Tuesday 24th February, 2009

Pakistani batsman Younis leads Younis Khan plays a shot against Sri Lanka during the third day of the first test match at the National Stadium fightback in , Pakistan, on SCOREBOARD Monday, Feb. 23, Sri Lanka first innings: 644-7 2009. declared Pakistan first innings (AP Photo/Shakil (Overnight: 44 for one) Adil) K. Manzoor c P. Jayawardene b Mendis 27 S. Butt c M. Jayawardene b Muralitharan 23 Y. Khan 149 S. Malik run out 56 M.-ul-Haq not out 20 Extras: (4b, 2lb, 1w, 14nb) 21 TOTAL: (for 3 ) 296 Overs: 112. Fall of wickets: 1-44, 2-78, 3-227 avoid the follow on. Pakistan still he did during the Indian Test Still to bat: F. Iqbal, K. Akmal, Y. need 149 runs to avoid follow on, series last year, it was not to be as Arafat, U. Gul, D. Kaneria, S. Khan but with Younis adding an unbro- thePakistani batsmen saw him off Bowling: Vaas 20-4-41-0 (5nb), ken 69 run stand for the fourth cautiously. He looked menacing at Fernando 22-1-75-0 (6nb, 1w), Mendis 35-9-78-1 (3nb), Muralitharan 34-7-92- with vice- Misbah the start as a confident leg before 1, Dilshan 1-0-4-0. ul Haq and with Faisal Iqbal, shout off Younis was turned down Toss: Won by Sri Lanka Kamran Akmal and Yasir Arafat and Malik was dropped behind the Umpires: Simon Taufel, (AUS), and to follow, they appear to be out of stumps, but as the day progressed, Steve Davis, (AUS) TV Umpire: Z. Haider, (PAK) danger. the Pakistanis were picking him Match Referee: Chris Broad, (ENG) The bowlers have been at the without much trouble. receiving end on this flat pitch Younis was then joined by his started oprtating with the second where just ten wickets have fallen predecessor Shoaib Malik and the new ball, Jayawardene opted for on three full days of cricket and pair went on purposefully adding Muralitharan from the other end the Sri Lankans were able to pick 149 runs for the third wicket. The with the new ball, a ploy that had up just two wickets after Pakistan pair batted out the remainder of worked for them on previous resumed the day on 44 for one. the morning session and saw off instances, but this time around Returning to Karachi must the session between lunch and tea there was no success. have brought in happy memories as well, but a risky single to mid- The Sri Lankans had scored at for Ajantha Mendis for it was at off allowed the Sri Lankans back a very good rate during their this venue his six for 13 in the into the game. innings and although Pakistan’s Asia Cup final brought him a dou- Having driven Mendis wide of rate was 2.8 runs an over during ble promotion at the Army and mid-off, Malik set off for the sin- day three, their focus seems to be other riches from all corners of gle, but Murali, who failed to pick to draw the Test. the world. He was in fact playing up a wicket on day three, ran to The National Stadium in his first Test match overseas and his left, picked up the ball cleanly Karachi has been a Pakistani looked to be bamboozling the and ran out the batsman with a fortress over the years and having opposition batsmen immediately direct hit. started to host a game in 1955 for when he dismissed debutant Malik was dismissed for 56 45 years, Pakistan never lost a Test Khurram Manzoor. Coming onto having batted for more than three match here. So far, Pakistan has bowl in the 12th over of the day, and half hours. won 21 of the 40 Tests played here Rex Clementine reporting Mendis claimed the wicket of the Younis brought up his 16th and lost only two games, the first from Karachi reply to Sri Lanka’s massive 644 the Pakistanis to give the Sri overnight batsman off the last Test hundred and the fourth to England in 2000 and then to for seven declared. Lankans a taste of their own med- ball of his first over when the bats- against Sri Lanka by square driv- South Africa in 2007. In a game so far dominated by icine. man went on the back foot to the ing Dilhara Fernando for a couple Sri Lanka, meanwhile, has Younis Khan’s unbeaten 149 the batsmen, where two double If Mahela Jayawardene led by quicker expecting the in the last over before tea. played four games before this one was the highlight of third day’s centuries were scored with example on his final series as cap- ball to turn into him, but it spun As the spinners failed to find at the National Stadium and have play of the first Test against Sri Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan tain, his Pakistani counterpart away and Prasanna Jayawardene any breakthroughs, Mahela lost all four games and with histo- Lanka here at the National Samaraweera being involved in a matched him with an equally solid snapped up the thick edge. Jayawardene opted for the second ry against them, a win looks Stadium in Karachi as Pakistan world record partnership for the effort on his first assignment as But if you were expecting him new ball in the 97th over but to no unlikely, but they may well settle reached 296 for three at stumps in fourth wicket, it was the turn of full time skipper as he battled to