Wednesday 15th July, 2009

by Rex Clementine and half hours. Alam faced 254 balls, hitting 15 fours and a six. Sri Lanka recorded an his- While the Pakistani batsmen toric first ever series win against need to take the blame for anoth- at home and has now er lackluster performance, a fair recorded Test series wins against share of blame will be laid at the all Test playing nations at home, feet of Younus Khan, when they won the second Test who perished just ten minutes match against the tourists by Sri Lanka complete short of lunch to an outrageous seven inside three days shot of all bowlers, to here at the P. Sara Oval, yester- Paranavithana. Pakistan were day. cruising at 285 for one at that Fluctuating fortunes in the stage and Younus had added 200 match, took another turn yester- runs for the second with day as Pakistan collapsed after Alam. being 294 for two at the luncheon Paranavithana served up a interval to be bowled out for 320 leg-side full toss first ball and runs as the visitors last nine historic series win Younus, who could have hit the wickets fell for just 35 runs in an ball anywhere, opted to reverse amazing turn around that swung results this time, but yet, his started when Sangakkara effect accounting for Yousuf, sweep and the top edge hit the the momentum back in Sri decision to opt for the new ball threw the new ball to Rangana and batsman’s shoulder and Dilshan Lanka’s favour within a matter of straight after lunch and throw it Herath straight after lunch while turn and bounce ended snapped up the ball on the just one hour. to a spinner proved to be a mas- and Mohammad Yousuf failed ’s stubborn rebound. Sri Lanka owed yesterday’s terstroke as Pakistan were to read the straight ball from knock. The Sri Lankans went about win largely to their skipper, caught off guard. the left-arm-spinner and was Alam, who joined the great the run chase with clear inten- Kumar Sangakkara, who has It maybe early days, but adjudged leg before wicket, Javed Miandad and nine other tions of wanting to finish off the taken to the job like a tak- already you see Sangakkara playing for the turn. Pakistanis as the 11th bats- game inside three days. They had ing to water following the resig- being compared to the great Sangakkara made it a dou- man to score a century on to face six overs before tea and nation of his predecessor, Arjuna Ranatunga. The ble spin attack with the new debut on Monday missed the scored as many as 41 runs with . ‘General’s’ captaincy ball when he brought in record by a Pakistani for most Malinda Warnapura leading the His decision to start off has been well docu- Paranavithana from the Air runs in an innings when he way. Warnapura top scored with proceedings yesterday mented in Sri Force Flats End, but just one fell just three runs short. 54 runs and added 60 runs for the with the little known Lankan over later reverted back to Nevertheless, it was his 168 first wicket. off-spin of Tharanga annals, but yet and the Sri for 21 with another four wicket that held the Pakistani innings Captain Sangakkara chipped Paranavithana from most forget that Lankans were on song from haul and ended with his career together and lifted their hopes. A in with 46 runs as Sri Lanka fin- the Squash Court he operated with thereon. best figures in a Test makeshift opener, Alam fitted in ished off the game with seven End was frowned limited Earlier in the day,Kulasekara match. for the requirement of the team wickets to spare with more than upon. Although a resources. And had struggled to find any Herath meanwhile, used perfectly with his marathon 12 overs left on day three. similar ploy had that’s exactly movement, but armed with the straight ball to good knock that lasted for nearly six turned the game what could take the new ball in overcast around in Sangakkara fur- conditions, he proved to SCOREBOARD Galle on the ther than be quite effective. His fourth Ranatunga when in-swing accounted Pakistan 1st Innings: 90 Sri Lanka 2nd Innings morning, the likes of Muttiah for four Sri Lanka 1st Innings: 240 M. Warnapura c Akmal b Rauf 54 it didn’t Muralitharan and Pakistani bats- Pakistan 2nd Innings T. Paranavitana b Ajmal 17 yield Lasith Malinga men - (Overnight: 178-1) K. Sangakkara c Misbah b Malik 46 any return to Test crick- Misbah- Khurram Manzoor c Dilshan b Herath 38 M. Jayawardene 37 et. ul-Haq, Fawad Alam c Warnapura b Herath 168 T. Samaraweera not out 6 It was another Younus Khan c Dilshan b Paranavitana 82 Extras: (7b, 4nb) 11 sensational collapse Mohammad Yousuf lbw b Herath 6 earlier in the day Kamran Misbah-ul-Haq lbw b Kulasekera 3 TOTAL: (for three wickets) 171 even by Pakistani Akmal, Shoaib Malik b Herath 6 Overs: 31.5 standards. Abdur Rauf Fall of wickets: 1-60, 2-100, 3-160. It all and - lbw b Kulasekera 3 all fell leg before Abdur Rauf lbw b Kulasekera 0 Did not bat: T. Dilshan, A. Mathews, A. Mendis, T. wicket as Kulasekara Umar Gul lbw b Herath 2 Thushara, R. Herath, N. Kulasekera. returned figures of four Mohammad Aamer not out 1 Bowling: Gul 6-0-38-0 (4nb), Aamer 6-0-33-0, for 37, complementing his Saeed Ajmal lbw b Kulasekera 0 Ajmal 12-1-56-1, Rauf 4-1-13-1, Y. Khan 2-0-11-0, first innings effort of four Extras: (8b, 1lb, 1nb, 1w) 11 Malik 1.5-0-13-1. TOTAL: (all out) 320 Umpires: S. Taufel and D. Harper (Aus) Sri Lankan batsman Mahela Overs: 96.4 Jayawardene celebrates the victory TV Umpire: K. Dharmasena (SL) Fall of wickets: 1-85, 2-285, 3-294, 4-303, 5-303, over Pakistan by seven wickets on the Match Referee: A. Hurst (Aus) third day’s play of the second match 6-306, 7-312, 8-316, 9-319. Bowling: Kulasekera 19.4-6-37-4 (1w), Thushara Toss: Pakistan between Sri Lanka and Pakistan in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Result: Sri Lanka won by seven wickets Tuesday, July 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) 13-0-48-0, Mathews 6-0-20-0, Mendis 17-0-81-0 (1nb), Herath 35-5-99-5, Paranavitana 6-0-26-1. Series: Sri Lanka leads 2-0 in three-match series