a leg bye. |
| 53.5 : U Shinwari to Mathews, Full delivery on middle, Mathews drives it to mid on. |
| 53.6 : U Shinwari to Mathews, Full again on off, Mathews drives it to covers. |
| 54.1 : S Afridi to Silva, Outside off, Dhananjaya does not bother to play at that. |
| 54.2 : S Afridi to Silva, On a good length on middle, de Silva defends it towards mid on off the back foot. |
| 54.3 : S Afridi to Silva, NO BALL! Afridi oversteps! Length delivery on off, de Silva taps it to covers. |
| S Afridi to Silva, FOUR! Good shot by de Silva! Length ball just outside off, Dhananjaya makes room and cuts it behind point for a boundary. |
| 54.4 : S Afridi to Silva, Full delivery on middle, Dhananjaya drives it to mid on. |
| 54.5 : S Afridi to Silva, FOUR! Second boundary of the over. Short and outside off, Dhananjaya cuts it hard through point for a boundary. Sri Lanka getting a move on. |
| 54.6 : S Afridi to Silva, On a good length on off, de Silva keeps it out. |
| 55.1 : U Shinwari to A Mathews, Length delivery on middle, Mathews pulls it to mid-wicket. |
| 55.2 : U Shinwari to Mathews, On a length on middle, Mathews flicks it through mid-wicket for a single. 150 up for Sri Lanka. |
| 55.3 : U Shinwari to Silva, On a good length on off, Dhananjaya defends it off the back foot. |
| 55.4 : U Shinwari to Silva, Full delivery on middle, Dhananjaya flicks it through mid-wicket. The batsmen take a single. |
| 55.5 : U Shinwari to Silva, Bowls a bouncer, de Silva does well to duck under it. |
| 55.6 : U Shinwari to Silva, Full delivery outside off, Dhananjaya drives it uppishly towards covers where the fielder does well to stop it but it goes through him. The fielder chases it and does well to stop it before the ropes. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| Naseem Shah is back on. |
| 56.1 : N Shah to Mathews, Full delivery on middle, Mathews flicks it through mid-wicket. The fielder chases it and does well to stop it. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 56.2 : N Shah to Mathews, On a length on off, Mathews plays it to point. |
| 56.3 : N Shah to Mathews, On a length on middle, Mathews tucks it towards mid-wicket for a single. The fielder goes for a direct hit at the bowler's end but misses it. |
| 56.4 : N Shah to Silva, Good length delivery on off, de Silva defends it off the back foot. |
| 56.5 : N Shah to Silva, FOUR! Almost chopped on! Good length ball outside off, Dhananjaya looks to punch it on the off side. He goes hard at it and ends up getting an inside edge on it. De Silva is a lucky man as the ball misses the stumps and goes towards fine leg for a boundary. |
| 56.6 : N Shah to Silva, Short delivery on middle, Dhananjaya pulls it through mid-wicket. The batsmen take a single. |
| 57.1 : U Shinwari to Silva, On a good length on off, Dhananjaya defends it out. |
| 57.2 : U Shinwari to Silva, Length delivery on middle, de Silva flicks it through mid-wicket. The batsmen take a single. |
| 57.3 : U Shinwari to Mathews, FOUR! Poor fielding from Naseem again. Full on middle, Mathews drives it through mid on. Naseem Shah at mid on is slow to react as the ball goes right between his legs. Shaheen Afridi gives it a chase and looks to pull it back but he fails to do so. He also ends up going down awkwardly on his back. |
| Shaheen Afridi is down and looks like he has hurt his back here. The physio is out to have a look. Imam-ul-Haq is all set to field for him. |
| 57.4 : U Shinwari to Mathews, FOUR! Pulled away with disdain. Short ball on off, Mathews is quick to get on his back foot and hammer his pull through mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 57.5 : U Shinwari to Mathews, Back of a length on off, AM after scoring two back-to-back boundaries defends it this time with calmness. |
| 57.6 : U Shinwari to Mathews, Back of a length on off, Mathews keeps it out. Good over for Sri Lanka. 9 runs off it. |
| 58.1 : N Shah to Silva, On a good length on off, Dhananjaya defends it to covers. |
| 58.2 : N Shah to Silva, Full delivery on off, de Silva drives it to point. |
| 58.3 : N Shah to Silva, Full again on off, Dhananjaya drives it to mid off. |
| Shaheen looks to be in a lot of pain here as he is going to the pavilion along with the physio. Azhar Ali and Pakistan would be praying that he is not severely hurt and can bowl again. |
| 58.4 : N Shah to Silva, Good length delivery on middle, Dhananjaya defends it off the back foot. |
| 58.5 : N Shah to Silva, Full delivery outside off, de Silva offers no shot to this one. |
| 58.6 : N Shah to Silva, On a length and outside off, Dhananjaya plays it to point. |
| 59.1 : U Shinwari to Mathews, Poor bounce allows them to take a single. Full on off, Mathews glances it to the right of mid on. Abbas there gets down to stop it but ends up misfielding as the ball comes to him at an awkward bounce. |
| 59.2 : U Shinwari to Silva, FOUR! Runs coming thick and fast for the visitors now. Overpitched on the pads, Dhananjaya has no issues flicking it with power through mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 59.3 : U Shinwari to Silva, Fuller on off, Dhananjaya pushes it to cover. |
| 59.4 : U Shinwari to Silva, Fuller on off, Dhananjaya drives it straight to short extra cover. |
| 59.5 : U Shinwari to Silva, Around off, Dhananjaya defends it towards point. |
| 59.6 : U Shinwari to Silva, FOUR! Well struck shot this from Dhananjaya. Overpitched on middle, Dhananjaya smashes it to the left of mid on. Abbas there dives but cannot do much about it as the ball goes past him and to the fence. Brings up the 50-run stand in style. |
| Abbas is back on. 16-4-46-1 are his figures so far. |
| 60.1 : M Abbas to Mathews, On a good length on off, Mathews blocks it well. |
| 60.2 : M Abbas to Mathews, Good length delivery on middle, Angelo defends it out. |
| 60.3 : M Abbas to Mathews, That stayed low. On a good length on middle, Mathews does well to block it. |
| 60.4 : M Abbas to Mathews, Short delivery on off, Mathews cuts it to point. |
| 60.5 : M Abbas to Mathews, Good length delivery on middle, Mathews defends it off the back foot. |
| 60.6 : M Abbas to Mathews, On a length on middle, Mathews tucks it to mid-wicket. |
| Naseem Shah is back. |
| 61.1 : N Shah to Silva, Length delivery outside off, Dhananjaya plays it to point. |
| 61.2 : N Shah to Silva, BEATEN! On a good length and outside off, de Silva looks to cut but misses it. |
