KARACHI: The opening day of the second cricket Test of the ICC World Test Championship between Pakistan and Sri Lanka provided fascinating battle at the National Stadium here on Thursday with honours equally shared by the two teams.

The pitch became the talking point early into the game after no less than 13 wickets fell for just 258 runs. Pakistan were seeking to cash in on the advantage of winning the toss but their dreams were dashed in the dramatic last session which was full of drama. The hosts set the tone as their now-familiar collapse led to the final six wickets tumbling for the addition of just 23 runs in 47 deliveries and Pakistan were dismissed for 191 — their fourth lowest team total in a Karachi Test.

The damage was inflicted upon Azhar Ali’s side by Sri lanka’s pace-cum spin combination of Lahiru Kumara and the orthodox Lasith Embuldeniya, who between them finished with four wickets apiece following an incisive new-ball spell from the impressive Vishwa Fernando. Kumara bagged 4-49 in 18 overs.

After it seemed that Sri Lanka had taken control during the 10-minute changeover, Pakistan fought back into contention to leave the tourists also in a state of anxiety at 64-3, still 127 runs behind on the first innings. Upfront, the gangling Shaheen Shah Afridi removed Oshada Fernando (4) with the aid of Decision Review System (DRS) after the caught-behind appeal was initially turned down.

Sri Lanka then suffered further shocks shortly after Mohammad Abbas switched to the Pavillion End. The seamer first forced Dimuth Karunaratne to play onto the stumps with a delivery pitching on the off-stump and the departure of the in-form visiting captain for a 42-ball 25 (four boundaries) was followed up by the dismissal of Kusal Mendis.

Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq impress with half-centuries on tricky wicket

The talented right-hander, who made 13, waited for a while before edging a low catch to Haris Sohail at the first slip. Umpires Bruce Oxenford and Joel Wilson decided to ask TV umpire Gregory Brathwaite for the ruling, while adjudging Mendis out on the soft signal.

Asad Shafiq expressed his astonishment over the abnormal behaviour of the playing surface at such an early stage after top-scoring with 63 (off 126 balls, six boundaries) during the Pakistan innings.

“We are not offering any excuses for being bowled out for such a low score. But definitely the way ball kicked up was surprising to see on a first-day pitch,” the diminutive right-hander pointed out at the post-day play’s presser. “I thought the spinner [Embuldeniya] bowled outstandingly all through the day and got sufficient purchase from the surface. All credit to him and Kumara for bowling brilliantly in the final session.

“Early on in the day it wasn’t easy to bat on but as the pitch started to ease under the sun, batting became a bit easier. We should have prolonged the few partnerships built though.”

Asad also revealed that he couldn’t clearly judge out when Haris sought advice whether to ask for DRS after being given out leg-before to left-armer Embuldeniya, who tossed up one that turned back into the left-hander to hit low in front of the stumps.

“Actually I was never in a position to offer advice since I was standing at an angle from where it was impossible to judge the length and the spin. So Haris took the risk,” he said.

Apart from Asad — who failed to keep down a half-tracker from Kumara and paid the ultimate price the top-edge land down Vishwa Fernando’s lap — Babar Azam yet again looked a class act with a crisp knock of 60 to follow on the heels of that unbeaten ton in the Rawalpindi Test last week.

Babar, who struck the ball sweetly, including a straight six off Embuldeniya while adding 62 with Asad, was eyeing his third century in four Tests until a brilliantly flighted delivery beat him as he charged down the pitch and was stumped by the alert Niroshan Dickwella. Babar’s innings featured eight fours.

Earlier, Pakistan once again began their innings disastrously. Vishwa Fernando continued his dominance of Shan Masood (5) by getting the left-handed opener glued to the crease with a full-length ball which disturbed the timbers.

But the biggest disappointment from Pakistan’s perspective was their struggling skipper when Azhar was undone by a ripper in the same over as Fernando uprooted the off stump for his second wicket in three deliveries.

Abid Ali, fresh from his record-breaking 109 in the first Test, caught the eye with some delightful strokes, the pick of them being an effortless punch to the cover boundary. The opener shaped up quite well but after making 38 (66 balls, seven fours and one six), Kumara pushed him back deep into crease. The resultant LBW verdict was upheld by Brathwaite after Abid went for a referral, but it was all in vain.

Embuldeniya, in the meantime, candidly remarked that a patch had already developed on the good length area at the University Road, while echoing Asad’s words about the state of the pitch. “As the game moves forward the pitch would start deteriorating and the spot from which I managed to extract spin will become unplayable for the batsmen to combat,” Embuldeniya, who grabbed four for 71 from 20.3 overs, told reporters. “Therefore, we have to bat really well to take a lead big enough to put Pakistan under pressure.”

Sri Lanka will be now relying heavily on the experienced shoulders of Angelo Mathews to carry them into a position of ascendency on Friday’s second day. The former captain had made eight from 16 balls by stumps in the first full day of play in this series.

Scoreboard

PAKISTAN (1st Innings):

Shan Masood b V. Fernando 5

Abid Ali lbw b Kumara 38

Azhar Ali b V. Fernando 0

Babar Azam st Dickwella b Embuldeniya 60

Asad Shafiq c V. Fernando b Kumara 63

Haris Sohail lbw b Embuldeniya 9

Mohammad Rizwan b Kumara 4

Yasir Shah lbw b Kumara 0

M. Abbas c de Silva b Embuldeniya 0

Shaheen Afridi c Mathews b Embuldeniya 5

Nasim Shah not out 1

EXTRAS (B-4, LB-2) 6

TOTAL (all out, 59.3 overs) 191

FALL OF WKTS: 1-10, 2-10, 3-65, 4-127, 5-167, 6-172, 7-172, 8-179, 9-185

BOWLING: M.V.T. Fernando 13-3-31-2; Kumara 18=5-49-4; Karunaratne 1-0-11-0; Embuldeniya 20.3-3-71-4; Perera 7-0-23-0

SRI LANKA (1st Innings):

B.O.P. Fernando c Rizwan b Shaheen 4

F.D.M. Karunaratne b Abbas 25

B.K.G. Mendis c Haris b Abbas 13

A.D. Mathews not out 8

L. Embuldeniya not out 3

EXTRAS (LB-6, W-5) 11

TOTAL (for three wkts, 19 overs) 64

FALL OF WKTS: 1-28, 2-39, 3-61

TO BAT: L.D. Chandimal, D.M. de Silva, N. Dickwella, M.D.K. Perera, M.V.T. Fernando, C.B.R.L.S. Kumara

BOWLING (to-date): Shaheen Shah Afridi 6-2-18-1; Mohammad Abbas 8-3-21-2; Nasim Shah 5-0-19-0 (1w)

UMPIRES: B.N.J. Oxenford (Australia) and J.S. Wilson (West Indies)

TV UMPIRE: G.O. Brathwaite (West Indies)

MATCH REFEREE: J.J. Crowe (New Zealand)

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2019