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| Muthumudalige Pushpakumara who rescued the home team with his skipper in action at the R. Premadasa Stadium yesterday.-Picture by Ranjith Perera. |
A 161 runs stand for the sixth between skipper Kaushal Silva and Muthumudalige Pushpakumara was in vain as it could not prevent the Sri Lanka ‘A’ from an imminent defeat against Pakistan ‘A’ when play ended on the third day in the 2nd unofficial Test match at the R. Premadasa Stadium yesterday.
Pakistan ‘A’ set a target of 68 for victory ended the day on 14 for no loss with a full day’s play remaining today, needing another 54 runs to take the series.
Apart from Lahiru Thirimanne skipper Kaushal and Pushpakumara the other Sri Lankan batsmen put in a pathetic batting display in both their innings. The third day’s morning session play saw the local batsmen succumbing to some fiery attack by the right and left arm pace combination of Mohammed Talha and Wahab Riaz.
From their overnight score of 155 for 6 they lasted just over seven overs and losing their remaining four wickets for the addition of only 25 runs. The pacies shared nine wickets between them with Talha finishing with figures of 5 for 79 and Riaz 4 for 52.
Sri Lanka ‘A’ made to follow on with a deficit of 162 runs put in another pathetic batting display. Even before completing the 20th over, five of their top order batsmen were back in pavilion before the partnership between Kaushal Silva and Pushpakumara helped them to reach 150 for 5 at tea.
The rot began when Pakistan’s third pacie Fahad Masood sent back opener Lahiru Thirimanne who made a half ton in the first innings, this time failing to make any headway, with the score on 12.
This was followed by Abdur Riaz getting the prize wicket of Jehan Mubarak with the score on 13 and again Masood dismissing the opener Warnapura at the same score.
Gihan Rupasinghe and the experience Chamara Silva failed miserably with the latter sent back for a duck. The two dismissals put the home team in a spot of bother.
The separation of skipper Kaushal and Pushpakumara stemmed another collapse as left arm spinner Abdur Rehman finished off the tail whilst ending with figures of 5 for 82.
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