Fresh from a workman-like first innings century despite defeat in the second Test, Ali was again a model of composure in progressing towards another significant innings after over five hours at the crease during which he faced 219 deliveries, stroking two sixes and seven fours.

His confidence dented after enduring the indignity of a “pair” in that loss in Barbados, Azam was less assured at the start of his innings and needed a generous slice of luck to get to his second half-century of the series. Leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo should have claimed his wicket but the right-hander, on 28, was badly missed by wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich just as play resumed in the early afternoon following the first of two stoppages for a steady, persistent drizzle.

That lapse added to the increasing list of costly errors in the field for the West Indies during this 2017 international season in the Caribbean as the pair extended their second-wicket partnership to 120 when Azam eventually departed in a long final session, offering a simple catch to Kieran Powell at first slip off Alzarri Joseph.

Younis Khan, who together with captain Misbah ul Haq is playing his farewell Test, will resume in partnership with Ali on the second morning, weather permitting.

Further compounding the home side’s woes after Jason Holder won the toss and chose to bowl first in heavily overcast conditions was the lack of potency of his prime opening bowler, Shannon Gabriel.

Although economical, Gabriel could not recapture the hostility that wrecked Pakistan’s second innings on the final day of the second Test in Barbados.

Sharing the new ball with Gabriel, Joseph was completely out of sorts in his first spell, prompting the introduction of Roston Chase’s off-spin within the first hour’s play.

That resulted in the visitors’ only casualty of the morning. Shan Masood, playing his first match of the series in place of the unwell Ahmed Shehzad, reached nine off 30 deliveries and prodded indecisively at a delivery from Chase for Holder to take the straightforward catch at second slip.

Apart from the recall of Masood, Hasan Ali is making his debut at the expense of leg-spinner Shadab Khan, who struggled in his first appearance in the second Test.

Pakistan have never won a Test series in the Caribbean on seven previous tours while the West Indies are seeking a first Test series triumph in five years against a team ranked higher than themselves.

Scoreboard at stumps on the opening day of the third and final Test between the West Indies and Pakistan at Windsor Park in Dominica on Wednesday.

The wily spinner finished with 6-124 to secure his second ten-wicket haul in Test cricket after claiming four wickets in the first innings as West Indies were bowled out for 322 before tea on a weary fifth and final day pitch at Sheikh Zayed Stadium.

Shah had deprived West Indian batsman Jermaine Blackwood his second Test hundred when he bowled him for 95 in the pre-lunch session.

West Indies, set a mammoth 456-run target for an unlikely victory, still fought hard and batted for 108 overs with Shai Hope also scoring a fighting 41. Hope and Devendra Bishoo fought for 45 runs during their eighth-wicket stand before left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar (2-51) had Hope and Bishoo (26) caught to finish the match.

In between Babar’s wickets, Shah had Miguel Cummins bowled for nought to finish the match with figures of 10-210, having taken 4-86 in the first innings.

Pakistan won the first Test by 56 runs in Dubai, leaving the third and final Test in Sharjah starting from Sunday inconsequential.

Captain Misbah-ul-Haq showed delight at the series win. “It’s a good win and I am very happy,” said Misbah, who equalled Imran Khan’s record of most matches as Pakistan captain with 48. But this is Misbah’s 23rd victory while Imran had only 14.

“The pitch was not helping the spinners so it was tough to get West Indies out even on a fifth day pitch but we have match-winners like Shah who bowled very well.” Meanwhile, West Indian captain Jason Holder was pleased with his team’s fight despite the defeat.

“We’ve showed signs of improvement,” said Holder who has now lost eight of his 11 Tests as captain.

“Unfortunately we weren’t able to start the game the way we like. They scored too many runs on the first day, we didn’t bat well in the first innings. Pleased with the guys like Blackwood, the way they showed application.”

