Azhar Ali is in early to take in this beautiful outfield. Lush. Green.
2.1
Prasad to Ahmed Shehzad, OUT, he is gone! That’s a corker. He put a bit more shoulder on this one. It was pitched short of length around off stump, kicked up from the pitch and caught the outside edge. Sanga takes a smart diving catch to his right at first slip - he had to take it almost face high. Shehzad, well he was just stuck in the crease. He neither tried to get away from the line, nor tried to get behind it, in the end, got completely squared up. Poor defence, you could say, but that ball was a testing one Ahmed Shehzad c Sangakkara b Prasad 1 (3b 0x4 0x6) SR: 33.3
Re: 2nd Test: Sri Lanka v Pakistan at Colombo (PSS), Jun 25-29, 2015
Bold Decision or ?
9.30 am **Pakistan have won the toss and they will bat*. *"Spin is our strength and later on this might assist the spinners," says Misbah**. The captain also congratulates Younis Khan on reaching the landmark and hopes the team can make it special for the batsman. Pakistan are going with the same XI, which means they are planning to get a few overs out of Hafeez, who was reported yet again after the Galle Test.
A*ngelo says he would have bowled first anyway, adding the pitch has something for the seamers for the first two sessions*.
"Result-oriented pitch," says Russell Arnold. Hard pitch, with a generous cover of grass, green, not brown. Best time to bat is the second or the third day, says Arnold.
Re: 2nd Test: Sri Lanka v Pakistan at Colombo (PSS), Jun 25-29, 2015
51/2
It's time for Younis now. The man on a 100.
Azhar has gone just after he was looking comfortable.
15.1
Prasad to Azhar Ali, OUT, got him! Second one for Dhammika. Another one that has seamed away just a touch, bounced extra too. Azhar is completely squared up and the edge is taken by the keeper. It's not given out and Sri Lanka ask for a review straightaway. Looking at the replays it looks like it's the thigh pad. It has possibly missed the outside edge and flown off the top of that thigh pad. The original decision was not out and there is not much to tell if there was an edge. There were definitely two noises in the real-time replay. But is that enough? Paul Riefell has only sound cues to base his decisions on. He has given him. It's that second noise that has done him. Fair call from the umpire. Azhar Ali c †Chandimal b Prasad 26 (45b 4x4 0x6) SR: 57.77
Re: 2nd Test: Sri Lanka v Pakistan at Colombo (PSS), Jun 25-29, 2015
16.2
Mathews to Younis Khan, no run, loud loud appeal for lbw! It was full, it seamed in and smacks the batsman on the front pad. If there is no bat, then it looked pretty plumb. Sri Lanka ask for areview. He was pushing outside the line of the ball. That has come in to hit Younis on the knee roll. The impact is on line but the tracker - that awful ball tracker - shows it's just hitting the top of off. It stays with the umpire and Younis survives.
Re: 2nd Test: Sri Lanka v Pakistan at Colombo (PSS), Jun 25-29, 2015
At lunch 70/2
cricinfo:
Lunch, day 1 Sri Lanka came close to picking more than the two wickets they had but they would he satisfied with how that session has gone. Dhammika Prasad produced two corkers to dismiss Shehzad and the solid-looking Azhar Ali. Younis, playing his 100th Test, survived many nervous moments, and got off the mark after 20 deliveries.
Re: 2nd Test: Sri Lanka v Pakistan at Colombo (PSS), Jun 25-29, 2015
16.2
Mathews to Younis Khan, no run, loud loud appeal for lbw! It was full, it seamed in and smacks the batsman on the front pad. If there is no bat, then it looked pretty plumb. Sri Lanka ask for areview. He was pushing outside the line of the ball. That has come in to hit Younis on the knee roll. The impact is on line but the tracker - that awful ball tracker - shows it's just hitting the top of off. It stays with the umpire and Younis survives.
I don't agree with staying with umpires call BS. Out is out. This is how umpires can impact close games. Not saying that happened here. But this rule gives an opening to umps to give close calls one way. And have the replay go with umpires call.
To add insult to injury the challenging team is docked one challenge. Makes no sense.
In fact all lbws when Contested shoukd be decided by repkay. Umpires should be required to direct close calls to replays. If they don't and if their call was wrong they should get negative point for wrong call.
Re: 2nd Test: Sri Lanka v Pakistan at Colombo (PSS), Jun 25-29, 2015
I don't agree with staying with umpires call BS. Out is out. This is how umpires can impact close games. Not saying that happened here. But this rule gives an opening to umps to give close calls one way. And have the replay go with umpires call.
To add insult to injury the challenging team is docked one challenge. Makes no sense.
In fact all lbws when Contested shoukd be decided by repkay. Umpires should be required to direct close calls to replays. If they don't and if their call was wrong they should get negative point for wrong call.
Re: 2nd Test: Sri Lanka v Pakistan at Colombo (PSS), Jun 25-29, 2015
Hard Luck Professor
This situation looks very similar to how it was for Pakistan in Galle. Asad Shafiq walks in yet again with the team in trouble. A leg slip in place
28.3
Kaushal to Mohammad Hafeez, OUT, ripper!! That is a big turner. It was shorter and Hafeez stayed back, which was fine, but he wasn't expecting it to turn so much. That surprised him, hit the inside edge, hit the pad, and rolled it to the stumps. Tharindu is ecstatic Mohammad Hafeez b Kaushal 42 (75b 5x4 0x6) SR: 56.00
Re: 2nd Test: Sri Lanka v Pakistan at Colombo (PSS), Jun 25-29, 2015
He was under a great pressure
23.6
Prasad to Younis Khan, OUT, he is walking! Shortish delivery, Younis tries to drop his wrists but this doesn't get up as much as he though. Just bounces off his gloves and lobs for the keeper. Big big wicket. Prasad is on a roll
Younis Khan c †Chandimal b Prasad 6 (38b 1x4 0x6) SR: 15.78
Re: 2nd Test: Sri Lanka v Pakistan at Colombo (PSS), Jun 25-29, 2015
95/5
There we go ......
30.3
Kaushal to Asad Shafiq, OUT, A big appeal for appeal. Shafiq has been given out. He wants to challenge the decision. This looks out. The tracker shows that the ball would have clipped the leg stump. Shafiq has to go and the covers come on... Asad Shafiq lbw b Kaushal 2 (7b 0x4 0x6) SR: 28.57
Re: 2nd Test: Sri Lanka v Pakistan at Colombo (PSS), Jun 25-29, 2015
Bold Decision or ?
9.30 am **Pakistan have won the toss and they will bat*. *"Spin is our strength and later on this might assist the spinners," says Misbah**. The captain also congratulates Younis Khan on reaching the landmark and hopes the team can make it special for the batsman. Pakistan are going with the same XI, which means they are planning to get a few overs out of Hafeez, who was reported yet again after the Galle Test.
A*ngelo says he would have bowled first anyway, adding the pitch has something for the seamers for the first two sessions*.
"Result-oriented pitch," says Russell Arnold. Hard pitch, with a generous cover of grass, green, not brown. Best time to bat is the second or the third day, says Arnold.
So it was foolish decision by Misbah and We got the result
Re: 2nd Test: Sri Lanka v Pakistan at Colombo (PSS), Jun 25-29, 2015
3.19 pm That's tea as well. But what bowling effort by Tharindu Kaushal! His first Test at home and he has made an impact. Pakistan had lost only two wickets by lunch, an acceptable start, but they came undone against Kaushal's spin, losing their last eight wickets for 65 runs. The damage was first done by Dhammika Prasad, then it was Kaushal all the way. Sri Lanka didn't even need Rangana Herath...phew..