| 61.3 : N Shah to Silva, BEATEN AGAIN! Beauty of a delivery. Good length delivery just outside off, Dhananjaya looks to defend but misses it. |
| 61.4 : N Shah to Silva, On a good length on off, Dhananjaya defends it off the front foot. |
| 61.5 : N Shah to Silva, FOUR! Good length ball around off, Dhananjaya plays it wide of gully with an educational edge and fetches himself a boundary. Smart batting this from De Silva. |
| 61.6 : N Shah to de Silva, Good length delivery on middle, Dhananjaya defends it towards the leg side. The batsmen take a single. |
| 62.1 : M Abbas to Silva, Play and a miss! On a good length and outside off, Dhananjaya looks to guide but misses it. |
| 62.2 : M Abbas to Silva, On a good length on middle, Dhananjaya offers a solid defense on this one. |
| 62.3 : M Abbas to Silva, Length delivery on off, Dhananjaya plays it to point. |
| 62.4 : M Abbas to Silva, On a length on middle, de Silva flicks it through square leg. The batsmen take a single. |
| 62.5 : M Abbas to Mathews, Good length delivery on off, Mathews defends it out. |
| 62.6 : M Abbas to Mathews, Full delivery on middle, Mathews flicks it through square leg. The fielder chases it and does well to stop it before the ropes. The batsmen get three runs. |
| Drinks Break. Hour that has belonged to the visitors. Dhananjaya de Silva and Angelo Mathews have done really well in this session. They have managed to see off the hour not just without getting harmed but also have managed to score runs at a brisk rate. Pakistan need to find a way to get rid of this stand. |
| 63.1 : N Shah to Mathews, Outside off, Mathews shoulders arms to this one. |
| 63.2 : N Shah to Mathews, Good length delivery on middle, Angelo defends it off the back foot. |
| 63.3 : N Shah to A Mathews, Full delivery on off, Mathews drives it to mid off. |
| 63.4 : N Shah to A Mathews, OUT! Edged and gone! We have just been joined by Predicto Praky here in the commentary zone and his favourite player has been dismissed. Can watch him for hours tirelessly. Sadly, he will have to watch his exit now. But what a rash shot. For hours, nothing seems to happen in this Test and all of a sudden, someone plays a poor shot and a wicket falls. Pace has done the trick. A length ball outside off, Mathews looks to punch it on the up but is beaten by pace. The ball |
| Niroshan Dickwella is the next batsman in. |
| 63.5 : N Shah to Dickwella, FOUR! Dickwella is off the mark. Not in the most convincing fashion but he won't mind. On the pads, Dickwella looks to flick but the ball goes off the inside edge fine down the leg side for a boundary. |
| 63.6 : N Shah to Dickwella, Outside off, Dickwella lets it go. |
| 64.1 : M Abbas to Silva, On a good length on off, Dhananjaya defends it off the back foot. |
| 64.2 : M Abbas to Silva, Good length delivery on off, Dhananjaya keeps it out. |
| 64.3 : M Abbas to Silva, BEATEN! Full delivery outside off, Dhananjaya looks to drive but misses it. |
| 64.4 : M Abbas to Silva, Length delivery on off, Dhananjaya taps it to point. |
| 64.5 : M Abbas to Silva, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 64.6 : M Abbas to Silva, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 65.1 : N Shah to N Dickwella, The batsman drives this through the covers. The batsmen have picked up a couple of runs. |
| 65.2 : N Shah to Dickwella, On a good length on off, Dickwella plays it to the off side. |
| 65.3 : N Shah to Dickwella, FOUR! Good length ball on off, Dickwella gets on his front foot and drives it cleanly through covers for a boundary. |
| 65.4 : N Shah to Dickwella, On the pads, Dickwella glances it towards fine leg for a single. |
| 65.5 : N Shah to Silva, Around the pads, Dhananjaya flicks it fine down the leg side and gets a couple. |
| 65.6 : N Shah to Silva, Length ball around off, Dhananjaya dabs it to gully. |
| 66.1 : M Abbas to Dickwella, On a good length on middle, Dickwella tucks it to mid-wicket. |
| 66.2 : M Abbas to Dickwella, Good length delivery on off, Dickwella defends it off the back foot. |
| 66.3 : M Abbas to Dickwella, Outside off, Dickwella offers no shot to this one. |
| 66.4 : M Abbas to Dickwella, On a good length on off, Niroshan defends it off the front foot. |
| Rizwan has his helmet out. He is going to stand up to the stumps now. |
| 66.5 : M Abbas to Dickwella, Full delivery on off, Dickwella plays it to covers. |
| 66.6 : M Abbas to Dickwella, Good length delivery on off, Niroshan defends it off the front foot. |
| Change in bowling. Shaheen Afridi is back. |
| 67.1 : S Afridi to Silva, On a good length on middle, Dhananjaya flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 67.2 : S Afridi to Silva, Good length delivery on middle, Dhananjaya looks to flick but misses it and gets hit high on the pads. The bowler appeals for lbw but the umpire shakes his head. Ball Tracker shows that it would have missed the stumps. |
| 67.3 : S Afridi to Silva, Outside off, de Silva does not bother to play at that. |
| 67.4 : S Afridi to Silva, On a good length on middle, Dhananjaya blocks it well. |
| 67.5 : S Afridi to Silva, Good length delivery on off, de Silva defends it out. |
| 67.6 : S Afridi to Silva, Full delivery on middle, Dhananjaya drives it to mid on. |
| 68.1 : M Abbas to Dickwella, On a good length on off, Dickwella blocks it off the back foot. |
| 0.0 : Well, the umpires are not too happy with the light. Gough puts the question to Kettleborough and the latter, being a senior umpire, takes the call. Is not happy at all with the visibility and calls for the groundstaff to put in the precautionary covers. The light meters are out and it does not seem like play will resume any time soon. Stay tuned though. |
| 4.19 pm local - It did not take long, did it? Play has been called off for the day and that is STUMPS ON DAY 1. A sensible decision, as light does not improve in this part of the world at this hour and we would only have been wasting more time. |
| A mixed day for both sides. Pakistan lost the toss but were happy to bowl on what looked like a green wicket. Actually, there was some grass but there was hardly any use of it for Pakistan. They struggled in the opening session and it was only after Lunch that they managed to find some inspiration. |
| Sri Lanka seemed to take the foot off the pedal after that 96-run opening stand. From a position of strength, they slipped to 127/4 before a 62-run stand between Angelo Mathews and Dhananjaya de Silva saved some face for the visitors. As far as Pakistan are concerned, they will be a touch disappointed that they could not pick up more wickets, but given the start they got, they would be happy to end the day on a happier note. |