Blackwood defied Pakistan’s spin-cum-pace attack in the first session by adding 63 for the fifth wicket with Roston Chase (20) and another 57 with Hope for the sixth to counter the weary pitch.

When it seemed Blackwood would complete his second Test hundred, Shah produced a beautiful delivery which kept straight and hit the batsman’s pad, dislodging the stumps. Blackwood hit 11 boundaries during his enterprising 127-ball stay. Shah then trapped Jason Holder leg before for 16 to complete his five-wicket haul, the second in the series. Resuming at 171-4 West Indian pair Blackwood and Chase batted without any problems for the first nine overs, but in the tenth of the day Shah produced a sharp turning ball which took the edge off Chase’s bat to wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed for an easy catch

Pakistan have been on a roll since their 2-2 series draw in England in August, which briefly lifted them to number one position in world cricket`s Test rankings for the first time.

Arch-rivals India relegated Pakistan to number two with recent victory over New Zealand but Misbah-ul-Haq`s men have a prime opportunity to close the gap in the three-match series against the West Indies and are strong favourites.

Pakistan captain Misbah said he was relishing the prospect of a day-night Test, where play will be from 3:30 pm to 10:30 pm (1130 GMT to 1830 GMT) with two breaks of 30 minutes, in what is nominally a “home” series for Pakistan.

“It`s exciting because I think the future belongs to day-night Tests,” said Misbah, whose team will be missing senior batsman Younis Khan, recovering from dengue fever.

Pakistan have included in-form batsman Babar Azam, 21, for his first Test after he racked up 360 runs during the one-day series against the West Indies.

But misfiring openers Mohammad Hafeez and Shan Masood have been axed from the squad which levelled the four-match Test series against England.

The West Indies, routed by Pakistan 3-0 in both Twenty20 and one-day series preceding the Tests, come in as clear underdogs.

Coach Phil Simmons, who guided them to the World Twenty20 title in April this year, was sacked prior to this tour after the team lost 2-0 to India in a four-match series in August.

But captain Jason Holder said the West Indies — down in eighth in the Test rankings — are ready to bounce back.

“We have some new faces in Tests so we will do our best,” said Holder.

Experts, however, see Pakistan`s spin duo of Yasir Shah and Zulfiqar Babar proving too much for the spin-wary West Indian batsmen, especially in the unfamiliar day-night format with the pink ball and under lights. Australia staged the inaugural day-night Test against New Zealand in Adelaide last November — the first in Test cricket`s 140-year history.

The innovation has been brought in to address the dwindling crowds in Test cricket — floodlit matches encourage those at work during the day to attend — and has met with initial success.

The Adelaide Test attracted 123,000 spectators and an average television audience of two million.

But players from both sides complained about the pink ball’s movement and durability, as well as the difficulty batsmen faced seeing it under lights.

Pakistan have accumulated more experience than the West Indies under lights, adopting the coloured ball concept six years ago for the final of their domestic premier first-class tournament.

Pakistan have more than one reason to do well in Dubai — as well as grabbing a slice of Test history the match is their 400th Test since playing their first in India in 1952.

A win will not only cap a historic occasion but will also give Pakistan momentum for their pink-ball Tests in Australia in December.

The remaining two Tests against the West Indies will be in Abu Dhabi (October 21-25) and Sharjah (October 30-November 3).

Teams (from): Pakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Azhar Ali, Sami Aslam, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Sarfraz Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Yasir Shah, Zulfiqar Babar, Rahat Ali, Sohail Khan, Imran Khan

West Indies: Jason Holder (captain), Kraigg Brathwaite (vice captain), Devendra Bishoo, Jermaine Blackwood, Carlos Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Roston Chase, Miguel Cummins, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Shai Hope, Leon Johnson, Alzarri Joseph, Marlon Samuels, Jomel Warrican

Umpires: Richard Illingworth (ENG) and Paul Reiffel (AUS) TV umpire: Ian Gould (ENG), Match referee: Jeff Corwe (NZL).

