ABOC-Cricinfo

Sri Lanka v Pakistan, 3rd Test, Pallekele, 1st day

Sri Lanka crush to legspin again

By the numbers: Yasir Shah, 21 and including-ABOC-Cricinfo

Sri Lanka succumbed to legspin once more in the arrangement, losing six wickets to the mixture, and four of them to their tormentor Yasir Shah to disintegrate from an in number 106 for 1. Dimuth Karunaratne saw out the new ball on an unevenly green contribute the morning, and dove into make his second Test century, however tumbled to part-clock Azhar Ali just before the second one came. Rahat Ali, who had made the beginning leap forward too, topped off an eminent fightback from Pakistan by asserting Dinesh Chandimal leg-before on survey in the penultimate over of the day.

Karunaratne and Upul Tharanga - playing his first Test in a year set up of the truant Kumar Sangakkara - had batted absolutely after the early loss of Kaushal Silva. Presently started to ebb from the pitch, Sri Lanka were serenely set on 85 for 1 in 26 overs at lunch.

That solace broke apart after the break. Pakistan taken care of extensively, the seamer Imran Khan rocking the bowling alley exact lines and Yasir shifting his lengths and edges. There was little in the very first moment pitch for Yasir, yet the Sri Lanka center request was secured by his blend of flight, precision and control. The runs went away, just 21 coming in the initial nine overs after lunch.

Tharanga, on 46, endeavored to counter with an extensive commute without moving his feet, and the ball appeared off the manager to be taken by a plunging slip. Lahiru Thirimanne and Angelo Mathews gave hitting a shot, and just went presently mid-off and mid-on, to withdraw in progressive Yasir overs. Sri Lanka went to tea 3 for 68 off 27 overs in the second session.

Karunaratne and Jehan Mubarak, playing his first Test subsequent to 2007, oversaw to some degree a recuperation around the tea interim. Yasir naturally hailed amid a 22-over spell on the jog. The pitch facilitated up further. Karunaratne smoothly continued gathering runs, utilizing his feet to turn and punching the seamers through the off side.

Yasir was reintroduced when Karunaratne came to his century, off 188 balls, and Mubarak, who had been timing the ball okay, all of a sudden bounced out and was puzzled.

The pattern was to proceed against Azhar as well. Indeed, even as the second new ball drew nearer and another stand grew in the middle of Karunaratne and Dinesh Chandimal, it was the previous' swing to charge and be discovered shy of his ground on 130.

Sri Lanka had fixed all the great work they had begun in the 1^st session. Pakistan's new-ball pair of Rahat and Ehsan Adil did not make the batsmen play enough toward the begin, and Rahat was on the shorter side frequently, particularly to one side handers. At the fact when Pakistan did pitch it up on more tightly lines, they brought about uneasiness with zip and development, and drew edges, none of which transported to their adversity.

The way Tharanga bats, he was certain to be beaten pushing half-forward outside the off stump. The way Tharanga bats, he was likewise going to get keeps running at this very moment he was in the center. A few limits off his favored back foot constrained Rahat out of the assault.

Karunaratne was more careful from the get-go in his innings, deciding to play out conveyances from the wrinkle. When he edged, he did as such with delicate hands. When he drove, he went straight and firm down the ground.

There was an audit against him for leg-before off Imran when he was on 12, however the third umpire maintained the on-field not-out call without checking the ball tracker, recommending he had identified an inside edge.

At the point when Yasir was gotten on the seventeenth over, Karunaratne ventured out first ball to clasp it to the profound midwicket limit, and kept on doing that against twist through his innings.

With the pitch dialing down towards lunch, Pakistan attempted the bouncer, yet Tharanga and Karunaratne were not troubled. It was Yasir, helped by another legspinner, who were to bring about all the troublesomeness once more.