| Right then! So the match hangs in the balance after a tough opening day's play. Sri Lanka do not have too much of batting depth left, so Pakistan will hope to keep them under 300. The pitch does not look to possess any demons and batters might enjoy it for the next 3 days. There is some wet weather forecast, so fingers crossed. ADIOS! TAKE CARE! |
| ... Day 2, Session 1 ... |
| Test cricket's return to Pakistan saw an engrossing day's play. Sri Lanka started well but lost the path in the middle, losing wickets in quick succession. Skipper Karunaratne raked up a half ton while Fernando fell 10 short of it. However, once the opening stand was broken, the Pakistan pacers took two more to peg the Sri Lankan progress. Before things can go out of hands, Mathews and de Silva added 62 runs between them to pull things back. Mathews fell for 31 before poor light came into the pi |
| Danny Morrison has got Misbah-ul-Haq for a chat. Misbah says that he has been around for quite a sometime and he is happy to be around. Tells that in the domestic arena, they are trying to get quality players instead of looking for quantity. Feels that the domestic cricket needs to be the competitive. Believes that the work is in progress and in the future, everyone will get to see the quality. On the return of Test cricket in Pakistan, the Pakistan coach tells that it's a special feeling for th |
| We are all set to begin Day 2. It is chilly and the floodlights are already on due to the thick cloud cover. The Pakistan players are out in the middle. Dhananjaya de Silva and Niroshan Dickwella will resume their innings for Sri Lanka. Mohammad Abbas will continue his unfinished over for the hosts. Here we go... |
| 68.2 : M Abbas to Dickwella, Abbas starts with a good length ball closer to the off pole. Dickwella lunges forward and defends it towards cover. |
| 68.3 : M Abbas to Dickwella, This one is on middle on a length. Dickwella stays on the back foot and taps it towards the on side. |
| 68.4 : M Abbas to Dickwella, Goes wide of the crease and tries to angle the ball in. It lands outside off and then comes back in. However, Dickwella has his timbers covered as he allows the ball to go the keeper. |
| 68.5 : M Abbas to Dickwella, Landed around off, Dickwella pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 68.6 : M Abbas to N Dickwella, Good length ball around off and middle, Dickwella looks to drive but it goes to mid on off the inner half of the bat. Tight start from Abbas. |
| Naseem Shah to bowl from the other end. 16-4-51-2 are his figures so far. |
| 69.1 : N Shah to Silva, FOUR! Beautifully driven! An overpitched ball outside off, de Silva gets in the position and creams it through the covers for first boundary of the day. |
| 69.2 : N Shah to Silva, On off, de Silva keeps it out. |
| 69.3 : N Shah to Silva, Around off on a length. Dhananjaya defends it out. |
| 69.4 : N Shah to Silva, Fullish and on middle, de Silva gets his bat down in time to defend. |
| 69.5 : N Shah to Silva, Fuller again and on off, de Silva drives it well but straight to mid off. |
| Rain around the corner? The groundsmen thinks so as they are ready with the covers on the edge of the boundary. |
| 69.6 : N Shah to Silva, Overpitched again and outside off too. Dhananjaya leans and drives it through cover-point for a couple of runs. |
| 70.1 : M Abbas to Dickwella, Around off and on a length, Dickwella lunges and defends it out. |
| 70.2 : M Abbas to Dickwella, Good length ball on off, Dickwella is solid in his defense again. |
| 70.3 : M Abbas to Dickwella, Slightly shortish around off, pushed towards cover. |
| 70.4 : M Abbas to N Dickwella, Fuller ball outside off, Dickwella drives it through cover-point and picks up a brace. |
| 70.5 : M Abbas to Dickwella, Beaten! A cutter from Abbas. Dickwella pokes at it to get beaten. Because of the pace variation from Abbas, the ball died well ahead of Rizwan. |
| 70.6 : M Abbas to N Dickwella, Almost dragged on! Shortish ball just outside off, Dickwella looks to cut but gets an inside edge which goes just past the stumps and towards fine leg for a single. |
| 71.1 : N Shah to Dickwella, Slightly short and outside off, Dickwella taps it through point for a single. |
| 71.2 : N Shah to Silva, On off, de Silva gets behind the line to defend. |
| 71.3 : N Shah to Silva, On off, pushed towards point. |
| 71.4 : N Shah to Silva, Shortish and around off, de Silva rides the bounce and defends it towards cover. |
| 71.5 : N Shah to de Silva, Full and on off, de Silva drives but can't beat the cover fielder who tumbles to his left to field. |
| 71.6 : N Shah to Silva, Good length ball angled into the right-hander, de Silva tucks it behind square leg to take a single and keep the strike. |
| 72.1 : M Abbas to Silva, On a good length on off, Dhananjaya defends it off the back foot. |
| 72.2 : M Abbas to Silva, Good length delivery on middle, de Silva keeps it out. |
| 72.3 : M Abbas to Silva, On a length on middle, de Silva flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 72.4 : M Abbas to Silva, Short delivery outside off, Dhananjaya punches it through point. Usman Shinwari chases it, slides and does well to stop it before the ropes. The batsmen get three runs. |
| 72.5 : M Abbas to Dickwella, Good length delivery on off, Dickwella plays it towards the off side of the front foot. |
| 72.6 : M Abbas to Dickwella, On a good length on off, Niroshan defends it out. |
| Drizzle in the air. However, not heavy enough for the players to go off. |
| Is that gone straight in the mitts of the keeper? Or is it a bump ball? The two umpires converge and ask for a help from the TV umpire. The soft signal is out. So there has to be a conclusive evidence for the decision to be overturned. Looks like it just bounced in front of the gloves. Load not out says the TV umpire as he confirms that it just bounced before getting into the gloves of Rizwan. |
| 73.1 : N Shah to Silva, NOT OUT! It bounced just in front of the keeper before getting in the mitts of the keeper. A good length ball outside off, asking de Silva to go for the drive. He obliges but manages a faint outside edge which goes behind. Rizwan behind the wicket pouches it and celebrates along with the bowler. The umpire is not sure if that carried so they get together and call for TV umpire for the assistance. The third umpire checks various angles which confirm that it bounced before g |