Ishant Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin claimed one scalp each as West Indies advanced to 2-62 in 22 overs at Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain.

India assumed the top Test spot on the International Cricket Council’s official rankings when Australia lost the third Test in their series against Sri Lanka on Wednesday.

Quick Single: Aussies dethroned as No.1 Test team

But the stay at the top could be short lived, as India need to beat the West Indies in the fourth Test to stop Pakistan from taking over top position.

West Indies skipper Jason Holder won the toss and batted, hoping to capitalise on a slow wicket after a wet outfield delayed the start of play by half an hour.

Pace bowler Sharma did not open the attack, but after biding his time in the field for 11 overs struck with his first ball, a rising delivery that Leon Johnson, on nine, could only fend into the diving hands of Rohit Sharma at short leg.

The Windies had already survived a scare earlier after Bhuvneshwar Kumar – who took five wickets in the first innings of the third Test – struck the outside edge of Kraigg Brathwaite’s bat four times, without getting his man.

Quick Single: Kohli’s eyes on the bigger prize

Off-spinner Ashwin dismissed Darren Bravo in the 15th over with a beautiful delivery that pitched on leg stump and turned to take the number three’s off stump.

Brathwaite was unbeaten on 32 when rain stopped play, with Marlon Samuels on four.

Quick Single: Ashwin finds all-round balance

Umpires subsequently suspended play for the day as the rain continued and the outfield become increasingly waterlogged.

India made two changes from the third test, bringing in opener Murali Vijay for Shikhar Dhawan and Cheteshwar Pujara as an extra batsman in place of spinner Ravindra Jadeja.

Quick Single: Herath, Starc climb in ICC rankings

West Indies brought in leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo for pace bowler Alzarri Joseph.

India lead the series 2-0.

The hosts lead the series 1-0 following their emphatic innings victory in Galle and also look set to win the Sobers-Tissera Trophy which is on offer for the first time.

The national selectors have decided to include another promising youngster Kusal Mendis while replacing the out of form Lahiru Thirimanne who has struggled for runs during the recent past.

Rangana Herath will the vice-captain for the match.

The former Sri Lanka U19 World Cup captain has really forced himself into recognition following a series of good scores for the Sri Lanka A team and for the Development Squad during a recent series in India.

In addition controversial spinner Tharindu Kaushal has been left out and his place will be taken by all-rounder Dilruwan Perera who will be making a comeback having played his previous Test match against Pakistan in June this year.

Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews welcomed the inclusion of new cap Kusal Mendis but also emphasised that the left out players could always make a comeback in the future.

“We know every player goes through a rough patch in their career and I hope the players left out will soon bounce back. But at the moment we don’t have any choices so we got to make that call” said Mathews.

“Kusal Mendis has earned his place in the side and hope that he will grab that opportunity and cement his place in the side. We are not going to put a lot of pressure on him and we can’t expect wonders from him. There will be nervous times for him but we will be there to help him out. As the team captain I will back him all the way. He has the talent and I hope that he will come out good” added the Sri Lanka captain.

Mathews also expected the West Indies to bounce back after their setback in Galle and said that the team will need to play positively if they are to complete a 2-0 whitewash.

“There is a little bit of bounce than it was in Galle. But it looks really dry so the spinners will come into play. Regardless of the wicket we will have to play some good cricket. We got to pick a team which could win the game and I am pretty sure if we could play to our potential we can win the game” added Mathews.

Despite their success in the opening Test, Mathews believed that there is still plenty of room for improvement as the team look to make an impact at a venue which has produced a result in the last ten games.

“As a team we are looking at an improvement in all departments. We can still fine tune in batting, bowling and fielding and we always try to keep on improving and to be as clinical as possible.”

Meanwhile the West Indies are likely to make at least one change to their side with Rajendra Chandrika set to replace opening batsman Shai Hope in the line-up.

Even then, they still face a daunting task to regroup and to bounce back with their bowling area as the main concern having conceded nearly 500 runs to their opponents in the first Test.