to run through the opposition like avail. After Chaminda Vaas had for a draw. Maharoof ruled Series back to square one Veteran cricket umpire out of series by Tony cozier and Strauss proclaiming victory. To the uninitiated, primarily Once, back in December 1960, Farveez Maharoof, the Sri Lanka Americans such as Sir Allen the accumulated scores of Bucknor to retire bowling allrounder, has been ruled out Stanford, events at the Antigua Australia and the West Indies of the two-Test series in Pakistan with a Recreation Ground (ARG) on were exactly the same after five DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Bucknor, who has stood in 126 test groin injury. Maharoof, who was over- Thursday evening and their after- days and 3 142 balls when the Steve Bucknor, the most experienced matches since 1989, announced his retire- looked for the first Test currently in math would have been incompre- last of all 20 wickets fell off the umpire in , plans to retire from ment in the Jamaican media on Sunday. progress in Karachi, will reportedlyflew hensible. penultimate delivery. the international game next month. “Steve’s contribution to our great sport For all its own excitement and home Sunday evening. They can never get their The 62-year-old Jamaican will stand in over two decades at the top level of umpir- popularity, it is the kind of emo- Maharoof sustained the injury during minds around a sporting contest the third test between South Africa and ing has been immense,” International lasting five days in the first place. tion that cricket’s newest, short- a practice session before the first Test Australia starting March 19 in Cape Town Cricket Council chief executive Haroon That it should finish, as the third est format, the 20/20 fad that at Karachi’s National Stadium. and his last appointment will be a limited- Lorgat said in a statement Monday. “To Test did, without a winner adds to Stanford and others decree as the “Maharoof is suffering from a groin their confusion. game of the future, cannot overs international between the West have remained as one of the game’s top injury and the doctors have advised him They would be further bewil- match. Indies and England at Barbados on March officials for that length of time has required to rest,” a team official told Reuters. A dered by the assertion of Chris That the great escape was 29. Steve to be self-motivated, confident and replacement is likely to be sent to Gayle, the captain of the team finally engineered by the two well respected, and he has all those quali- Pakistan, and according to sources, it is that barely hung on for a draw, worst batsmen in the team, by ties in abundance, while at the same time lilely to be be Nuwan Kulasekera. that it was “a victory” and by the reputation and position, height- remaining a very humble man.” Maharoof, however, is contracted to comment of his counterpart, ened the drama and the tension. Bucknor has stood in 179 limited-overs the Delhi Daredevils in the IPL. The Andrew Strauss, that the outcome Not that either doubted himself. internationals - the third highest by an second season of the Indian Twenty-20 “almost feels like a defeat”. Daren Powell presaged his umpire - and has officiated in the five World defiance with his vigil of over two league runs from April 10 to May 24. Yet, had he not had other Cup finals since 1992. hours as first innings night watch- things on his mind at the time Bucknor was a high school teacher and man. He could always bat, but his and was on the island where his a qualified football referee before becoming now sullied stamp was once ambition too frequently overtook part of the ICC’s elite umpire’s panel in prevalent, Stanford might even his capacity. have conceded that Test cricket Fidel Edwards, on the other 1993. wasn’t quite so boring as he once hand, appreciates his blatant limi- The quiet but assured Bucknor had an derided it to be. tations and generally plays within unblemished umpiring career until confu- The game that has stood the them, as he did again. Twice sion over the World Cup tournament regu- test of time over 130 years is before he kept his nerve and his lations led to the 2007 final finishing in the appealing in many other ways but wicket as last man in to earn the dark. few quite as exciting and nerve- West Indies a similar result – in He was also removed from the test racking as one that comes to such Harare against Zimbabwe in only series between Australia and India in a climax. his second Test in 2001, and January last year, at India’s request, after After 2 622 balls delivered three years ago against Pakistan some contentious decisions in the pivotal over five days, a wicket from one in what was thought to be the ARG’s last Test. second test at Sydney. Australia won that of the final 60 would have won test to equal its record 16 straight victories the match for England and it would be Gayle bemoaning defeat (NationNews.com) Steve Bucknor and clinch the series.

Tuesday 24th February, 2009