Pakistan-Sri Lanka Test Series 2009
Day Two of the Third Test
On a day of changing fortunes, momentum on the second day of the third and final Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground (SSCG) in Colombo shifted from one team to the other. By close of play the advantage rested with Pakistan, but it will only take Sri Lanka one good session to get right back in the game.
Pakistan’s Tail Flops Again
Having started the day at 289 for the loss of seven wickets, Pakistan would have liked to add at least 50 more runs to their total. But, as has been the case throughout the series, the tail swiftly folded for only 10 additional runs. Thilan Thushara, who had very little pedigree before this series, took his second five-wicket haul of the contest. A score of 299 was well below par and Sri Lanka had control of the game.
But this series has been predictable only in its uncertainty. Ace pacer Umar Gul struck with his very first delivery, dismissing opener Malinda Warnapura for a duck. Three more wickets quickly fell, leaving the Sri Lankans reeling at 82-4.
Captain Jawardene dominates at Colombo again
Just when it seemed Pakistan had suddenly and unexpectedly taken a firm grip on the game, skipper Mahela Jayawardene resumed his love affair with the SSCG. Jayawardene had scored four successive hundreds and was well on course for a fifth ton when he reached his half-century of 106 balls. He had taken Sri Lanka to 176 when he was the seventh man out, bowled by legspinner Danish Kaneria about 20 runs short of his century.
Danish Kaneria’s Successful Return after Being Axed
A brilliant display in the mysterious art of legspinning from the mercurial Kaneria ultimately ensured that the day would belong to Pakistan. He ended up taking 5-62, and with able assistance from off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, gave Pakistan a lead of 66 runs in the first innings.
Kaneria is an enigmatic figure and no one, be they opposing batsmen or Pakistani selectors, are quite sure how to deal with him. The only Hindu in a team of Muslims, Kaneria has always been an outsider. Being a legspinner is uncommon enough, but even in this small fraternity he is an oddity, preferring to rely on the googly as his stock ball rather than the conventional leggie. His wicket-taking record is extremely impressive – 225 wickets in just over 50 matches – but a slightly high average of 35 runs per wicket highlights his tendency to bowl too many loose deliveries. It was this inconsistency that led to Kaneria being dropped for the first two Tests. The rest, it seems, has done him some good and he is back in glorious form.
Pakistan ended the day on 16 for the loss of one wicket. With three days of play still to go, it is certain there will be a result. Tomorrow will be crucial in determining who eventually comes out on top.
Danish Kaneria returns to form
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