Seniors prove why they are indispensable
Four players held centre stage on day three of the second Test between Sri Lanka and Pakistan at the SSC grounds yesterday.Undoubtedly, the biggest achievement was the magnificent bowling of the persistent, patient and consistent Rangana Herath who became the second bowler following Muttiah Muralitharan to snare nine batsmen in an innings.
His figures of 33.1-3-127-9 tell a tale of complete dominance over a spin-suspicious batting side.
Mahela seems to be telling left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, who bagged nine wickets, “You gave me the best parting gift ever”
Twenty-four-year-old Sharfraz Ahmed, who gave a hint of things to come with two fifties at Galle, went one better with a maiden hundred that took him only 109 balls. Suffice it to say that Herath troubled every one save Sharfraz.
At the same time, Herath has the best figures for a left-arm spinner or for any left-arm bowler for that matter in history to capture nine Test wickets in an innings. Earlier the best left-arm effort was when Hedley Verity of England bagged 8 for 43 against Australia at Lord’s in 1934.
The old firm of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardena joined forces in a 98-run unbroken stand for the third wicket in their final union at Test level. There will be more to come. Sangakkara made a resolute and determined unbeaten 54 in 121 balls – his fifty first. His comrade in arms, Jayawardena was pinned down by Saeed Ajmal in the last two deliveries and remained 49 not out off 123 balls. He is looking for his fiftieth half century in the 149 Test career.
Sharfraz’s enterprise and Rehman’s obduracy saw forty runs added for the seventh wicket. Rehman lofted Herath to long off for four, but shortly after, played forward to him and edged for Jayawardena’s 203rd catch.
Fifty runs had come in 14 overs in the first hour’s play. Sharfraz seldom had recourse to defense and swept to an enterprising, even brilliant, hundred in only 109 balls by dispatching Chanaka Welagedara to, and over, the square by boundary in successive deliveries.
Wahab Riyaz had made a bold 18 in a manner befitting a number nine, before swinging Herath into the wanting hands of deep square leg. Sharfraz had to switch roles after Ajmal joined him. This led to his undoing as he nicked one to the keeper. Catch number five for Niroshan Dickwella, but one of them was ‘manufactured’ by Kaushal Silva. Sharfraz had seven fours and a six in his 127-ball knock.
The ninth wicket fell at 315 – five runs behind Sri Lanka’s first innings. However, a little bit of unorthodoxy paid dividends as Ajmal and Junaid were able to eke out a 12-run lead.
Herath’s success is a telling indictment on the other bowlers who bowled sixty overs in all to take a mere wicket. The other Sri Lankan to take nine wickets in an innings was Muralitharan who took nine on his way to a match hand of 16 at the Foster’s Oval in 1998. However this is also the first time that a bowler has captured nine wickets in an inning in a Test match since Muttiah Muralitharan did so against Zimbabwe in 2002.
Having conceded a 12-run lead, the Sri Lankan openers Upul Tharanga and Kaushal Silva did not put 
runs on the board quickly. One got the impression that they were quite prepared to sit on their 1-0 lead in the series. Tharanga played a couple of dazzling shots through the covers, while Silva was becalmed, first’ on 8, and then on 9. Tharanga’s 45 took only 63 balls. In contrast, Silva labored for 72 balls to put together 17 runs.
The visitors were reduced to a three-man attack as Junaid, who received a plunk on the helmet courtesy Dhammika Prasad, had gone to hospital for a precautionary X-ray. Sangakkara had progressed smoothly to 19 when Riyaz struck him on the pads. The umpire’s call went in his favour.
The partnership-men, Sangakkara and Jayawardena settled in for the long haul. The former did not produce too many sizzling shots, but Jayawardena played an entrancing cover drive — vintage Jayawardena, indeed. Later on, he danced down the wicket and on drove Rehman to the untenanted boundary at long on. His late cutting, too, was exceptional.
His partner was approaching full flow, but Sangakkara, the experienced pro, didn’t try to match him shot for shot. Instead, he denied himself, rotated the strike and provided the stability.
Jayawardena made a sizzling drive through point to the boundary and followed up by tapping a short delivery over the slips another four. Riyaz was the suffering bowler.
| Scoreboard
Sri Lanka 1st innings 320 Sri Lanka 2nd innings |