No doubt the Caribbean islanders will be inspired with the legendary all-rounder Sir Garfield Sobers been present at the venue as a chief guest.

The teams:

Sri Lanka (from): Angelo Mathews (captain), Rangana Herath (vice-captain), Kaushal Silva, Dimuth Karunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Perera, Milinda Siriwardana, Kusal Mendis, Dilruwan Perera, Dhammika Prasad, Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal, Dushmantha Chameera.

West Indies (from): Jason Holder (captain), Kraigg Brathwaite (vice-captain), Devendra Bishoo, Jermaine Blackwood, Carlos Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Rajendra Chandrika, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Shai Hope, Denesh Ramdin, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels, Jerome Taylor, Jomel Warrican.

Free entry for schoolboys

School cricketers and schoolboys will have free entrance to witness the second Test match between Sri Lanka and the West Indies for the Sobers-Tissera Trophy, which begins at the P. Sara Oval in Colombo today.

Legendary cricketer Sir Garfield Sobers and former national captain Michael Tissera will be the chief guest at this match.

School cricketers and schoolboys are requested to come in with their respective school uniform to receive free entry to the venue.

The Windies in reply to the Sri Lankan first innings score of 484 , were all out for 251 and were made to follow on trailing by 233 runs. At stumps they were 67 for 2 with Herath and debutant Milinda Siriwardena taking the wickets of openers Kraigg Breathwaite and Shai Hope respectively. The West Indies still need 166 runs to escape from an innings defeat. Darren Bravo the top scorer in the first innings with 50 is unbeaten on 20 and with him is left hander Devendran Bishoo.
z_p20-Rangana-01.jpg
Sri Lanka’s hero Rangana Herath who took 6 for 68 in action at Galle yesterday.

West Indies in their first innings with 285 runs adrift to make Sri Lanka bat for the second time started off tentatively with Herath who took two wickets on the previous day starting with a maiden to Marlon Samuels. Nuwan Pradeep bowling from the Rampart end also bowled a maiden over. Darren Bravo looked edgy facing Pradeep and got one past through the slip cordon for 4. But in Herath’s second over Marlon Samuels whom the Windies depended on stepped out and drove Herath straight for 4, but two deliveries later Samuels going for a pull shot off a short delivery which kept low played on off his pads which was sufficient enough to dislodge the bail.

z_p20-Rangana-02.jpgJermaine Blakwood the talented right hander playing in his tenth Test match joined Darren Bravo and brought some order to the West Indian batting. Tharindu Kaushal who replaced Herath was treated harshly by left-hander Bravo , Tharindu Kaushal after being barred of bowling the ‘doosra’ doesn’t look the same bowler which he was , his tendency to bowl quicker at times has made him lose control and Bravo despatched him to the midwicket boundary for a four and a six consecutively to take the Windies past the century mark. The rattled off spinner now had to be aware of his front foot in addition to his arm as he over stepped thrice in the over.

Blackwood and Bravo added 41 runs for the fourth wicket, Dammika Prasad struck when Blackwood edged one into the slips to give Milinda Siriwardena his first Test catch.

Mathews kept his pace-spin going with Prasad and Pradeep from one end Herath and Kaushal from the other end. Kashal was replaced by Milind Siriwardena giving the left armer his first bowl in a Test match. Siriwardene after bowling four overs without much success for ten runs was replaced by Herath once again and Herath obliged his skipper in the second ball just ten minutes before lunch, Darren Bravo going for a big drive on the off ended up with a thick inside edge and Dinesh Chandimal took a spectacular catch at mid-wicket. Bravo had faced 107 deliveries and had eight fours and a six in his 50.

