Kaushal, Prasad put Lanka on top
Tharindu Kaushal-(5 for 42) and Dammika Prasad (3 for 43) held sway as they restricted Pakistan to 138 to put Sri Lanka in a strong position on the first day of the Second Test at the P.Sara Oval in Colombo.
Sri Lanka in Reply were 70 for 1 off 32 overs at close. Opener Kaushal Silva was unbeaten on 21 and Kumar Sangakkara was 18 n.o
Sri Lanka made two changes, bringing in off spinner Tharindu Kaushal for injured Dilruwan Perera and replaced Nuwan Pradeep with Dushmantha Chameera who made his Test debut.
Pakistan stuck to their same Galle victorious combination. The conditions seemed to be helping pace and Dhammika Prasad struck early. In the first ball of his second over, Prasad forced Ahamed Sheshad to edge one into the slips and Kumar Sangakkara accepted it gleefully. The Pakiatanis were unable to get on top of the bowling with both Prasad and Chameera bowling well. Prasad struck a crucial blow once again when he had Azar Ali playing forward to a moving ball and snicked one and stood his ground referring the decision to the third umpire.
The snick was so imperceptible even the third umpire Australian Paul Reiffell took some time to give the final judgment which went in favour of Prasad. Dhammika Prasad took both the wickets that fell in the morning session as skipper Mathews, Chameera and Prasad bowled 23 overs in tandem during the morning session. At lunch, the visitors facing 23 0vers were 70 for 2 with Mohammed Hafeez 31 n.o and Younis Khan 2 n.o.
Soon after lunch Sri Lanka’s fortunes were on the rise. Tharindu Kaushal playing only in his second Test and the first at home after making an horrendous debut in Christchurch, New Zealand on Boxing Day, got off to a capital start. He just bowled the last over before lunch and soon after lunch Tharindu Kaushal had already shattered the main Pakistan batting. Dhammika Prasad took his third wicket sending back Younis Khan, caught off his glove by Chandimal. This opened the “gates” for a sensational Pakistan batting collapse. Both Prasad who gave the early impetus and Tharindu Kaushal produced spells of exceptionally good pace and spin bowling at the right time for the side and by doing so ripped the middle order of Pakistan batting. At lunch the visitors were 70 for 2 in 23 overs with Kaushal just beginning to bowl, Tharindu Kaushal’s off spin was preferred to the seasoned left arm spin of Rangana Herath who never bowled in the innings.
In just 9.5 overs, Kaushal demolished Pakistan batting as they lost their last eight wickets for 65 runs in 119 balls during the post lunch debacle. While Tharindu Kaushal bowled Mohammed Hafeez in his fourth over after lunch while shaping well, he also struck grievous blows to send back first Test heroes Ashad Shafiq Sarfraz Ahmed Riyaz Wahab and Yasir Shah in quick succession.
Categories: Cricket
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