Five players, four of whom played in the first 'Test' against Pakistan A at Dambulla, were left out of the Sri Lanka A squad of 15 picked by the national selectors for the second unofficial Test beginning at the NCC grounds on Tuesday.
Dropped from the squad are Kumar Sangakkara, Ian Daniel, Ruchira Perera, Upekha Fernando and Muthumudalige Pushpakumara.
Their places have been given to batsmen Indika de Saram and Avishka Gunawardana, wicket-keeper/batsman Tillekeratne Dilshan, and fast bowlers Suresh Perera and Ishara Amerasinghe.
The rest of the squad have been retained including leg-spinners Sajeewa Weerakoon (left-arm) and Chandana Samarasinghe (right-arm) who bowled poorly in the Dambulla 'Test'.
The inability of these two bowlers to provide the necessary support to captain Tilan Samaraweera's off-spin was a key factor in Sri Lanka A failing to beat Pakistan A.
"If Samaraweera can take six wickets on a turning pitch I can't see why the other two spinners could not support him," said Sri Lanka A coach Hemantha Devapriya.
"If they had kept one end tight, we could have put the pressure on Pakistan. There were too many loose balls bowled and there was a time when they were even taking runs off Samaraweera and maintaining a good run rate," he said.
Samaraweera took a career best 6 for 55 and a match bag of ten wickets, but Pakistan A hung on with their last pair at the wicket to force a draw at 185 for 9 after chasing a winning target of 214.
Devapriya was full of praise for the manner in which Pakistan fought back. "They are a very good side and they are very active on the field. Their fast bowlers are bowling with 100% commitment and they are hitting the deck all the time," said Devapriya.
Pakistan A' coach-cum-manager Mudassar Nazar said that it was not really a crisis point to make any major changes to his team for the second Test.
"Everyone has played just one game. It's their first match in Sri Lanka. We will review our position after the next game," said Mudassar.
"I think we've done well, but the batting could have been a lot better. Considering there was no life in the pitch, our bowlers bowled exceptionally well and we fielded well," he said.
Mudassar praised the match-saving innings of Misbah-ul-Haq who made 91 in the second innings and skipper Hasan Raza's century in the first.
"It was a great captain's knock. Raza was very patient and what sticks to my mind is that it came from the front," Mudassar said.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka A' fast bowler Ruchira Perera was warned by match referee Don Anurasiri for his misconduct on the field during the first 'Test' at Dambulla.
Perera made disparaging remarks at Hasan Raza during the Pakistan A first innings when the captain edged a ball uppishly on the leg side where it fell safely between three emerging fielders.
The Sri Lanka A' squad for the second 'Test': Tilan Samaraweera (captain), Dammika Sudarshana, Michael Vandort, Tillekeratne Dilshan, Chamara Silva, Jeevantha Kulatunga, Avishka Gunawardana, Chandana Samarasinghe, Sajeewa Weerakoon, Akalanka Ganegama, Indika de Saram, Suresh Perera, Gayan Wijekoon, Ishara Amarasinghe, Dinusha Fernando.
© CricInfo Ltd.
| Teams | Pakistan, Sri Lanka. |
| Players/Umpires | Kumar Sangakkara, Muthumudalige Pushpakumara, Tillakaratne Dilshan. |
| Tours | Pakistan A in Sri Lanka |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Results - Forthcoming Desktop Scoreboard |
|
|
|
||||||
| |||
|
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
|