Jason Holder no rabbit with the bat with a Test hundred and a couple of fifties the skipper and his former captain Ramdin had to perform something extra ordinary to restore the innings. Holder after striking four boundaries in his 19 adding 33 runs with Ramdin was caught by Perera, Jerome Taylor added a further 46 with Kemmar Roache for the eighth wicket when Taylor snicked one to Mathews in the slips off Tharindu Kaushal. When Taylor was dismissed the Windies still needed 68 runs to avert the follow-on. Mathews opted for the second new ball at 245 for 8 with Roache and Devendra Bishoo trying desperately to avert the follow. But Herath sharing the new ball with Prasad took the two wickets. Roach who faced eighty deliveries for his 22 fighting doggedly was stumped by Kusal Janith and Shanon Gabriel both fell to Herath who completed another five wicket haul 6 for 68.

Rangana Herath who took seven wickets against India two months ago and bowled his side to victory in this same venue gave an ominous warning taking the wickets of both openers Braithwaite and Hope. The experience duo Darren Bravo and Marlon Samuels are at the wicket.

The hosts would have been in a stronger position if not for losing their last seven wickets for 59 runs after Dimuth Karunaratne (186) and Dinesh Chandimal (151) contributed 337 runs out of the 484 scored.

They were also involved in a record 238 third wicket stand against the visitors.z_p12-sri.jpg

On The morning of the second day Dimuth Karunaratne (135 n.0) and Dinesh Chandimal ( 72 n.o) went on relentlessly as they did on the first day, until they made their record breaking partnership which eclipsed the previous 162 set in 2001 by Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene against the West Indies. The third wicket pair of Dimuth Karunaratne and Dinesh Chandimal added 238 runs. West Indian captain Jason Holder seemed to be running short of ideas with Karunaratne and Chandimal assuming command. He started the day on a somewhat defensive note with only one slip most of the time when his fast bowlers were operating.

Karunaratne and Chandimal showed tremendous concentration and admirable skill while cutting and driving. Every now and again Chandimal produced a cover drive that sizzled to the boundary. Despite Chandimal’s couple of blemishes the pair went on like a machine in perfect running order. They seemed determined to settle for the rest of the day as the West Indians were made to toil in the sweltering heat which Galle was experiencing in the last couple of days.

The fast bowlers did not get much purchase from the pitch although they were switched from one end to the other to err the batsmen. But the pitch was increasingly playing easier. In addition the Windies fielding looked lackadaisical . Chandimal who was batting exquisitely was reprieved for the second time when Blackwood failed to hold on to a catch at cover point when Chandimal (82) went for an ambitious cut off a short pitched ball from hard working Shanon Gabriel. Overall, both Karunaratne and Chandimal kept the score mounting with their audacious stroke play as the crestfallen West Indians desperately trying to get the break through.

Dimuth Karunaratne who was unbeaten on 135 overnight then proceeded to his 150 without any great hurry. Both Chandimal and Karunaratne defied the rather moderate looking West Indian attack due to a placid surface. Chandimal reached his hundred by hoisting spinner Marlon Samuels over mid wicket for a six while Karunaratne was working his way towards his double hundred. Chandimal should consider himself third time lucky amidst the flurry of runs , he drove Devendran Bihoo uppishly towards deep mid off but Jerome Taylor could not fathom the distance of the catch which should have taken and relieved a lot pressure out of the bowlers. About fifteen minutes prior to lunch , the Windies were successful in getting their long awaited breakthrough . After Karunaratne and Chandimal had added 238 runs Marlon Samuels deceived Karunaratne who pushed forward for the bowler himself to take the catch. Karunaratne’s final tally of 186 had sixteen fours and a six facing 354 deliveries and spending 489 minutes at the crease. By that time the pair had brought the score from 101 for 2 to 339 for 3 after a record breaking stand

After the crucial breakthrough the rest of the session was frustrating for the Windies as Mathews joined by Chandimal was in control with a touch of caution and aggression. After adding a further 86 runs for the fourth wicket Chandimal’s innings finally was terminated when he drove one on the off side without getting into position and was caught by Blackwood in the covers for 151 His innings was studded with sixteen fours and two sixes facing 393 deliveries.

