Malik century puts Pakistan on top
At 67 for 4, with both Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf back in the pavilion, Pakistan were in danger of subsiding to another defeat, but two century partnerships utterly transformed the game in the final two sessions on the third day
The Bulletin by Dileep Premachandran
22-Jul-2009
Pakistan 299 and 300 for 5 (Misbah 65, Shoaib 106*, Akmal 60*) lead Sri Lanka 233 by 366 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
At 67 for 4, with both Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf back in the
pavilion, Pakistan were in danger of subsiding to another defeat, but two
century partnerships utterly transformed the game in the final two
sessions on the third day. The common factor was Shoaib Malik, the former
captain, who put recent indifferent form behind him with a beautifully
paced hundred. Misbah-ul-Haq and Kamran Akmal were perfect foils, scoring
half-centuries, and by stumps, the Pakistan lead had swelled to 366.
Sri Lanka had started the final session promisingly, with the runs drying
up and Misbah perishing to an indiscreet shot. Having given Angelo Mathews
the charge, he was surprised by the extra bounce and the thin edge was
easily taken by Kumar Sangakkara. With the lead then at 252 and the second
new ball looming, it was Sri Lanka's big chance to wrest back the
initiative. Instead, Malik and Akmal took it away with some wonderfully
positive batting, as a tiring attack started to leak runs.
Throughout the series, Sri Lanka had sparked collapses with the second new
ball, but after tea at the SSC, there was only a torrent of runs. Akmal
set the tone with a lovely drive and a powerful pull off Nuwan Kulasekara,
and Malik joined in with booming drives through midwicket and cover off
Thilan Thushara. When Chaminda Vaas came on for perhaps his final spell in
international cricket, Akmal responded with a mighty heave over long-off,
and Sri Lanka's woes were compounded when Sangakkara muffed a stumping
chance off Rangana Herath when Malik was on 91.
Having breathed a sigh of relief, Malik didn't look back. A four and a six
down the ground off Herath took him to his hundred from just 178 balls,
and when Akmal brought up his half-century moments later, there was plenty
for the dressing room to smile about.
The game had turned after lunch though, with Malik and Misbah
consolidating against bowling that was steady without being unduly
threatening. Both rotated the strike cleverly, and as the afternoon
session drew to a close, the big strokes were unveiled. Herath, the pick
of the bowlers, was pulled for four and then straight-driven for six,
before a glance to fine leg off Thushara took Misbah to his third
half-century in Tests. Malik, who had been the most positive of the
batsmen in the first innings, also smashed Herath for a straight six, and
when Misbah ended the session with a sweet on-drive off Angelo Mathews,
Pakistan were right on top.
It was a far cry from the morning when a poor shot, an ordinary umpiring
decision and a beautiful delivery boosted Sri Lankan hopes as Pakistan
struggled to 86 for 4. They had started the day on 16 for 1, and there was
to be no period of consolidation. Fawad Alam once again got a start, but
the shot that cost him his wicket would hardly have thrilled his captain
at the other end. The ball was short and at the body, and Fawad's attempt
to work it wristily through midwicket merely lobbed back to Thushara off
the top edge.
Mohammad Yousuf got going with a vicious slash behind point, and there was
a lovely pull too from Younis Khan off Thushara, but by and large, runs
were very hard to come by. The pair were finally starting to show signs of
settling when Ian Gould intervened to send Younis on his way. The delivery
from Kulasekara nipped back, but there was a hint of inside edge before it
struck him very high on the pad.
The other half of Pakistan's experienced combo didn't make it to lunch
either. Yousuf had struggled against Herath for much of the series, and he
was undone by a magnificent delivery that pitched on his pads before
leaping up and turning wickedly enough to take the edge. It was the sixth
time that Herath had dismissed him, and it left Sri Lanka to contemplate a
good morning's work. What followed wasn't quite according to the home
script. Pakistan weren't going to complain though.
Given that no team has made more than 352 to win a Test in Sri Lanka, it
is safe to say that Sri Lanka face a steep-mountain climb to achieve a
series whitewash.
Dileep Premachandran is an associate editor at Cricinfo