Game wide open

GALLE, Saturday - The tail-enders salvaged somewhat, but a below par batting performance by the Lankan top order batsmen saw the visiting Pakistani bowlers led by two debutants wresting the initiative on the first day of the Test at the Galle International Cricket Stadium, here today. Sri Lanka was all out for 292 in 80.2 overs in 353 minutes.

Sri Lanka at the end of the day came back fighting when they had Pakistan, also tottering at 15 for 2, with opening bowlers Nuwan Kulasekera and Thilina Thushara sending back openers Kurram Mansoor for 2 and Salman Butt without a single run against his name. However once the shine wears off on the second day with experienced batsmen - Younis Khan, Mohammed Yousuf and Sohaib Malik still to get out it would be interesting to see the exchanges then onwards.

Paranavithana waves his bat after scoring his half century.

The only batsmen who showed any fight were opener Tharanga Paranavithana who top scored with a solid knock of 72 and the promising debutant Angelo Mathews who made a plucky 42. In the tail end of the Lankan inning Nuwan Kulasekera too came up with little cameo making 38 runs in an inning that contained a six and five fours.

Several top order Lankan batsmen got in and got out, thus throwing away consolidation whenever the Lankans seemed to be doing it. For Pakistan the day’s heroes were the seventeen-year-old Mohammed Aamer and thirty-year-old Abdur Rauf who had the Lankan top order in all sorts of difficulties right through the day.

True, the pitch which was covered in most parts of the past few days had early moisture and life helped the seamers, but unforgivingly, some of the Lankan top order batsmen threw away the opportunities after getting starts. For instance Mahela Jayawardena, Thilan Samaraweera and T.M. Dilshan looked as if they were in for a long stay, but, all three batsmen got out against the run of play. Mahela who had brought the Lankan batting from a precarious 21 for 2 along with opener Tharanga Paranavithana got out ten minutes before the lunch break, caught behind off Abdur Rauf. Samaraweera who had one from the Pakistani skipper Younis Khan leaving him just outside the off stump, held his bat to the next ball which was pitched on the same spot. Adding insult to injury with Sri Lanka struggling on 5 for 194 at tea, Dilshan got out - caught at gully going for an expansive drive in the first ball after the tea break.

Earlier in the day Younis Khan winning the toss invited Sri Lanka into and exploited conditions at hand to the maximum. The young Aamer was the most potent bowler with a lot of venom he first had opener Malinda Warnapura playing on to his stumps and then scalped the prize wicket of the Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara holding out to the slips on the back foot for 9. Former skipper Mahela Jayawardena joining the surviving opener Tharanga Paranavithana added 75 runs for the third wicket, but Mahela’s demise had the Lankans tottering once again at 104 for 3 at lunch. Aamer would have done more damage if the Pakistani fielders had held on to the catches offered by Paranavithana and Jayawardena early in their innings.

Paranavithana playing in only in his third Test batted with a lot of conviction. He looked solid in defense, and was not afraid to punish the loose balls the way they should be. In return the Pakistan attack treated him with a barrage of rising balls just short of a length. Finally it was a rising short pitched delivery off Rauf that ended the impressive innings of Paranavithana when he had him held in the slips for 72. Tharanga in his 182 minute stay at the crease faced 125 balls and hit 11 fours while Mathews hit six fours facing 43 balls.