Rex Clementine Fernando
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2nd One Day: Sri Lanka 'A' v Pakistan 'A' at Colombo, 02 July 2001 Rex Clementine Fernando |
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Pakistan 'A' innings:
Sri Lanka 'A' innings: Pre-game: |
After the fall of the first wicket of Imran Farhat, Faisal Naveed and Taufiq Umar pushed the Pakistani score along.
In the 19th over of the game Suresh Perera was unlucky to have not claimed the wicket of Faisal Naveed. The bowler beat the right-hander on a couple of occasions but couldn’t make the breakthrough.
But two overs later, he accounted for the second Pakistani wicket, by dismissing the left handed Taufiq Umar. The batsman chased a wide delivery and nicked the ball to Kumar Sangakkara behind the stumps. Umar made 40 in 64 deliveries with the help of three boundaries. That also ended his 88 run partnership for the second wicket with Faisal Naveed.
Pakistan’s 100 runs came in 118 minutes and in the 25th over of the match.
In the 25th over of the innings, with the score on 101, Hasan Raza was hit on the head by a rising delivery from Suresh Perera. The Pakistani captain was not wearing an helmet and took is eyes off while ducking at the delivery. Later the batsman was taken to hospital. Umpire Ranmore Martinez called delivery an illegal one.
Pakistani opener Faisal Naveed who came in for this match in place of Qaisar Abbas, reached the only 50 of the match in 75 balls.
In the 29th over of the innings, Sajeeva Weerakoon replaced Suresh Perera whose last over cost nine runs at the Air Force Flats End. From the other end Thilan Samaraweera took up the bowling.
Earlier in the innings, in just the second over, Pakistan lost opener Imran Farhat. The batsman flashed at a delivery outside his stump from Dinusha Fernando and was caught behind by Kumar Sangakkara.
Fernando, could also have claimed the wicket of Faisal Naveed, the other opener, if Sajeeva Weerakoon fielding at mid-on had reached a difficult chance. The fielder dived to his right but couldn’t quite reach the ball, which flew to the boundary.
Runs came at a healthy pace for the visitors. In the first five overs they scored 20 runs, while in the second five they scored another 22.
Captain, Thilan Samaraweera, introduced himself from the Air Force Flats End in the seventh over of the innings, replacing Akalanka Ganaegama..
In the next over, he brought on Sajeeva Weerakoon from the Press Box End.
However the visitors continued to pick up runs by pushing the ball to the vacant gaps. The pair’s 50 run partnership came in the 13th over of the innings.
In the 15th over of the innings, Samaraweera brought on Suresh Perera from the Air Force Flats End, who gave away three runs in his first over.
The Sri Lankans who started off their innings in disastrous fashion losing Avishka Gunawardene, Shantha Kalavitigoda, Jehan Mubarak T.M. Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara with just 42 runs in the board, recovered with captain Thilan Samaraweera and Chamara Silva putting up a 73 run partnership for the 6th wicket.
Samaraweera who joined Silva with the score on 42 for 5 in the 21 over of the game, steadied things through. The batsmen started off cautiously, but as the innings progressed batted positively. Their 50 run partnership came in 52 minutes in 80 balls.
The pair was also helped by some sloppy fielding by the opposition. Although the Pakistanis didn’t drop any catches, their ground fielding was poor and the batsmen were able to convert singles into twos and twos into threes.
The partnership ended with the score on 115, when Chamara Silva trying to work the ball on the leg side edged the ball straight to the hands of the bowler, Azam Hussain. Silva made 40 in 55 balls in 71 minutes. He had put on 73 runs for the 6th wicket with Samaraweera.
Suresh Perera came at the fall of Silva and played a little cameo of 17 facing 22 deliveries. During his stay, he hit two superb sixes, one over the head of long off, off the bowling of Azam Hussain and the second in the next over, a pull, over the head of midwicket.
Irfan Fazil ended Perera’s innings, when he dismissed the batsman through a slower delivery, which the batsmen hit straight into the hands of skipper Hasan Raza at extra cover.