| 73.2 : N Shah to Silva, 50 for Dhananjaya de Silva. It is his 6th Test fifty. Full delivery on leg, Dhananjaya flicks it through square leg. The batsmen pick up a couple. This has been an excellent innings from him. He will look to convert this into a big one. |
| 73.3 : N Shah to Silva, Bowls a bouncer, de Silva sways away from it. |
| 73.4 : N Shah to Silva, On a good length on off, Dhananjaya defends it off the front foot. |
| 73.5 : N Shah to Silva, Full delivery outside off, de Silva looks to drive but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 73.6 : N Shah to Silva, Outside off, Dhananjaya shoulders arms to this one. |
| 74.1 : M Abbas to Dickwella, Good length delivery on off, Dickwella defends it off the front foot. |
| 74.2 : M Abbas to Dickwella, On a good length on middle, Dickwella offers a back foot defense on this one. |
| 74.3 : M Abbas to Dickwella, Good length delivery on off, Niroshan defends it out. |
| 74.4 : M Abbas to Dickwella, On a good length on off, Niroshan guides it to third man. |
| 74.5 : M Abbas to N Dickwella, Full delivery outside off, Dickwella drives it to covers. |
| 74.6 : M Abbas to Dickwella, Outside off, Niroshan leaves it alone. |
| Light meter is out already. It is good enough to continue at the moment. |
| 75.1 : N Shah to Silva, Outside off, Dhananjaya offers no shot to this one. |
| 75.2 : N Shah to Silva, Again outside off, de Silva lets it go. |
| 75.3 : N Shah to Silva, On a good length and outside off, Dhananjaya does not bother to play at that. |
| 75.4 : N Shah to Silva, Outside off, de Silva shoulders arms to this one. |
| 75.5 : N Shah to de Silva, FOUR! Full delivery outside off, Dhananjaya looks to drive but gets an outside edge. It goes towards backward point for a boundary. |
| 75.6 : N Shah to Silva, Outside off, de Silva leaves it alone. |
| There you go. The lights have faded. Drizzle in the air too. Off go the players and on come the covers. Just 7.5 overs of play has happened today where the Lankans have looked solid with de Silva raking up an unbeaten half ton. De Silva survived a scare just before getting to his half ton. He had edged one behind but the ball bounced just in front of the gloves of the keeper. So, let's hope that the break is not a longer one and we are back soon. |
| UPDATE 1045 local (0545 GMT) - So, not good signs as rain has got heavier and we have the entire square covered along with the pitch. |
| UPDATE 1130 local (0630 GMT) - The drizzle continues and we have the covers firmly put on. The situation looks really bleak at the moment. And the umpires have called for an early Lunch. Let's hope to have a better news post this break. We will keep updating as and when we have any positive news. |
| ... Day 2, Session 2 ... |
| UPDATE 1230 local (0730 GMT) - The Lunch break is done and dusted. The good news is that the rain has stopped. However, the covers remain firmly on the pitch and on the square. Let's hope it gets brighter and we resume the game soon. |
| UPDATE 1235 local (0735 GMT) - So, the official word is that there will be an inspection in 15 minutes time. It is looking a lot brighter than it was earlier in the morning. Hopefully, rain will stay away and we will have the resumption soon. |
| UPDATE 1300 local (0800 GMT) - We have gone past the scheduled time for the inspection. No official updates yet. We are hearing that the rain has stayed away and the ground staff are working to make the ground ready for the resumption. Also, just to inform everyone who were surprised because of the exclusion of Yasir Shah, there is news regarding the spinner. The PCB has released him from the squad so that he can work with spin consultant Mushtaq Ahmed at NCA. He will be joining the team before |
| UPDATE 1310 local (0810 GMT) - More good news as the covers are coming off. We shouldn't be far away from the resumption of play. |
| UPDATE 1335 local (0835 GMT) - Yes, the covers are completely off and the umpires are inspecting the 22 yards and square of the ground. We should soon have an official word. So, the final word is, if there is no further rain, play will resume at 1345 local (0845 GMT). |
| We are finally ready to resume. It is still very cloudy as the floodlights are on and it looks very dark out there. The Pakistan players are out in the middle. Dhananjaya de Silva and Niroshan Dickwella will resume their innings for Sri Lanka. Spin to start after the lengthy break as Haris Sohail starts the proceedings for the hosts. |
| 76.1 : H Sohail to Dickwella, Sohail starts with a loopy ball on middle, Dickwella tucks it towards square leg. |
| 76.2 : H Sohail to Dickwella, This one is on middle, Dickwella pushes it towards mid-wicket. |
| 76.3 : H Sohail to Dickwella, On middle, it is defended. |
| 76.4 : H Sohail to Dickwella, Appeal for LBW but nothing from the umpire. A full ball on the pads, Dickwella looks to sweep but misses to get hit on the pad. A stifled appeal from the bowler but the umpire is not interested. |
| 76.5 : H Sohail to Dickwella, Flighted one on middle, Dickwella sweeps it towards deep square leg for a single. |
| 76.6 : H Sohail to Silva, Shortish and outside off, de Silva punches it through covers for a single. |
| Asad Shafiq to bowl from the other end. Probably, Pakistan are thinking to take the new ball quickly. |
| 77.1 : A Shafiq to Silva, Shafiq starts with a ball around off, de Silva looks to drive but the ball takes the inner half of the bat and goes towards long on. |
| 77.2 : A Shafiq to Silva, Fires this on the pads, de Silva flicks it behind square leg for a couple. |
| 77.3 : A Shafiq to Silva, Down the leg side this time. Dhananjaya lets it be. |
| 77.4 : A Shafiq to Silva, Flatter and on middle, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 77.5 : A Shafiq to Silva, Another one on the stumps line, it is defended. |
| 77.6 : A Shafiq to Silva, Fires this just outside off, de Silva looks to nudge it towards third man but the keeper does well to field by diving to his right. |
| 78.1 : H Sohail to Dickwella, Flighted delivery on middle, Dickwella defends it off the front foot. |
| 78.2 : H Sohail to Dickwella, Tossed up delivery on middle, Dickwella defends it off the back foot. |
| 78.3 : H Sohail to Dickwella, Flighted delivery on off, Dickwella looks to play the reverse sweep but gets hit on the pads. |
