Sri Lanka Rally On Day 3

Sri Lanka rallied at the start and end of the the third day of the final Test of the current series against Pakistan in Kandy. Starting the day at 3-44, Sri Lanka were dismissed late in the day for 337 and a lead of 111.

Paranavitana played on for 75

The first session belonged to Sri Lanka, with Tharanga Paranavitana and the vastly experienced Thilan Samaraweera adding 98 without loss for the morning. Pakistan had no answer to scoring which was steady and chance free. It wasn't until after lunch that a chance came when Samaraweera snicked a simple chance at this level of the game to Younis Khan at second slip and he floored it. The partnership wasn't broken until the score reached 187, when they had added 143. Samaraweera was lbw to Saeed Ajmal bowling round the wicket, a dismissal which was much harder to get in pre DRS days. Angelo Matthews and Paranavitana went in quick succession and Sri Lanka's chance of handy lead looked gone as Pakistan stormed back into the game defending an poor total. Both fell to ordinary deliveries: Matthews slashing a long hop from Junaid Khan outside off stump to the gully and Paranavitana chopping on a ball which could have been as easily left as it could have been dispatched to the point boundary.

Perera is dropped by Umar Gul
but went on to make 73

Enter Thilan Perera. Already the hero with the ball, he dominated the last session after Sri Lanka had limped to tea at 6-220. His 75 came at slightly below a run a ball and included a six off Umar Gul over floggers corner and then two of successive balls from Saeed Ajmal toward the end of his innings. Nuwan Kulesekara, with whom he added what may well prove to be the crucial partnership - 84 for the eight wicket - was his most staunch ally. Once again in the series, Pakistan were unable to finish off. Junaid Khan eventually got both of them to finish with 5-70 and was far and away Pakistan's best. The visitors can only blame themselves, dropping Perera twice before he reached 25: the first a tough return catch to Umar Gul but the second, a far easier chance to Misbah-ul-haq at first slip, also off Umar Gul. Sri Lanka might well have been wrapped up for 260.

Batting a second time in a Test match reduced to four days, Pakistan needed to construct something special to both get a lead and bowl Sri Lanka out a second time. With six overs left, it was a task for tomorrow and twenty without loss would have been more than enough. It wasn't to be but not through the fault of the openers. Australian umpire Simon Taufel, so highly regarded in international cricket, delivered a clanger in the third over. Kulesekara went up for a monster shout against Taufeeq Umar, who had fifteen minutes ago finished an unexpected 100 stint behind the stumps. The ball was clearly on first and subsequent views pitching outside leg stump but Taufel raised his finger and dealt Pakistan a body blow so close to stumps. For such events, DRS has been quite rightly bought into the game but because of ICC intransigence, technology is not in use in this series. Taufeeq is left with nothing but the wrong stories to tell his grandchildren. Pakistan, to the eternal credit of the skipper Misbah-ul-haq, sent their regular number three, Azhar Ali, out to do the job he was designed to do, rather than hide in the stands and let a bowler listen to his music. It was not only refreshing but a sign Pakistan intend to play this Test right out and chase a lead on the fourth day.

Lots of cricket left and most of it will be exciting ... if only the thunderstorms stay away. That, unfortunately, looks unlikely on either of the remaining two days.