Chandimal’s knock puts SL in lead despite Shaheen’s bag of five

Khalid H. Khan Published December 21, 2019

KARACHI: Pakistan paceman Shaheen Shah Afridi celebrates after cleaning up Sri Lankan tailender Lahiru Kumara during the second Test at the National Stadium on Friday.—Tahir Jamal/White Star

KARACHI: Riding on Dinesh Chandimal’s first significant contribution with the bat in almost a year, Sri Lanka grinded out a crucial lead of 80 runs on the first innings over Pakistan in the second and final Test here at the National Stadium on Friday.

And although Shaheen Shah Afridi registered his maiden five-for and the ever-accurate Mohammad Abbas captured four wickets, Pakistan still had to ensure they didn’t replicate the first day’s batting capitulation. Fortunately for the hosts both Shan Masood — who survived a DRS call late in the evening — and Abid Ali batted through the remaining 65 minutes of the final period to take their team to 57 without loss from 14 overs, reducing Sri Lanka’s lead to 23 at stumps.

After his debut hundred at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Abid is looking in fine touch and full of confidence as he reached 32 (off 42 balls, four boundaries). Shan, on the other hand, battled hard for his 21 after falling cheaply in the first innings after starting the short series with a duck last week.

With nine sessions over the next three days still to go, a result is definitely in the offing after the first Test in Rawalpindi was badly affected by rain.

Shaheen finished with 5-77 in 26,5 overs and Abbas’ nagging length fetched him 4-55 from 27 overs. Young Nasim Shah was unlucky on a couple of occasions and also had a catch spilled, but he tried without any luck.

The engrossing battle here in Karachi was evenly poised at the beginning of the second day which resumed with Sri Lanka on 64-3 in reply to Pakistan’s below par tally of 191. And as the day wore on, the weather became quite hot. The change in climate helped in easing out the pitch, which according to Chandimal is still tough to bat on.

Pakistan openers score 57 in quick time in second outing

“No doubt the weather had a role in making conditions a bit friendly for the batsmen because today it was hot out there. Even then one had to grind hard for runs and at no time the batsmen felt comfortable because the pitch had something for the bowlers,” Chandimal told the reporters. “Pakistan have made a good start in the second innings but we will be aiming to get a couple of early wickets tomorrow [Saturday] to put them under pressure.”

Chandimal, who was sacked as the Test captain in February following a disastrous tour of Australia, regained form with a solid 74 from 143 deliveries — the 30-year-old right-hander’s first half-century since he made 56 against New Zealand in the Boxing Day Test at Christchurch last December.

Pakistan took the field in desperate search for early wickets, and they managed to get rid of the overnight pair — nightwatchman Lasith Embuldeniya and Angelo Mathews — in quick successions — to have Sri Lanka struggling five down for 80.

Number 13 is generally considered unlucky and both Embuldeniya and former captain Mathews emulated Kusal Mendis on the opening day by getting dismissed at that score. The left-handed Embuldeniya doesn’t carry any sort of pedigree with the willow, but still hung around long enough from Thursday evening.

However, the tailender’s luck ran out when a wild heave against Abbas resulted in a leading edge towards the slip cordon where Asad Shafiq took the catch. Two runs later, Mathews’ 84-minute struggle at the crease came to an end as Shaheen induced an inside edge to wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan.

Dhananjaya de Silva — Sri Lanka’s star performer up at Rawalpindi with an undefeated 102 — once again settled in without much problems to treat an almost barren stadium with elegant drives.

Having moved to 32 (off 56 balls, two fours and one six) with consummate ease, de Silva departed in the same as Asad did on day one. Ending far too early into a pull, the right-hander managed to top edge in the fine leg where Abbas completed a smart catch on the run. The 67-run partnership between Chandimal and de Silva not only pushed to 147 but it was also the highest, thus far, in this Test.

While Chandimal continued to force Azhar Ali’s side on the defensive, Niroshan Dickwella came and went after a brisk innings of 21 during the stand of 37 runs. A length ball from Abbas held its line as the wicket-keeper/batsman got tentative and left gap between bat and pad as he ball crashed into the stumps.

The biggest disappointment — not the first time in the ongoing season — was Yasir Shah. Despite spending three days with former spinner Mushtaq Ahmed at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore after being axed for the series opener, the leg-spinner failed to make much impact as the Sri Lankans tackled him easily.

Sensing Yasir had let the tourists off the hook, Azhar turned to Haris Sohail who bagged the prized scalp of Chandimal in his second over. The experienced right-hander perished to a catch at backward point while attempting to cut a short one. Chandimal’s 202-minute vigil in the middle saw him strike 10 boundaries.

Dilruwan Perera had partnered Chandimal during their eighth-wicket partnership of 51 which eventually enabled Sri Lanka overhaul Pakistan’s total. The off-spinning all-rounder was dismissed on 48 (84 balls, six fours and one six) leg-before-wicket on the umpire’s call sixth over into the second new ball.

Shaheen then cleaned up last man Lahiru Kumara with the very next ball to improve upon his previous best return of 4-64, against South Africa at Centurion’s SuperSport Park during last year’s Boxing Day Test.

“I’m really proud at picking up my first five-for,” a beaming Shaheen said during a media conference afterwards. “I bowled to a set plan given by out bowling coach [Waqar Younis] and kept bowling at good pace. The pitch here is ideal for pace bowling and I felt in good rhythm too. Whatever I tried came off and I am very happy and can’t thank Almighty Allah for rewarding me.”

Scoreboard

PAKISTAN (1st Innings) 191 (Asad Shafiq 63, Babar Azam 60, Abid Ali 38; C.B.R.L.S. Kumara 4-49, L. Embuldeniya 4-71, M.V.T. Fernando 2-31).

SRI LANKA (1st Innings, overnight 64-3):

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 c Rizwan b Shaheen 13

L. Embuldeniya c Asad b Abbas 13

L.D. Chandimal c Shan b Haris 74

D.M. de Silva c Abbas b Shaheen 32

N. Dickwella b Abbas 21

M.D.K. Perera lbw b Shaheen 48