Evening session: Pakistan 19 for no loss
Dilruwan Perera must have thought Test cricket was not too dissimilar to run of the mill, domestic first-class cricket after his first day and a half at this level.
A sedate pace, flat pitches and nobody there to watch. Then the Friday afternoon crowds began to pour in and he found himself walking off at tea time with chants of “Dilruwan! Dilruwan!” echoing around the ground.
The supporters were celebrating the fact the debutant had made 54 on his Test debut.
He was still undefeated at the interval after making a maiden half-century, but Sri Lanka did suffer two losses in the session.
Angelo Mathews succumbed to Junaid Khan, caught on the cover boundary when nine short of his century, and Rangana Herath fell lbw to the very next delivery.
Afternoon session: Sri Lanka 359 for eight
Dilruwan Perera must have thought Test cricket was not too dissimilar to run of the mill, domestic first-class cricket after his first day and a half at this level.
A sedate pace, flat pitches and nobody there to watch. Then the Friday afternoon crowds began to pour in and he found himself walking off at tea time with chants of “Dilruwan! Dilruwan!” echoing around the ground.
The supporters were celebrating the fact the debutant had made 54 on his Test debut.
He was still undefeated at the interval after making a maiden half-century, but Sri Lanka did suffer two losses in the session.
Angelo Mathews succumbed to Junaid Khan, caught on the cover boundary when nine short of his century, and Rangana Herath fell lbw to the very next delivery.
Morning session: Sri Lanka 302 for six
Given the slowness of the Sharjah Stadium pitch, it seems a surprise that the only wicket to fall on the second morning of the Test match arrived via a bouncer.
Prasanna Jayawardene, the Sri Lankan wicketkeeper, holed out to backward-square leg while trying to hook Mohammed Talha.
He had made 35 and the Sri Lankans, who are attempting to preserve a 1-0 series lead here, were precariously placed at 239 for six at the time of his dismissal.
However, they made it through an expanded session with no further loss as Angelo Mathews (67) and the debutant spinner Diruwan Perera (29) had shared an unbroken stand work 63.
pradley@thenational.ae