| 78.4 : H Sohail to Dickwella, Floated delivery on off, Dickwella plays a reverse sweep through point. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 78.5 : H Sohail to Silva, Loopy delivery on off, de Silva keeps it out. |
| 78.6 : H Sohail to Silva, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 79.1 : A Shafiq to Dickwella, FOUR! Tossed up and on off, Dickwella is superb playing spin. This time he sweeps it through backward square leg for a boundary. |
| 79.2 : A Shafiq to Dickwella, Tossed up delivery on leg, Dickwella plays a paddle sweep towards fine leg. The batsmen get two runs. |
| 79.3 : A Shafiq to Dickwella, Floated delivery on off, Dickwella keeps it out. |
| 79.4 : A Shafiq to Dickwella, Tossed up delivery on middle, Niroshan blocks it well. |
| 79.5 : A Shafiq to Dickwella, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 79.6 : A Shafiq to Dickwella, Flighted delivery on middle, Dickwella defends it out. |
| New ball is available but Pakistan do not opt for it as yet. However, Shaheen Afridi is into the attack for the first time. 16-6-37-1 so far. |
| 80.1 : S Afridi to Silva, On a good length and outside off, Dhananjaya offers no shot to this one. |
| Pakistan have taken the second new ball. |
| 80.2 : S Afridi to Silva, Good length delivery on off, de Silva plays it to the off side. |
| 80.3 : S Afridi to Silva, Full delivery on off, Dhananjaya drives it to mid off. |
| 80.4 : S Afridi to de Silva, Full delivery outside off, Dhananjaya drives it through covers. The batsmen get two runs. |
| 80.5 : S Afridi to Silva, On a good length on leg, Dhananjaya looks to flick but gets hit on the pads. |
| Usman Shinwari comes onto bowl. 14-4-47-1 are his figures so far. |
| 80.6 : S Afridi to Silva, On a length on middle, de Silva looks to flick but gets it off the pads. It goes towards square leg. De Silva wants a quick single. The square leg fielder hares at the ball, picks it up and scores a direct hit at the non-striker's end. However, de Silva has made his ground. However, the ball deflects towards wide of mid off and an extra run is conceded. |
| 81.1 : U Shinwari to Dickwella, Length delivery on leg, Dickwella looks to flick but misses it. |
| 81.2 : U Shinwari to Dickwella, On a length on middle, Dickwella flicks it towards square leg. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 81.3 : U Shinwari to Silva, Outside off, Dhananjaya offers no shot to this one. |
| 81.4 : U Shinwari to Silva, FOUR! Nice shot. Length delivery outside off, Dhananjaya guides it uppishly towards third man for a boundary. 50-run stand is up between Dhananjaya de Silva and Niroshan Dickwella. |
| 81.5 : U Shinwari to Silva, On a length on middle, de Silva nudges it towards square leg. The batsmen take a run. |
| 81.6 : U Shinwari to Dickwella, On a length on off, Niroshan plays it towards point. The batsmen take a single. |
| 82.1 : S Afridi to Dickwella, On a good length and outside off, Dickwella taps it to point. |
| 82.2 : S Afridi to Dickwella, BEATEN! That was close to the off stump! Good length delivery just outside off, Dickwella looks to defend but misses it. It missed the off stump by a whisker. |
| 82.3 : S Afridi to Dickwella, Length delivery outside off, Dickwella punches it through point. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 82.4 : S Afridi to N Dickwella, On a good length on off, Niroshan looks to slice but it goes off the outside edge. It goes through point. The batsmen take a single. |
| 82.5 : S Afridi to Silva, Good length delivery on middle, Dhananjaya looks to defend but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 82.6 : S Afridi to de Silva, EDGE AND FOUR! Full delivery outside off, Dhananjaya looks to drive but gets an outside edge. It goes between second slip and gully towards third man for a boundary. |
| Naseem Shah comes on now! 20-4-65-2 are his figures so far. |
| 83.1 : N Shah to Dickwella, Full and outside off, Niroshan looks to drive it through the off side but inside edges it onto the pads. |
| 83.2 : N Shah to Dickwella, FOUR! Terrific shot. Full delivery on middle, Dickwella flicks it over mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 83.3 : N Shah to Dickwella, Good length delivery on middle, Dickwella defends it off the back foot. |
| 83.4 : N Shah to Dickwella, BEATEN! Full delivery outside off, Dickwella looks to drive but misses it as he was late in driving that ball. The ball also swung there. |
| 83.5 : N Shah to Dickwella, Length delivery on middle, Dickwella flicks it through mid-wicket. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 83.6 : N Shah to Silva, Outside off, de Silva leaves it alone. |
| 84.1 : S Afridi to Dickwella, On a good length on off, Dickwella defends it off the front foot. |
| 84.2 : S Afridi to Dickwella, Good length delivery on middle, Dickwella defends it off the back foot. |
| 84.3 : S Afridi to Dickwella, OUT! That is taken and it is Shaheen Afridi who provides the breakthrough! This is a huge scalp. Sri Lanka do not have too much of batting beyond Dilruwan Perera. With the ball still new, they can get into the tail pretty quickly. Full and wide outside off, Dickwella reaches out and slices it through point. It is hard, fast and low to gully but Babar Azam gets low and takes it! Dickwella's watchful innings ends. He was looking to attack the second new ball but is gon |
| Dilruwan Perera is the next batsman in. |
| 84.4 : S Afridi to Perera, BEATEN! Beauty of a delivery from Afridi. On a good length and outside off, Perera looks to defend but misses it due to the inswing on this one. |
| Huge LBW shout! Is that gone? No, says the umpire. Azhar Ali reckons it is high but Afridi is adamant it is out. The review is taken. Looks high. Oh dear... PITCHED OUTSIDE LEG. End of story. |
| 84.5 : S Afridi to Perera, NOT OUT! Pitched outside leg. Review lost. But cannot really blame Afridi for coaxing his captain. That looked to be umpire's call on height but to the naked eye, did not look like it was pitched outside leg. It was on a length, Dilruwan looked to flick but missed and was hit on the pads. There was a loud appeal but the umpire turned it down. Afridi felt it looked good, but Azhar Ali reckoned it was high. Still, for his bowler, he took the review. Tough luck. |
| 84.6 : S Afridi to Perera, Length delivery on leg, Perera looks to flick but gets it off the pads. It goes towards the leg side. The batsmen take a single. The umpire gives it as a leg bye. |