However, the Windies fought back even late in the match to deprive the Lankans gaining the psychological advantage by reaching the 500 run mark. Besides skipper Angelo Mathews who played a subdued innings of 48 facing 65 deliveries with five fours and a six and Kusal Janith Perera 23 the Lankans lost their last seven wickets in a heap for 59 runs. Windies skipper the six foot seven inch Jason Holder had his opposite number Mathews caught off his own bowling first ball after tea ,there after Herath, Prasad and Nuwan Pradeep fell to Devendra Bishoo the right arm leg spinner to give him the figures of 4 for 143 in 40.3 overs.

Sri Lanka are rebuilding following the retirement of their batting greats, Mahela Jayawardena and Kumar Sangakkara, within the space of a year.

The West Indies, already hit by the reluctance of senior pros like Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo to play Test cricket, faced further turmoil when coach Phil Simmons was stood down for the tour for speaking out against his board’s selection policies.

Former fast bowler and selector Eldine Baptiste, who will serve as interim coach for the tour, will try to ease newly-appointed Test captain Jason Holder into the role.

Holder, a 23-year-old all-rounder who has played just eight Tests, was a surprise choice to replace the seasoned Denesh Ramdin as captain.

“We have a very young team and a young captain,” Baptiste said. “My job is to keep the team focused for the Test matches.”

The West Indies are searching for their maiden Test win on Sri Lankan soil, where they have played nine matches since 1993 — losing five and drawing the other four.

Both teams will look to bounce back after a lacklustre year.

The West Indians lost to South Africa and Australia, while the home series against England was drawn 1-1.

Angelo Mathews’ Sri Lanka crashed to a 2-0 series defeat in New Zealand and lost home series to Pakistan and India by identical 2-1 margins.

Like their rivals, Sri Lanka too have an interim coach in Jerome Jayaratne, who was given charge of the team after Marvan Atapattu resigned in the wake of the defeat against India.

Jayaratne, who did not play international cricket but made his mark as head of the Sri Lankan board’s coaching department, has already described Mathews’ boys as the “worst fielding side in Asia”.

He refused to take victory for granted against the young touring side.

“I would like to believe that we have a better chance of getting back to winning ways, but I definitely won’t underestimate them,” he said.

Only two players from either side have played more than 50 Tests — Mathews and Rangana Herath for Sri Lanka and batsman Marlon Samuels and Ramdin for the West Indies.

Herath, the 37-year-old left-arm spinner, could prove to be the difference when the first Test starts at the picturesque Galle International Stadium, a venue that traditionally favours spin.

Herath took seven for 48 against India in August, helping Sri Lanka bounce back to win that Test by 63 runs.

In June Pakistani spin twins Yasir Shar and Zulfiqar Babar combined to grab 13 wickets between them as Sri Lanka suffered a 10-wicket defeat at the same venue.

In the absence of star spinner Sunil Narine, who was not picked for the Tests, the West Indies will rely on leg-break bowler Devendra Bishoo, who has claimed 50 wickets in 13 Tests so far.

Sri Lanka’s batting in the absence of Jayawardene and Sangakkara will revolve around skipper Mathews, who hit three centuries in the home Tests against Pakistan and India.

Sri Lanka (from) – Angelo Mathews (capt), Lahiru Thirmanne, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kaushal Silva, Dinesh Chandimal, Rangana Herath, Dhammika Prasad, Kusal Perera, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Pradeep, Tharindu Kaushal, Suranga Lakmal, Dilruwan Perera, Milinda Siriwardena, Kusal Mendis.

West Indies (from) – Jason Holder (capt), Kraig Brathwaite, Jermaine Blackwood, Carlos Brathwaite, Devendra Bishoo, Darren Bravo, Rajendra Chandrika, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Shai Hope, Denesh Ramdin, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels, Jerome Taylor, Jomel Warric