AFP/Colombo
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| Pakistan’s captain Misbah-ul-Haq plays a shot during the third day of their second Test match against Sri Lanka in Colombo yesterday. (Reuters) |
The tourists, who declared their first innings at 551-6, dismissed opener Tharanga Paranavitana for zero before the hosts recovered to post 70-1 by stumps at the Sinhalese Sports Club.
The experienced duo of Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara led the revival by adding 59 runs for the second wicket on a pitch that continued to assist batsmen.
Dilshan was unbeaten on 46 with nine hits to the fence and Sangakkara was on 22.
Just 27 overs of the stipulated 90 were bowled during the day as rain washed out play in the last two sessions. The second day had also seen only 44 overs sent down.
With more rain forecast over the next two days, the match appeared headed for a draw with Sri Lanka set to retain their lead in the three-match series after winning the first Test in Galle by 209 runs.
A fired-up Pakistan attack were rewarded with the breakthrough in the fourth over when left-handed Paranavitana was snapped up at short-leg by Azhar Ali off Junaid Khan.
But Dilshan and Sangakkara, who both scored centuries in Galle, settled down to deny the tourists further success.
Pakistan, who resumed on the overnight score of 488-4, batted for an hour before skipper Misbah-ul Haq declared the innings.
Misbah himself remained unbeaten on 66 after Asad Shafiq was run out for two and Adnan Akmal was caught in the covers to give left-arm spinner Rangana Herath his third wicket in the innings.
Pakistan’s innings had revolved around a second-wicket stand of 287 between Mohammad Hafeez (196) and Azhar Ali (157), the highest partnership by a visiting team on Sri Lankan soil.
The third Test will be played in Pallekele from July 8.
Australia to play Afghanistan in ODI
Top-ranked Australia will play emerging cricket nation Afghanistan for the first time in a one-day international in the Middle East next month, Cricket Australia (CA) said yesterday.
The game will serve as a warm-up for Australia’s series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates, which immediately precedes the ICC World Twenty20 tournament in Sri Lanka in September-October.
CA chief executive James Sutherland said Australia had been looking for a chance to play Afghanistan and saw the opportunity once details of the the Pakistan ODI and Twenty20 series in the UAE had become clear over the weekend.
While no venue has been yet finalised for the Afghanistan ODI, CA said the game was being scheduled to allow the Australian team time to acclimatise before taking on Pakistan in three ODIs and three T20s in August.
“Everyone in world cricket have been really impressed with how cricket has flourished in Afghanistan, despite its pressing national problems,” Sutherland said in a statement.
“As an ICC member, CA strongly supports world cricket’s ambition for cricket to continue to develop as a global sport and that, combined with the strong relationships between our two countries, encouraged us to look at how we might recognise and encourage Afghanistan by playing them on the field.”
Sutherland said Australia were also looking forward to hosting Afghanistan in the ICC Under-19 World Cup in Australia in August.
He said the details of the Afghanistan fixture had been finalised in discussions at last week’s annual meeting of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in Malaysia.
ICC president Alan Isaac, speaking in Dublin where he will watch Afghanistan play Ireland, welcomed the match.