| 85.1 : N Shah to Perera, On a good length on off, Perera plays it to point. |
| 85.2 : N Shah to Perera, Full delivery on middle, Dilruwan flicks it through mid-wicket. The batsmen take a single. |
| 85.3 : N Shah to Silva, Full delivery on off, Perera drives it through mid off. The batsmen get two runs. |
| 85.4 : N Shah to Silva, Good length delivery on middle, Dhananjaya defends it out. |
| 85.5 : N Shah to Silva, On a good length on off, de Silva keeps it out. |
| 85.6 : N Shah to Silva, On a good length on middle, Dhananjaya looks to drive but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 86.1 : S Afridi to Perera, Full delivery on off, Perera looks to drive but gets an inside edge on this one. It misses the stumps and goes towards fine leg. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 86.2 : S Afridi to Silva, On a good length on off, Dhananjaya plays it back towards the bowler where Shaheen Afridi picks the ball and takes the stumps at the striker's end but no harm done. |
| 86.3 : S Afridi to Silva, BEATEN! On a good length and outside off, de Silva looks to play inside the line but misses it. |
| Light meters are out again. And, the Lankan batters are happily walking off. However, the Pakistan players too are going off now after waiting for a while. The umpires are still out in the middle. Looking very dark at the moment. Stay tuned for the further update. |
| UPDATE 1500 local (1000 GMT) - Well, the drizzles are back, so are the covers. The lights have gone worse too. Resumption looks really bleak now. |
| UPDATE 1530 local (1030 GMT) - It is still raining. And it is dark too. And, the play has been abandoned for the second day. |
| That means it is Stumps on Day 2. Just 110 balls were possible. Dhananjaya de Silva and Niroshan Dickwella were solid at the start. De Silva survived a close scare before getting to his half ton. The rain arrived soon after and halted the play. The play eventually started but once again it could only last for 10.3 overs before the light faded and players were off again. The play was eventually called off after rain returned. |
| Now, just 86.3 overs bowled and two days of the Test are done and dusted. Getting a result out of this game is pretty much difficult, provided the rain is on the forecast for Day 3 as well. Well, the fans in Pakistan who had to wait for the longest of time for the return of Tests, they'd be hoping that the rain gods show some mercy and we get the full day's play on the third day's play. Interestingly, there's no early start on Day 3 too, which means we will begin the third day at 0945 local (044 |
| ... Day 3, Session 1 ... |
| Two days of the first Test are done and dusted. Which side has the upper hand? Well, none! It's rain and bad light who are winning at the moment. 68.1 overs were bowled on Day 1 and just 18.2 on Day 2. How many overs will we get to see on Day 3? There is no rain around at the moment. However, because of overnight rain, the covers are on and we are probably in for a delayed start. Let's hope once the game starts, rain stays away from Rawalpindi and allows us to enjoy the return of Test cricket in |
| UPDATE - 0945 local (0445 GMT) - Yes, it is confirmed that the start will be delayed. The ground is entirely covered right now and there is a lot of water on the covers. The groundsmen are trying hard to remove the water off the covers. However, it will take a lot of time and we are in for a long delay. |
| UPDATE - 1030 local (0530 GMT) - Nothing positive to update. Or nothing bright, rather. The conditions stay gloomy and the weather forecast says that there is rain expected in the next hour. Ouch. |
| LUNCH HAS BEEN TAKEN IN RAWALPINDI. We have some good news as well, with the Sri Lankan players arriving at the ground and warming up. The covers are still on but the conditions have got much brighter. Fingers crossed that the rain forecast does not hold true. |
| Great news! Lunch has been taken and play will resume soon. It will be a 150-minute session, light and weather allowing of course. Tea will be taken at 3.40 pm local (1040 GMT). |
| ... Day 3, Session 2 ... |
| Finally, finally, the ground is ready and we are about to begin. The Pakistan players are out in the middle. They are followed by the overnight batters, Dhananjaya de Silva and Dilruwan Perera who walk out to resume their innings. Shaheen Afridi to resume his 20th over. Three slips and a gully in place. Here we go... |
| 86.4 : S Afridi to Silva, Afridi starts with a shortish length ball just outside off. De Silva taps it towards cover. |
| 86.5 : S Afridi to Silva, This is closer to the off pole and on a good length, Dhananjaya blocks it out. |
| 86.6 : S Afridi to Silva, FOUR! Lovely shot! Overpitched and outside off, de Silva leans forward and creams it through the covers. First runs and first boundary of the day. |
| Teenagers opening the bowling. Naseem Shah to operate from the other end, partnering Shaheen Afridi. |
| 87.1 : N Shah to Perera, Beaten! In the channel outside off. Dilruwan feels for the ball he goes to cut but misses out. |
| 87.2 : N Shah to Perera, This time he makes a leave as it is again in the corridor outside off. |
| 87.3 : N Shah to Perera, Good length ball outside off, it shapes away as well. Perera shoulders arms again. |
| 87.4 : N Shah to Perera, Another leave! Pitches outside off and shapes away again. Perera is not going after these as he missed out on the first one. |
| 87.5 : N Shah to Perera, Gets closer to of pole. This time Perera is in two minds. He plays in the line to get beaten. |
| 87.6 : N Shah to Perera, Around off and middle, Perera keeps it out coming forward. |
| 88.1 : S Afridi to Silva, Length delivery on off, Dhananjaya cuts it to point where the fielder makes a diving stop. |
| 88.2 : S Afridi to Silva, Full delivery on off, Dhananjaya plays it to the off side. |
| 88.3 : S Afridi to Silva, Full delivery outside off, Dhananjaya drives it through covers. Azhar Ali chases it, slides and does well to stop it before the ropes. The batsmen get three runs. |
| 88.4 : S Afridi to Perera, Full again on off, Perera plays it towards point. The batsmen take a run. |
| 88.5 : S Afridi to Silva, Full delivery outside off, de Silva drives it through covers again. The batsmen get two runs. Dhananjaya moves into the 80s. |
| 88.6 : S Afridi to Silva, On a good length on off, Dhananjaya defends it out. |
