Pakistan and Sri Lanka Test Series 2009
Day Three of the Third Test
In another enthralling day’s cricket, three more Pakistanis returned to form. Shoaib Malik, Misbah-ul-Haq and Kamran Akmal weren’t in quite as precarious a position as Danish Kaneria had been before his five-wicket haul yesterday, but continued low scores would have threatened their places in the team. As it happened, the three men took Pakistan to 300/5 at the close of play, good enough for a 366-run lead.
Shoaib Malik Overcomes Feud with Mohammed Yousuf
As captain of the Pakistan team, Shoaib Malik attracted controversy and was ultimately sacked for consistently delivering poor performances without ever justifying his place in the team as a batsman. Particularly damaging to his reputation was an ugly spat with star Mohammed Yousuf, who promptly packed his bags in a huff and joined the rebel IPL. Now, with Yousuf back in Pakistan colors and Shoaib demoted from the captaincy, they seem to have put the incident behind them.
Continuing the trend of the match, and indeed of the series as a whole, one team began by dominating the day, only to end up losing the plot. Sri Lanka quickly reduced Pakistan to 67-4, with star batsmen Younis Khan and Mohammed Yousuf, who together have produced many memorable partnerships, back in the pavilion. Little did they know that they had only set the stage for an unlikely 119-run partnership between Shoaib and Misbah. Misbah ultimately departed for a composed 65, which brought wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal to the crease.
Kamran Akmal Overcomes Wicketkeeping Woes
There is little doubt that Kamran Akmal is the worst wicketkeeper in international cricket. His gloves might as well be lathered with butter. The only thing that has kept him in the team has been his facility with the bat. And this talent was in full display today. Akmal dominated his unbeaten 114-run partnership with Shoaib, scoring 60 of only 68 balls with five boundaries and one six.
While Akmal provided the impetus, Shoaib played a more steadying role to ensure against another calamitous Pakistan collapse. His 106 took 186 balls and was only his second Test century.
Sri Lankans Miss Spin-twins Muralitharan and Mendis
For Sri Lanka, the problem was one of selection rather than execution. Pakistan’s bowling was dominated by the spinners Danish Kaneria and Saeed Ajaml, who together took eight of the 10 Sri Lankan wickets too fall. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, were missing Muttiah Muralitharan and decided to drop mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis. Relying on pacers on a slow wicket was never going to be an ideal strategy and now Sri Lanka are playing the penalty. It seems likely that they will be set a target of over 450, a score that would be the highest ever made in a victorious fourth-innings chase.
Sri Lanka may have already won the Test series. But complacency seems to have put this match beyond their reach.
Ex-Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik
|
What do you think about this article?
Latest Articles