Pakistan rattle Sri Lanka with new aggressive approach

Pakistan’s Abdullah Shafique plays a shot during the first day of the second and final cricket Test match between the two countries at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) ground in Colombo yesterday – AFP

Pakistan’s Naseem Shah (L) celebrates with captain Babar Azam (R) after taking the wicket of Sri Lanka’s Dinesh Chandimal (not pictured) during the first day of the second and final cricket Test match between the two countries at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) Ground in Colombo yesterday

 Sri Lanka’s captain Dimuth Karunaratne clean bowled by Pakistan’s Naseem Shah during the first day of the second and final cricket Test match between the two countries at the SSC Ground in Colombo - AFP

• Take control of second Test on first day

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Pakistan’s new relentless and aggressive approach to become the best team in the world had Sri Lanka rattled on the opening day of the second cricket Test at the SSC grounds yesterday.  Winning the toss for the second successive time in the two-match series Sri Lanka opted to bat first, but on a good batting surface they put up a dismal performance to be dismissed for 166.  By stumps Pakistan who lead the two-match series 1-0 had imposed themselves on the Test by replying with 145-2 trailing by only 21 runs. Pakistan lost Imam-ul-Haq early in the innings for six, but recovered from that early lapse through an entertaining second wicket stand of 108 off 116 balls between Abdullah Shafique and Shan Masood, both of whom completed their individual fifties.  The pair batted brilliantly not letting the Sri Lankan bowlers dictate terms to them. 

They never allowed the bowlers to settle down to bowl a length and anything marginally short was dealt with severely.  Masood was the aggressor in the partnership scoring an attractive 51 off 47 balls (4 fours, 1 six) before falling to Avishka Fernando who was Sri Lanka’s most successful bowler with two wickets. Fernando was one of two changes Sri Lanka made for the Test, the other being debutant Dilshan Madushanka. Shafique was unbeaten on 74 scored off 99 balls (7 fours, 2 sixes) at the close prospering on a dropped return catch to Prabath Jayasuriya at 42 and brilliant lbw review taken after he was given out at 74 before play ended due to bad light. Captain Babar Azam was on eight.  Certainly it was a tough day in office for Sri Lanka who failed to make use of winning the toss on a good batting surface when nothing went right for them.  

The start was not how Sri Lanka wanted to commence the Test. It came through courtesy a run out when skipper Dimuth Karunaratne called his partner Nishan Madushka for a sharp single and Madushka (4) failed to beat Shan Masood’s direct throw at the stumps from short extra cover.  On a good batting pitch Sri Lanka squandered the opportunity of putting up a good total when they lost Kusal Mendis (6) to a soft dismissal going for an extravagant drive off Shaheen Afridi and putting up a simple catch to substitute fielder Mohammed Rizwan at point.                                                                                                                                         

 Naseem Shah who had kept the batsmen guessing from the other end bowling the right lines and lengths, hitting the seam and getting deviation and bounce, struck two double blows by getting rid of Sri Lanka’s two most experienced batsmen within the space of eight balls.

Angelo Mathews made only nine before offering a catch behind the wicket to Sarfaraz Ahmed and Karunaratne who was looking good for a big innings played a shade too early and was bowled off the inside edge for 17 making Sri Lanka 36-4. Sri Lanka went to lunch at 79-4. At Galle too in the first Test Sri Lanka winning the toss and batting first lost four wickets in the first session for 65 runs. Pakistan bowlers continued to trouble the Sri Lankan batsmen picking up a further six wickets in the afternoon session as the hosts were bowled out for 166 by tea. 

Sri Lanka lost their first four wickets for 36 runs in the morning session and the next four for 15 runs before being finally all out. Dhananjaya de Silva, once again looked untroubled by Pakistan’s bowling. He batted with great freedom and with Dinesh Chandimal rebuilt the innings with the only partnership of substance - 85 for the fifth wicket, but both got out when well set. Pakistan’s short ball strategy paid off well when Chandimal was the first of the wickets to fall in the afternoon when Naseem had him top edging a simple catch to midwicket for 34. De Silva, who stood out for Sri Lanka in their previous loss with 122 and 82, hit back with a string boundaries including two straight fours off leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed. But Abrar struck twice having Sadeera Samarawickrama caught by Shafique at short leg without scoring and then the wicket of De Silva who mistimed a pull to deep midwicket to be dismissed for 57 (9 fours, 1 six).

Sri Lanka lost a fourth wicket through the second run out of the innings when Prabath Jayasuriya ran down the pitch from the non-striker’s end for a non-existence run and was caught yards out of the crease. Asitha Fernando resisted with Ramesh Mendis adding 27 runs, but both fell to Abrar who finished with figures of four for 69. Naseem took three for 41.