Saturday, July 4, 2009

Sri Lanka hit back in Galle Test

First Test, Galle (day one):
Sri Lanka 292 v Pakistan 15-2
Match scorecard

Sri Lanka celebrate after the wicket of Pakistan opener Khurram Manzoor
Two late wickets gave Sri Lanka the slight upper hand

Sri Lanka were reduced to 292 all out by Pakistan on the first day of their first Test but hit back by reducing the visitors to 15-2 by the close of play.

Pakistan's pace debutants Mohammad Aamir (3-74) and Abdur Rauf (2-59) had given their side the upper hand.

Sri Lanka had been 21-2 but Tharanga Paranavitana (72) top scored to give them more of a total to defend.

The hosts started promisingly as Salman Butt and Khurram Manzoor were quickly dismissed to give them the initiative.

Nuwan Kulasekara bowled Butt for a first-ball duck and Thilan Thushara trapped fellow opener Manzoor leg before wicket for just two.

There was a strong security presence in Galle for a Test which came four months after the Sri Lanka team's bus was attacked by gunmen in Pakistan.

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It was their first meeting on the subcontinent since the attack, although the pair did meet when Pakistan beat Sri Lanka in the ICC World Twenty20 in England.

And the touring side started well as they met again, with Aamir sending Malinda Warnapura back to the pavilion in his first over.

The pace and movement of Aamir was causing problems and he soon had Kumar Sangakkara, captaining Sri Lanka in a Test for the first time, caught at third slip by Shoaib Malik.

Malik dropped Paranavitana on four and keeper Kamran Akmal put down a chance from Mahela Jayawardene as Pakistan's fielding let them down.

Paranavitana went on to anchor the Sri Lanka innings as he steered them to some sort of respectability, while Jayawardene reached 30.

Jayawardene's innings epitomised most of those by the Sri Lankans, without the injured spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, as they got themselves in before falling.

With Prasanna Jayawardene injured and Sangakkara concentrating on captaincy, batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan took the wicketkeeping gloves.

Meanwhile, Pakistan recalled experienced batsman Mohammad Yousuf, making his return to international cricket after a spell in the unsanctioned Indian Cricket League.

ะพ 5:01 AM

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