Early success ‘very worrying’ for Kumar by Rex Clementine you bowl a good line, trust yourself and remain patient you can do won- Kumar Sangakkara has been a ders and win matches. Rangana revelation as captain of Sri Lanka. bowled a very good line today and I Having started off his captaincy am really pleased.” stint by reaching the finals of the Herath, a last moment inclusion ICC T-20 World Cup in , he to the squad has responded well and now has a first ever series win won the Man of the Match award in against Pakistan. Some of the moves Galle after he picked up four wick- Chairperson Sri Lanka Telecom and Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel, Leisha De Silva Chandrasena, hands over the winner’s that he called during the second Test ets in the second innings and at P. cheque to Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara after the hosts beat Pakistan by seven wickets to win the second Test like giving the new ball to a spinner Sara he picked up his first ever five Match at the P. Sara Oval yesterday. Chief Executive Officer Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel Suren. J Amarasekara, Director brought Sri Lanka tremendous suc- wicket haul. “I have played with Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel Wijesiri Ambawatta and A.G. Weerasinghe, Chairman of Tour Organizing Committee of Sri cess, but the new captain is aware of Rangana since I was 15. With the Lanka Cricket are also on the picture. the reality and is worried that the amount of cricket he has matured. I initial success will put up the expec- remember when I was playing first tations from the supporters. year of Test cricket it took me Younus remains upbeat “The start is very worrying and I sometime to understand my game, hope it gets better. It’s true that but once you understand that, it by Richard Browne lead and help themselves.” you’ve got to enjoy the good times, becomes a lot easier. Rangana has The day’s turning point was Younus’ Pakistan captain Younus Khan, ever the but you need to make sure that the learned those lessons and he’s hun- inappropriate reverse sweep to the seeming- gentleman in victory or defeat, put a brave team is prepared to face the bad gry. It’s unfair in one way that he’s face on his side’s third woeful batting col- ly innocuous off-breaks from Tharanga lapse in two Tests. “We just do not play Paranavitana. Mirroring Kevin Pieterson’s times and those bad times don’t last Kumar Sangakkara fighting for a place with the two of enough Test Cricket and my boys lack the equally misjudged sweep against Nathan long. You need to bounce back from the best spinners in the world with hard edge. When the pressure is on, we col- Hauritz in the first Ashes Test, there is a those bad times. It’s going to get a lot struck off the second ball by remov- one of them being the best ever. “ lapse. It is a mental thing and both myself sound argument that the sweep is being tougher, but we’ve got the ability to ing Mohammad Yousuf. Despite the win, Sangakkara and the coach have the upmost faith in the overused. Younus, however, one of the get better and the amount of work “They were in such a position said his team needed to show more Younus Khan world’s best sweepers both orthodox and techniques of our players,” said Younus. we do on the field and off the field they could have dominated. We application with the bat. Sri Lanka Test Cricket or no Test cricket there was reverse remained unrepentant. with our focus on cricket is going to walked onto the ground wondering has failed to put on 300 runs on the no real excuse for the post lunch collapse, from “I have no regret about the shot. We were 280 odd what is still a relatively experienced Test batting for one and I felt the risk was justifiable. I am not be the key,” Sangakkara said after what to do with the new ball and I board in both Tests and it remained line up, including the supposed world’s number the sort of guy that puts the blame on one person his team completed a series win by tossed the ball to Rangana and he a worry for the captain. “From one batsmen in the increasingly confusing and con- and I am certainly not blaming myself for the winning the second Test inside three picked up Yousuf off the first over where we were at lunch today, it’s a tradictory world rankings, Mohammed Yousuf. defeat,” said the skipper. days. once again. We needed someone to great achievement, but we are Younus was philosophical about his team’s Younus went on too add, “We will be playing for At lunch on day three, the advan- stand up and luckily we had two mindful of the fact that we should pride in the third Test and want to get some problems with Rangana Hearth an orthodox left- tage was with Pakistan as they were guys doing the job for us in Nuwan have batted them out of the Test in arm-spinner in general. “It is a technical thing. We momentum going into the ODI’s. The team is only cruising on 294 for two with a lead of and Rangana, who bowled mar- the first innings. We have got a lot move our feet too far across, which expose us for about 20% away from being where I want it to be. LBW’s and it is something we will be working on For short periods we play great cricket, but then let 144 and eight wickets in hand. After velously. “ of work to do with batting. with the boys.” ourselves down by showing a lack of application. the break, Sangakkara gambled by “Rangana has always done well Everyone is batting well, but we “They are very good cricketers though and Once again it comes down to the lack of Test throwing the new ball to left-arm- against Pakistan. It just goes to say just need to go on and bat for hours know what is required so I expect them to take the Cricket we have played over the last two years.” spinner Rangana Herath and he that even if you are not a freak, if and hours.”

Published by Upali Newspapers (Private) Limited, 223, Bloemendhal Road, Colombo 13 and Printed at 195/187, High Level Road, Homagama on Wednesday 15th July, 2009