Younis misses the crest as Karachi Test ends in draw: Pakistan post highest ever total as records tumble

KARACHI, Feb 25: A record unbroken seventh-wicket partnership against Sri Lanka helped Pakistan amass their biggest-ever total after Younis Khan fell well short of breaking Brian Lara’s world record of 400 not out as the first Test petered out in the most predictable of stalemates at the National Stadium here on Wednesday.

Younis, the never-say-die skipper, was dismissed for 313 as Pakistan declared at their marathon first innings — that began on Sunday evening after Sri Lanka had closed theirs at 644-7 — after keeping the tourists in the field for 993 minutes while posting 765 for six, an hour after lunch on the final day with Kamran Akmal and Yasir Arafat putting on 169 at better than a run-a-minute — two hours and 18 minutes to be precise.

Kamran led the way by hammering eight fours and five sixes in a career-best 158 — the wicket-keeper/batsman’s sixth Test century and first against Sri Lanka — off 184 balls as he and Yasir (50 off 129 balls, two fours and two sixes) took advantage of some lollipop stuff from Sri Lankans when Mahela Jayawardene brought on occasional bowlers after Younis’s epic display of concentration, lasting 12 hours and 48 minutes. The 31-year-old right-hander faced 568 balls in a relentless effort that featured 27 fours and four sixes.

Pakistan’s record total, which surpassed the 708 at The Oval in the fifth and final Test of the 1987 series against England, was also their best on home soil, usurping 699-5 declared against India at Lahore in January 2006. It was also the fifth highest in the history of Tests and the best by any team in Pakistan too, and the highest by any side against Sri Lanka, who in fact had hitherto never conceded 700 in a Test innings.

When the final day of this record-breaking match dawned expectations ran high as all eyes were focused on Younis, who resumed at 306 and was still 31 runs short of the legendary Hanif Mohammad’s highest individual score by a Pakistani batsman — which was meticulously made to save the Bridgetown Test against the West Indies in 1957-58.

With the field, understandably forced, on the defensive, Younis was cautious as he nudged for singles and twos, but having got to 313, Dilhara Fernando produced a beauty. The ball from the hardworking paceman pitched short of a length outside the off stump before it cut back sharply to bowl the Pakistan captain neck and crop.

However, Younis still had the satisfaction of becoming only the second Pakistani after Inzamam-ul-Haq — the only other man from this nation to score a triple ton (329 v New Zealand at Lahore in 2002) — to complete 1,000 Test runs against Sri Lanka with his score on 309.

Kamran also celebrated a personal landmark while passing his previous best score of 154 against England at Lahore in 2005-06 by becoming just the third Pakistani wicket-keeper to pass 2,000 Test runs.

Pakistan then scored psychological points ahead of the second Test in Lahore as Sri Lanka, after starting their second innings with a deficit of 121 runs, stuttered to 144-5 on either side of the tea break before both teams mutually agreed after the fifth mandatory over to end a Test match in which the batsmen ruled the roost while the bowlers huffed and puffed but found the slow track heartbreaking all the way as the match aggregate of 1553, for the loss of just 18 wickets, ultimately illustrated.

This Test inevitably provided the highest ever match aggregate in the all Pakistan-Sri Lanka Tests, surpassing 1294 runs made for the loss of 29 wickets at Colombo’s SSC Ground in 1997.

There were many defining moments in the Pakistan’s first Test for 14 months, but only three of them will be long remembered — Younis’s tremendous innings, the fourth-wicket world record partnership of 437 between Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera, and of course, Pakistan accumulating their highest innings total in 336 Tests.

On the low side, Sohail Khan made an inauspicious debut by going wicketless while conceding 164 runs in 27 overs. Sri Lankan debutant opener Tharanga Paranavitana had a tough baptism that began with a first-ball dismissal and ended in a farcical run out in the second innings for nine.

Scoreboard

SRI LANKA (1st Innings) 644-7 declared (D.P.M.D. Jayawardene 240, T.T. Samaraweera 231, K.C. Sangakkara 70, B.S.M. Warnapura 59).

PAKISTAN (1st Innings, overnight 574-5):

Khurram Manzoor c P. J’dene b Mendis 27

Salman Butt c M. J’dene b Murali 23

Younis Khan b Fernando 313

Shoaib Malik run out 56

Misbah-ul-Haq lbw b Fernando 42

Faisal Iqbal lbw b M. J’dene 57

Kamran Akmal not out 158

Yasir Arafat not out 50

EXTRAS (B-5, LB-11, W-5, NB-18) 39

TOTAL (for six decl, 248.5 overs) 765

FALL OF WKTS: 1-44, 2-78, 3-227, 4-357, 5-531, 6-596

DID NOT BAT: Umar Gul, Danish Kaneria, Sohail Khan.

BOWLING: Vaas 36-10-66-0 (6nb); Fernando 39-2-124-2 (7nb, 1w); Mendis 59-14-157-1 (3nb, 4w); Muralitharan 65-14-172-1; Dilshan 19-3-82-0; Paranavitana 5-0-33-0; Sangakkara 10-0-34-0; D.P.M.D. Jayawardene 6.5-0-41-1; Warnapura 9-0-40-0

SRI LANKA (2nd Innings):

B.S.M. Warnapura c Kamran b Umar 2

N.T. Paranavitana run out 9

K.C. Sangakkara lbw b Kaneria 65

T.M. Dilshan c Faisal b Umar 8

M. Jayawardene c Faisal b Kaneria 22

T.T. Samaraweera not out 24

H.A.P.W. Jayawardene not out 7

EXTRAS (NB-7) 7

TOTAL (for five wkts, 31 overs) 144

FALL OF WKTS: 1-2, 2-32, 3-45, 4-103, 5-120

BOWLING: Umar Gul 9-1-41-2 (4nb); Sohail Khan 6-0-33-0; Yasir Arafat 6-0-32-0 (1nb); Danish Kaneria 9-1-35-2; Shoaib Malik 1-0-3-0 (2nb).