| 89.1 : N Shah to Perera, BEATEN! On a good length and outside off, Perera looks to defend but misses it. |
| 89.2 : N Shah to Perera, Full delivery on middle, Perera flicks it through mid-wicket. The batsmen get three runs. |
| 89.3 : N Shah to Silva, That just missed the stumps. On a good length and just outside off, Dhananjaya looks to cut but gets a bottom edge on this one. The ball bounces and misses the leg stump by a whisker. |
| 89.4 : N Shah to Silva, Good length delivery on middle, de Silva keeps it out. |
| 89.5 : N Shah to Silva, Length delivery on off, Dhananjaya plays it towards point. The batsmen take a single. |
| 89.6 : N Shah to Perera, Bowls a bouncer, Perera does well to duck under it. |
| 90.1 : S Afridi to Silva, Outside off, Dhananjaya shoulders arms to this one. |
| 90.2 : S Afridi to Silva, On a length on off, Dhananjaya plays it towards point. De Silva wants the single but Dilruwan sends him back. |
| 90.3 : S Afridi to Silva, Outside off, de Silva offers no shot to this one. |
| 90.4 : S Afridi to Silva, Full delivery on middle, Dhananjaya flicks it through mid-wicket. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 90.5 : S Afridi to Perera, On a good length on off, Perera looks to defend but gets hit on the thigh pad. |
| 90.6 : S Afridi to Perera, Good length delivery outside off, Perera lets it go. |
| 91.1 : N Shah to Silva, Good length ball just around off, defended well by de Silva. |
| 91.2 : N Shah to Silva, Around off again, this time de Silva defends it awkwardly. It is very gloomy out there and that might hamper the visibility of de Silva. |
| 91.3 : N Shah to Silva, FOUR! Nope! No problems it seems for de Silva. Short of a length ball on middle, Dhananjaya rocks back and pulls this one towards mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 91.4 : N Shah to Silva, Fuller one outside off, driven towards mid off. |
| 91.5 : N Shah to Silva, Beaten! Lot of swing on this one. Pitched around off, de Silva looks to feel for it but the ball moves away from him and falls just in front of Rizwan. Well collected by him. |
| The light meter is out. And seems like we are going off. Yes, the light is not good enough. And, the umpires have taken the players off. Just 32 balls bowled and that's it. Not sure what are the chances of light improving at this moment. The umpires check the light again and even they go off now. |
| UPDATE - 1400 local (0900 GMT) - Nothing positive to update. What are the chances of lights improving? Sun to come out? Will it? We can only hope. If there's anything positive, we will let you know. |
| UPDATE - 1430 local (0930 GMT) - There's no rain but no game either. The light is not good. The wait game continues. Fans are still waiting, patiently. They are hoping for some action. We hope too. |
| UPDATE - 1500 local (1000 GMT) - Light remains the same. The umpires have taken an early Tea. Let's be hopeful that there's a positive news when we return. |
| Tea time is over. The wait for the game to resume has not. The umpires are out in the middle. A few Sri Lankan players are out too, having some fun. Let's see if we get any more play. Stay with us for further updates. |
| We are in with the final update then and unfortunately, it is not a good one. It is Stumps on Day 3. Just 32 balls bowled throughout the day's play. The overnight rain came into picture in the morning to delay the start. The groundsmen had to put in a massive effort to dry up the ground. They eventually managed to dry things up and the game did begin. However, after just 32 balls, the light faded and the players went off. And, then the waiting game begun and it eventually ends with this. |
| Now, 2 days left. First innings of the game still going on. We more or less know where the game is heading. Let's see how things pan out on the final two days of this match. Let's hope that the fans get to witness some action on Saturday, Day 4. We will love your company then. Do join us at 0945 Local (0445 GMT). Till then, goodbye and take care. |
| ... Day 4, Session 1 ... |
| We had a timely start on Day 1. Bad light interrupted the play of session 3. On Day 2, a timely start again but rain played spoilsport in the first session. After a long break, session 2 started but only for a few overs as bad light arrived to cut short the day. What happened on Day 3 then? A delayed start because of the overnight rain. Nothing happened in session 1. Finally, the second session started but lasted only 32 balls as players were taken off due to poor light. And, it never improved a |
| UPDATE - 0945 local (0445 GMT) - As we said, the start on time is not happening as the covers are firmly on right now. While it is not raining and it looks quite bright, the overnight rain means that making the ground play-ready will take some time. Let's hope it remains bright and there's no more rain and once the game starts, we get some action. Stay with us for further updates. |
| UPDATE - 1045 local (0545 GMT) - No improvement. The skies stay overcast, the puddles remain firm while the covers cannot be removed because of the last factor. |
| We are hearing that LUNCH has been taken in Rawalpindi. There is nothing much to report right now, apart from the fact that two innings have ended in Perth while here, we are struggling to complete even one. Stay tuned for what we expect, another no-ball session. Hope that we are proved wrong. |
| STUMPS ON DAY 4. Well, we hoped against hope but when the weather is not good, nothing can happen. The conditions are not good enough for any action. Hardly any chance of that getting better. Which means that's it from Day 4 then. Nothing happened actually. Day 5 has better forecast than the last three days. Let's hope that we get the action on the final day of this historic Test. Will both the sides forfeit an innings each and make things exciting? Do join us at 0945 Local (0445 GMT) on Sunday. |
| ... DAY 5 ... |
| Give me some sunshine, give me more sunshine, give me another chance, I wanna get a result in this game... As-Salaam-Alaikum Pindi waalon! Greetings to the rest of the world too and thank you, thank you, thank you for joining us. Thank you for hoping that we would get some play today. And boy, when the whole world wishes from the bottom of its heart, the entire universe ensures that the wishes do come true! After 4 gloomy days, the ground is bathed in sunshine and the covers are off! We are goin |
