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Pakistan fire on day one

Sri Lanka 231, Pakistan 33/0

If Lahore was a bit of a party with runs, wickets and bonus points coming gift-wrapped, play on day one of the Asian Test Championship final at the Bangabandhu Stadium in Dhaka was all business. And when it ended, Pakistan had got the full four bonus points (4) available to the bowling side, while limiting Aravinda D'Silva's Lankans to just two with the bat.

The two teams took the field to a half-full stadium (capacity 50,000) -- apparently, the Bangladesh population weren't enthused enough by Jagmohan Dalmiya's baby to turn out in full force, despite it being the weekly holiday.

The pitch on day one was the kind to bring a gleam to batsmen's eyes, the only catch being the overcast conditons early which guaranteed a bit of swing and seam to the quicks.

Aravinda, leading Lanka in the absence of Ranatunga, promptly opted to bat first on winning the toss. Lanka capped Upul Chandana, veteran of 47 LOIs, for the first time in Tests. Pakistan, meanwhile, opted to go in with just two regular quicks, bringing in Arshad Khan the off spinner in preference to a third seamer -- reinforcing the perception that this track will get slower and turn more as the game progresses. Interestingly, though, Lanka have only one specialist spinner -- which could mean a lot of work ahead for Russell Arnold and Aravinda himself, in their part-time capacity.

Skipper Wasim Akram started the slide when, in his second over, he prised out two wickets off successive deliveries with some electric bowling. Avishka Gunawardene's style of play has a bit of the dasher about it -- the kind that keeps the bowler interested. Wasim made one swing away late, moving further off the seam to take the edge through to Wajahat Wasti, who held well, low in front of him, at third slip. The very next ball pitched in line of the stumps, straightened, and had Mahela Jayawardene plumb in front.

Marvan Atapattu ensured that Akram didn't set a record of sorts by claiming his second hat-trick in two Tests against the Lankans, but at the other end, Russell Arnold, batting as if some prankster had nailed his boots to the pitch, was done by the sheer pace of Shoaib Akthar. The ball, clocked at 149 kmph, angled sharply in and Arnold reacted like a snake catching sight of a mongoose -- standing there, leaden footed, and just poking his bat in the general direction of the ball, which beat the bat for pace and had the off stump going walkabout.

Atapattu and Aravinda then stitched together a fine partnership, the latter in particular batting with evident determination, reining back his free-flowing strokeplay and concentrating on hanging around. Their 65-run stand repaired the damage of the first 20 minutes of play, and both looked right on top of the Pakistan bowling when Umpire David Shepherd pulled one of his rare boobies, raising the finger to get rid of Atapattu. Saqlain's delivery had the batsman well forward, the ball was turning from off and middle to leg, and looked to be missing the stumps when Shepherd ruled otherwise to end the fighting fourth wicket partnership.

Hashan Tillekeratne didn't look too comfortable during his stay in the middle, and fell pushing Arshad Khan into the close cordon. But the real big one for Lanka was the demise of Aravinda, sweeping against the line for Saqlain's straighter one to trap him plumb in front when it looked like a century was his for the taking -- a superlative innings, ruined by that one moment of indiscretion.

Lanka benefitted from its tail -- with the likes of Upul Chandana, and Chaminda Vaas and Sajeewa D'Silva chipping in with valuable runs to take Lanka past the 225-run mark and secure the second bonus point.

This, however, looks anything but a 230-wicket -- batting first on winning the toss, the Lankans needed to have at least another 100 up on the board to really push the Pakistan batting lineup into the pressure zone.

Another way to do that would have been to hold catches -- but Kaluwitharana was a touch late reacting to a flick by Saeed Anwar, off the first ball of the Pakistan innings, and failed to get glove to ball as it flashed past him to the fine leg boundary. An over later, Vaas produced a beauty, seaming away late to take Anwar's edge, only for Russell Arnold to react late, and let the chance flash past him at second slip.

At close, the Pakistan openers had remained unbeaten after ten overs, and the way it looks, unless Lanka strike early on the second morning, Pakistan could bat itself into a very commanding position as the pitch eases further under the heat of the scorching sun.

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