Teams share honours on opening day by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Ground:	Galle International Stadium, Galle
Scorecard:	Sri Lanka v Pakistan
Player:	Mohammad Aamer, NT Paranavitana, Abdur Rauf
Event:	Pakistan in Sri Lanka 2009

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DateLine: 4th July 2009

 

It was a fascinating day of fluctuating fortunes as both the teams fought hard to try and gain upper hand over one another. The Pakistani bowlers kept it tight and denied the free stroking Lankan batsmen any scoring opportunity but sloppy work in the field undid all the good work done by the bowlers. The Sri Lankan batsmen, kept counterattacking and made sure they that they got a fighting total to play with.

 

Younis Khan had won the toss and elected to field first. Mohammad Aamer took two wickets early and then Abdur Rauf performed the back up work admirably. Aamer got the wicket of Malinda Warnapura in his first over in Tests and he not only looked threatening but also kept the batsmen on a tight leash and soon he was rewarded with the scalp of Sangakkara as he edged to the third slip.

 

Paranavitana and Jayawardene started to counter attack and soon the bowlers were spraying the ball on both sides of the wicket. Paranavitana was particularly the aggressor of the two as he struck consecutive boundaries in Aamer's fifth over, cutting one through gully and then whipping a half volley past midwicket and soon he was dealing in boundaries. Paranavitana got to his half-century in just 67 deliveries. But Rauf got the ball to hold its line beautifully and getting an edge from a set Jayawardene.

 

Saeed Ajmal on the other hand created pressure. Rauf then got the ball to get big on Paranavitana, moving away sharply and getting the shoulder of the bat. Younis Khan coming on to bowl got an edge from Thilan Samaraweera. Tillakaratne Dilshan Angelo Mathews, made another counterattack. With some lusty blows from the lower order Sri Lanka finally posted 292. Pakistan must have thought that they had got the upper hand but then in the last half hour, Nuwan Kulasekara and Thilan Thushara took a wicket each and made sure that the match was as balanced as it was when it started.