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Printable Page
11/11 06:18 CST Centurions De Silva and Mendis flay inexperienced Pakistan
attack to boost Sri Lanka in 1st test
Centurions De Silva and Mendis flay inexperienced Pakistan attack to boost Sri
Lanka in 1st test
By RIZWAN ALI
AP Sports Writer
RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (AP) --- Dhananjaya de Silva and Kusal Mendis smashed
centuries against Pakistan's inexperienced bowling attack to take Sri Lanka to
a formidable 404-4 at stumps on Day 3 of the first cricket test on Wednesday.
De Silva struck an unbeaten 167 with 20 fours to raise his 14th test hundred,
while Mendis celebrated his elevation to the test captaincy with 117 not out,
featuring 10 fours and four sixes.
The aggressive double-century stand between the former and current test
captains pushed Sri Lanka within 30 runs of Pakistan's first-innings 434-9
declared.
"We need to get a good first-innings lead," No. 4 batter Kamindu Mendis said
after his knock of 58. "Two set batsmen are at the crease and hopefully they'll
play well tomorrow as well.
"We haven't yet decided when we will declare, but we have to score more runs in
the first session tomorrow. I feel maybe tomorrow evening or on the last day it
(the wicket) might get good for spinners and there's something in it for the
fast bowlers too."
De Silva and Kusal Mendis toyed with Pakistan's bowlers, except for the
accurate Mohammad Abbas (2-64), to combine in an unbroken stand of 249, Sri
Lanka's highest for the fifth wicket against Pakistan.
Thilan Samaraweera and Tillakaratne Dilshan held the previous record of 207,
which arrived in Lahore during the 2009 tour when the tourists came under a
terrorist attack.
Pakistan's solitary success on another curtailed day caused by fading light
came in the first session when Abbas found the edge of the bat of Kamindu
Mendis.
Going into the test with two debutant bowlers, Arafat Minhas (0-92) and Saqib
Khan (2-105), along with Razaullah (0-127), who has played in only one test,
may have backfired for Pakistan.
De Silva, who resumed on 22 overnight with Sri Lanka struggling at 114-3, got a
reprieve on 38 when Saud Shakeel spilled a regulation first-slip catch off a
loose drive.
It was the only chance given by the batters all day.
After a guarded latter half of the first session when Kamindu Mendis was
dismissed for 58, De Silva and Kusal Mendis took charge against Minhas'
left-arm spin while fast bowlers Razaullah and Saqib strayed in their lines and
lengths.
De Silva raised his hundred off 151 balls with a well-timed boundary through
mid-on against Minhas in the second session, and then continued to show plenty
of aggression, even when Pakistan took the second new ball.
Mendis was particularly aggressive, hitting Minhas for two straight sixes and
once pulling Razaullah for a big six over deep fine leg as Pakistan skipper
Babar Azam ran out of ideas.
Mendis raised his century off 152 balls with a ramped boundary over the
wicketkeeper's head in the final session before play ended with 23 overs still
to be bowled.
"I would like to give credit to both batters, they played really well," Abbas
said. "We gave our effort and beat the bat on a number of occasions, but that's
the beauty of test cricket. The cricket board wants to bring in new faces and
give them a chance. They are learning."
___
See AP's full cricket coverage here
