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Lanka let Pak off the hook

Pakistan 192/3 in 65 overs

Rain interruptions, dropped catches, some good strokeplay, a fine comeback to the national side by Pramodaya Wickremasinghe -- it was all happening in Lahore, in the final league game of the Asian Test Championship between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Pakistan won the toss on what looked a good pitch to bat on, and promptly opted for first strike.

Salim Malik and Ijaz Ahmed found themselves on the sidelines, as did Shoaib Akthar and Waqar Younis. The new-look Pakistan side read: Saeed, Wajahatullah Wasti, Imran Nazir, Inzamam ul Haq, Yousuf Youhanna, Moin Khan, Wasim Akram, Shahid Afridi, Saqlain Mushtaq, Fazl-e-Akbar, and Shahid Nazir.

Sri Lanka, with its lead stars out through injury, were led by Hashan Tillekeratne, the lineup reading: Russel Arnold, Marvan Atapattu, Mahela Jayawardene, Avishka Gunawardene, Hashan Tillakaratne, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Ruwan Kalpage, Sajeewa de Silva, UC Hathurusingha, MRCN Bandaratilake, Pramodaya Wickramasinghe.

The very first over produced the breakthrough. Saeed Anwar, who for all his brilliance in strokeplay has a tendency -- a rather alarming one, for an opener -- to get bowled through the gate playing away from his body, losing his off stump to a ball from Wickremasinghe that slanted across, pitched off and held its line. Anwar, playing for it to stay on the slant away from him, found it going through the gap between bat and pad to take out off stump.

If Romesh Kaluwitharana hadn't made a meal of a simple edge from newcomer Imran Nazir, off the same bowler, Pakistan would have been in further trouble. As it turned out, the keeper dived goalkeeper fashion and merely palmed the ball away from him, getting the edge on the heel of his palm and failing to hold on.

To compound the confusion, Russel Arnold in the slips let off Wajahat Wasti, and both beneficiaries went on to make merry, playing some fine shots, Nazir in particular looking very fluent on the offside, showing a penchant for driving on the up. Wasti, meanwhile, looked tentative early on, but settled down to play a rock-solid knock, looking fluent on the horizontal bat strokes, especially out on the on side whenever the bowlers pitched even fractionally short.

Tillekeratne proved an astute captain. Noticing Nazir's fondness for the drive on the up, he brought in a very wide, unorthodox point -- almost like a shortish coverpoint. And sure enough, Nazir played in that direction, Tillekeratne himself diving and getting a hand to it but just failing to hang on to what would have been an electric catch.

Wickremasinghe -- the one bowler who looked always capable of breaking through (made you wonder why he was not in the line up against India, since he is pacier, and has more variations, than both Ruchira Perera and Eric Upashantha) -- came back to break the 105-run partnership for the second wicket, making one climb from just short of length, cramping debutant Nazir on the hook and having him caught at deep backward square.

Inzamam, whose run of form of late must be a source of worry to the Pakistan camp, failed to capitalise on good batting conditions, playing an airy drive at a quicker one from Wickremasinghe, feet static and bat well away from body, to lose off stump.

Yousuf Youhanna, a natural strokeplayer by inclination, throttled his instincts and kept an increasingly confident Wasti company in a 65-run partnership for the fourth wicket, in the process earning Pakistan's first batting point when the team score went beyond the 150-mark.

Lanka too got its first bowling point, taking out three wickets under the stipulated 100-over mark. And it was difficult to escape the conclusion that if the Lankan fielders had hung on to the chances that came their way, the tourists could well have had the home side in far greater trouble.

Wickremasinghe was the most impressive of the bowlers on view, bending his back to good effect, getting the ball to move around in humid conditions. He however lacked much support at the other end, the only other bowler to look even remotely threatening being left arm orthodox spinner Bandaratilleke, who kept a tight rein on the Pakistan batsmen.

Bad light, and a steady rain, meanwhile meant that play was halted shortly before lunch and resumed only after an early tea. However, with light improving, the umpires continued with play well past the scheduled close, doing commendably well to make up for a fair bit of lost time.

With bad light ending play 25 overs shy of the allotted 90, Pakistan looked on course for its second batting point. Lanka for its part has a further 35 overs, in which to try for additional bonus points -- the bowling side gets one more if it takes another wicket, a further one when the sixth wicket falls.

The gaining of those points would be the first priority for Tillekeratne and his men on the second morning.

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