| So, recovering from the happiness of play happening, let us now focus to the game on hand. 98 overs, 4 innings left. What to expect? A tame draw. Let us twist the plot a bit. 98 overs, 2 innings left. Is there a possibility of a result? Well, the chances do go up by 50 percent at least. If Sri Lanka declare overnight or declare quickly this morning, if and when Dhananjaya gets to his century, then both teams forfeit an innings each, it roughly gives Pakistan a stiff target of around 300 in 90-od |
| Having said the above, the decision rests solely on Sri Lanka. They are the ones to make a call. When to declare? Or whether even to declare? Why to declare? Why to forfeit an innings? What if Pakistan chase down the target set? First Test of a series - play safe and go unscathed to second or play brave, take the risk of going 1-down but also have an opportunity to go 1-0 up? Pakistan, on the other hand, have nothing to lose. It is highly unlikely that they will lose from here, although, Pakista |
| We are all set for the action to get underway! The Pakistan team are out in a huddle and they now make their way out to the middle. The Lankan batters Dhananjaya de Silva and Dilruwan Perera follow them. Naseem Shah has one ball left and he will complete his over. Here we go... |
| 91.6 : N Shah to Silva, Good zip there! It lands outside off and skids through. Dhananjaya shoulders arms to this one. End of an over which started a couple of days ago. |
| Mohammad Abbas to bowl from the other end. 24-9-56-1 are his figures so far. |
| 92.1 : M Abbas to Perera, First run today! A loosener by Abbas. On the pads, it is worked down to fine leg for one. |
| 92.2 : M Abbas to Silva, Dhananjaya scores his first run today! Slightly shorter and outside off, de Silva pushes it through covers for one. |
| 92.3 : M Abbas to D Perera, Edged and short! This is on a length and around off, it pitches and skids through. Dhananjaya defends inside the line, it goes off the outside edge but well short of first slip. |
| 92.4 : M Abbas to Perera, Another length delivery and on off, blocked. |
| 92.5 : M Abbas to Perera, FOUR! Slashes and slashes hard! Up and over the slip cordon! Shorter and outside off, Perera throws his bat at it. It goes off the outside edge and into the third man fence. |
| 92.6 : M Abbas to Perera, Another length ball around off, this one comes back in a little. Dilruwan goes hard at it but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 93.1 : N Shah to Silva, Fuller length and on off, de Silva defends it to the off side. |
| 93.2 : N Shah to Silva, Length ball on the pads, de Silva flicks it through mid-wicket for a couple. |
| 93.3 : N Shah to Silva, Good length and on off, defended with a solid front foot defense. |
| 93.4 : N Shah to Silva, On a length and on middle, played towards the leg side. |
| 93.5 : N Shah to Silva, Fuller in length and on the pads, Dhananjaya flicks it through square leg and takes a couple. |
| 93.6 : N Shah to Silva, FOUR! Shah strays one on the pads and de Silva takes full toll of it as he just helps the ball on its way through fine leg. The fielder there dives across but fails to prevent the boundary. |
| 94.1 : M Abbas to Perera, On a length and on off, tapped towards the off side. |
| 94.2 : M Abbas to Perera, Beaten! Brilliant delivery for a right-hander. It lands on a length and outside off, just about manages to get it past the forward push of Perera. |
| 94.3 : M Abbas to Perera, Perera looks to flicks this length ball through the leg side but gets an inside edge onto his pads. The ball rills towards leg gully. |
| 94.4 : M Abbas to Perera, Outside off, defended to the off side. |
| 94.5 : M Abbas to Perera, FOUR! Perera is just playing a superb hand here. He this time sees the length early and lofts it through covers. There is a shout of 'Catch it' from the fielder but it is well in the gap as the ball crosses the fence with ease. That also brings up the 300 for Sri Lanka. |
| 94.6 : M Abbas to Perera, Good sensible batting. Perera defends this length ball off the back foot towards the off side. |
| 95.1 : N Shah to Silva, On a length and around off, Dhananjaya plays it nice and late and onto the ground. |
| 95.2 : N Shah to Silva, Shorter and on middle, de Silva keeps it out. |
| 95.3 : N Shah to Silva, Dhananjaya moves onto 97! Fuller and on off, this is pushed through covers for one. |
| 95.4 : N Shah to Perera, This is angled into the pads, Perera looks to flick but misses. It hits the pads and rolls on the leg side and leg bye is taken. |
| 95.5 : N Shah to Silva, That ball has taken the inside edge onto the pads. |
| 95.6 : N Shah to Silva, BEATEN! A loose shot that. It is way too far outside off, de Silva goes after it away from his body but gets beaten. |
| 96.1 : M Abbas to Perera, Length and on the pads, flicked through mid-wicket for a run. |
| 96.2 : M Abbas to de Silva, FOUR! 100 for Dhananjaya Silva! Finally the moment arrives for him. He came out to bat on the first day and gets to his ton on te 5th. He's had to wait, wait and wait due to the weather but finally gets to the milestone which will still be extremely pleasing. His 6th ton in Tests. He gets there by creaming this full delivery through covers. Takes his helmet off and soaks in the applause. |
| 96.3 : M Abbas to Silva, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. One run added to the total. |
| 96.4 : M Abbas to Perera, On off, it is kept out. |
| 96.5 : M Abbas to Perera, On a length and outside off, left alone. |
| 96.6 : M Abbas to Perera, Good length and on off, punched off the back foot towards off side. |
| SO SRI LANKA HAVE DECLARED! They were waiting for Dhananjaya to get to his ton and once he did that, they declared almost immediately. Over 4 days is what it took for the first innings to end. Dhananjaya de Silva was the star for the Lankans with the bat with a ton. There were starts for the others but none of them could make most of it. They though have managed to post a good first innings score. |
| Around 90 overs is what Pakistan will have to bat out today! Do not see a result possible unless an innings is forfeited by both the sides but don't see that happening. Lanka will hope they can somehow bundle Pakistan out for a very, very low score, they though will have to do that twice. The visitors are probably the only team that can win from here but if they do so, it would be nothing more than a shock. |
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