Tilan Samaraeera who played a captain’s knock, was dismissed with Sri Lanka on 155. He made 43 in 73 balls in 94 minutes with the help of two boundaries.
The next man to go was Dinusha Fernando. The batsman going for a drive was clean bowled by Fazil for 2.
Yasir Arafat ended the Sri Lankan innings when he dismissed Akalanka Ganegama. The batsman drived a slower delivery from Arafat in the air and was caught by Misbah ul Haq at mid-off.
Bowling for Pakistan, fast bowler Irfan Fazil and leg spinner Danish Kaneria claimed three wickets each.
T.M. Dilshan and Kumar Sangakarra, both the players who have represented the country at the highest level and have a point to prove to the national selectors, have both been dismissed cheaply in the last hours.
The pair, trying to consolidate after the loss of three early wickets, batted as if they were playing in a Test Match. The run scoring stagnated at between the 13th and 18th over of the innings they failed to score a single run.
Dilshan, batting without any confidence, departed when he flashed at a wide delivery from Danish Kaneria and was caught behind by wicketkeeper Humanyan Farhat for five. During his stay he faced 43 balls in 68 minutes.
In Kaneria’s very next over he dismissed Sangakkara with a beautiful leg spinner. The left-hander was lured into an expansive drive, but was bowled through the gate as the ball spun back sharply. Sangakkara scored 13 off 40 balls in 51 minutes.
Shabir Ahamed, who started bowling from the Press Box End, bowled all his ten overs on the trot (10-3-18-2).
Sri Lanka reached their 50 in the 26th over of the game in 118 minutes.
The 15-year-old left arm spinner, Azam Hussain, then took over the bowling from Danish Kaniera, who had bowled an impressive first spell (7-3-8-2).
Sri Lanka’s third boundary of the innings came in the 28th over from the bat of skipper Thilan Samaraweera. The last boundary had come in the 11th over.
Samaraweera and Silva have staged a recovery since. Samaraweera has driven solidly and Chamara Silva is starting to raise the tempo. The pair have now added 30 runs for the sixth wicket.
Having decided to bat first, the home team did not get off to a flyer. The ball darted around in the opening overs and Sri Lanka lost both their openers cheaply.
The first to go was Shantha Kalavitigoda. The right-hander pushed forward at good length Shabir Ahamed delivery and edged to Taufiq Umar at second slip. The batsman scored one run from 12 balls.
Tillakarathne Dilshan came at the fall of the first wicket and struggled against the pace of Irfan Fazil. The bowler beat Dilshan on a couple of occasions and had two vehement leg-before appeals turned down.
Even Avishka Gunawardene found run scoring difficult and Sri Lanka scored only 11 runs in the first five overs.
Left handed Gunawardene’s innings then ended when he was caught on the point boundary, as he tried to cut a short delivery from Shabeer Ahmed. The batsman hit the ball in the air and straight into the hands of a jubilant Yasir Arafat. The man of the match of the first game was gone for 10 in 19 balls and Pakistan’s players celebrated in style.
Sri Lanka’s first boundary only came in the 9th over from the bat of Jehan Mubarak.
Pakistan who dropped four catches in the first One-Day International put up a much better performance in the first hour of today’s game.
Faizal Naveed, playing in place of Qaisser Abbas, then pulled off a wonderful diving catch in the gully to dismiss Jehan Mubarak. The batsman flashed at a wide delivery by Irfan Fazil and Faizal lept high to his right to take the stunning catch. Mubarak had scored five runs.
Pakistan A captain, Hasan Raza, introduced his leg spinner, Danish Kaneria, in the 13th over of the game; immediately he get the ball to spin sharpely. Shabir Ahamed persisted from the Press Box End.
Saravanamuttu stadium also known as, the Oval, staged Sri Lanka’s first Test Match against England in 1982.
Sri Lanka retained the same squad, which won the first game while Pakistan brought in opener Faizal Naveed replacing Qaisar Abbas.
Pakistan have to win this game to keep their chances alive in the series.
© CricInfo
Date-stamped : 02 Jul2001 - 14:27