GALLE: Sri Lankan century-maker Dhananjaya de Silva warned on Wednesday that they needed early Pakistan wickets on the final day of the second Test with bad weather looming.

Sri Lanka set Pakistan a record target of 508 and then restricted them to 89-1 to keep alive their hopes of a series-levelling victory. The hosts declared their second innings on 360-8 but were robbed of precious time as only six overs could be played in the final session before bad light stopped play.

Opener Imam-ul-Haq was batting on 46 at stumps with Pakistan 419 runs behind the improbable target.

The onus would be on Pakistan skipper Babar Azam, batting on 26, to help his team bat out the final three sessions for a draw that would also secure a 1-0 series victory for the tourists.

De Silva, who hit 109, said the hosts were wary that bad light could mean another shortened final session on Thursday.

“We need to get wickets early tomorrow,” he said. “The key is to bowl at one point consistently. There are a few rough areas on the pitch and we need to show discipline while bowling.”

The tourists will need to make an unprecedented chase if they are to make it 2-0. The West Indies own the record for the highest successful fourth innings chase in tests having overwhelmed a target of 418 against Australia in 2003 at Antigua.

Sri Lanka, who declared their second innings in the second session after resuming on 176-5, need nine wickets on the final day to end the series level.

First-match hero Abdullah Shafique and Imam began well, seeing through the first hour of what looked like a long grind for Pakistan before Prabath Jayasuriya snapped the 42-run opening stand.

Abdullah (16), who scored an unbeaten 160 in the first Test when Pakistan successfully chased down 342 runs to set a record at Galle, charged out against the spinner but could not connect well sending the ball to mid-off where Dunith Wellalage ran sideways while eyes on the ball to take a tumbling catch before tea. Imam and Azam took their chances against the spinners to get quick runs in the weather-hit final session of play, with 47 runs and six boundaries between them.

After the 28th over of the innings, the Pakistan batters successfully complained to the umpires that they could not see the ball.

“There’s only two results possible in the game and our chances of winning took a severe beating because of bad light,” De Silva said.

Earlier, De Silva made a dominant century before being run out at the non-striker’s end and Sri Lanka skipper Dimuth Karunaratne called his batsmen back to the pavilion.

De Silva put on a key stand of 126 with overnight partner Karunaratne, a left-handed batsman who battled spasms of back pain during his knock of 61.

“Dimuth had a bit of a pain. He didn’t show it. He absorbed it and played,” said De Silva of his captain. “What we wanted to do was to deny them wickets when they were bowling well. We knew if we batted for three sessions we will get to where we want to.”

Karunaratne , who was pushed down to the middle order, went past 6,000 Test runs but fell in the first session after he escaped two close calls off Nauman Ali’s left-arm spin, unsuccessfully reviewed by Pakistan.

Nauman finally got Karunaratne caught at short leg, with Abdullah taking a sharp reflex catch.

De Silva went on to post his ninth Test hundred, after only one half century in 12 innings this year. One of de Silva’s 16 boundaries, an elegant cut against Mohammad Nawaz, brought up his hundred.

De Silva added 82 runs for the eighth wicket with Ramesh Mendis as Pakistan had to further toil on the field. Mendis was rarely troubled during his 55-ball 45 not out, including five fours, giving an indication of the docile nature of the pitch.

Sri Lanka had been waiting for Mendis to complete his first half-century in Test cricket but de Silva was run out for 109 when Yasir Shah from mid-on came up with a direct hit. Sri Lanka declared the innings at that point.

Karunaratne did not take to the field in the final innings with De Silva again standing in as skipper.

Scoreboard

SRI LANKA (1st Innings) 378 (D. Chandimal 80, O. Fernando 50; Naseem Shah 3-58, Yasir Shah 3-83)

PAKISTAN (1st Innings) 231 (Agha Salman 61; R. Mendis 5-47)

SRI LANKA (2nd Innings, overnight 176-5):

N. Dickwella c Rizwan b Naseem 15

O. Fernando lbw b Yasir 19

K. Mendis lbw b Nawaz 15

A. Mathews c Babar b Salman 35

D. Chandimal c Rizwan b Naseem 21

D. Karunaratne c Abdullah b Nauman 61

D. de Silva run out (Yasir) 109

D. Wellalage c Rizwan b Nawaz 18

R. Mendis not out 45

EXTRAS (B-9, LB-7, W-1, NB-5) 22

TOTAL (for eight wkts decl, 91.5 overs) 360

DID NOT BAT: Prabath Jayasuriya, Asitha Fernando

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-27 (Dickwella), 2-47 (Oshada), 3-59 (K. Mendis), 4-100 (Mathews), 5-117 (Chandimal), 6-243 (Karunaratne), 7-278 (Wellalage), 8-360 (De Silva)

BOWLING: Hasan 10-0-44-0 (1w, 1nb), Naseem 12.5-1-44-2 (3nb), Yasir 21-2-80-1, Nawaz 21-4-75-2, Nauman 14-0-54-1, Salman 12-2-41-1 (1nb), Babar 1-0-6-0

PAKISTAN (2nd Innings):

A. Shafique c Wellalage b Jayasuriya 16

Imam-ul-Haq not out 46

Babar Azam not out 26

EXTRAS (NB-1) 1

TOTAL (for one wicket, 28 overs) 89

STILL TO BAT: Fawad Alam, Mohammad Rizwan, Agha Salman, Mohammad Nawaz, Nauman Ali, Yasir Shah, Hasan Ali, Naseem Shah

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-42 (Abdullah)

BOWLING: Asitha 3-1-6-0 (1nb), Jayasuriya 13-1-46-1, R. Mendis 9-0-31-0, De Silva 2-0-4-0, Wellalage 1-0-2-0

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2022