Sports Bulletin

Pakistan players on ICC Women’s Championship journey Sports Desk ISLAMABAD (December 15, 2019):-Pakistan national women cricket team’s journey in the ICC Women’s Championship 2017-20 culminated in the Bismah Maroof-led side breaking into the top-four of the eight-team tournament standings with their third ODI against England women getting washed-out in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday. For a side which sits seventh on the ICC Women’s ODIs team rankings, the past two years have seen them achieve new heights by recording historic victories on the basis of some outstanding individual performances and remarkable teamwork. Pakistan’s campaign began in October 2017 with a three-ODI home series against New Zealand women. Though Pakistan lost the series 2-1, they made history in the final one-dayer by beating New Zealand for the first time at the back of Sana Mir’s four-fer. With seven wickets at an average of 14.57 in three matches, the right-arm off-spinner was the leading wicket-taker in the series. Sana Mir: “Our journey in the tournament had begun after a very tough 2017 World Cup and I was given the opportunity to bowl with the new ball. We had come very close to beating New Zealand in the first ODI but we couldn’t cross the rope. But, that moment came in the last match when we beat them by five wickets. “Those four wickets are more special to me than any five-fer as they helped Pakistan to secure a victory in a historic match.” Bismah Maroof: “Winning against New Zealand was very important for us as it helped us gain momentum and it gave us confidence that we can do something in this championship. That historic win went a long way in giving us the self-belief which helped us in our next series. Pakistan’s second assignment in the ICC Women’s Championship was the tour of Sri Lanka in March 2018 where they recorded their first-ODI series win since October 2015. Sana Mir, leading from front, rolled over the opposition taking 10 wickets at a phenomenal average of 8.80 in three matches. Javeria Khan became only the second Pakistan batter to score two ODI centuries with a 113 not out in the first contest. Javeria Khan: “The Sri Lanka series was quite a memorable one. It gave a lot of confidence to the girls and boosted the team’s morale. Every individual played according to her role, which helped us outclass the opposition in all three facets of the game. The credit for that victory goes to entire unit. “On a personal note, it was very special for me to score a century in a winning cause. It was important for me to get runs under my belt early in the tournament.” Sana Mir: “As a bowler you want to have your team backing you and I got the desired support in Sri Lanka. I was very well supported by Nashra Sandhu in the whole series. We bowled in good partnerships. It was a great series and it was very special to be able to receive 10 wickets.” With eight points in their account after six matches, Pakistan hosted Australia women in Kuala Lumpur. The tourists won all three ODIs comfortably. But, the silver lining for Pakistan was their premier off-spin bowler, Sana Mir, climbing to the number-one spot. She took seven wickets at 16.57 runs apiece to be the highest wicket-taker in the series. Javeria Khan led Pakistan in Bismah Maroof’s absence as the latter recovered from a surgery for a sinus problem. Javeria Khan: “Playing against Australia was not easy but there was a gradual improvement in our performances after every match. We couldn’t put up decent totals in the first two matches but we put our best score against them in the third match. “Sana led us from front on the bowling front, providing breakthroughs at crucial moments. We couldn’t sustain pressure as a unit which helped them put good scores. Sana Mir: “Becoming the number one bowler in the ICC bowlers’ ranking was a dream as a child. What made it more special was that it came after the series against Australia – who by far are the best side in the world. “This also sets a statement for spinners not only from Pakistan but Asia that if one bowler can achieve it than they all can also do it.” The 3-0 whitewash against Australia was followed by Pakistan’s sensational victory against the West Indies women in the UAE. Pakistan came from behind to beat the West Indies 2-1 and that it had come on the back of youngsters like opener Sidra Amin, who struck two half-centuries in three matches and averaged almost 50, and pacer Diana Baig (seven wickets at 10.85 runs apiece in two matches) made it more special. This was also Pakistan’s first-ever series win against the West Indies. Diana Baig: “I wanted to make a strong impression as I had not played the first match. I wanted to attack and bowl positively which not only helped me take wickets but also stop the flow of runs. I am glad I was able to get wickets early on in both matches.” “My favourite moment was the wicket of Deandra Dottin. She is quite a good batter, but what made getting her wicket special was the fact that she was in good form after how she had scored runs in the T20I series [158 runs in three matches] which preceded our ODI series.” Sidra Amin: “It is always a good feeling to contribute in a winning cause. But helping your side secure a historic series win against a side like West Indies was truly special. It is quite a memorable part of my journey. I scored 96 and 52 and had some good partnerships with Nida Dar.” With a confidence-boosting win under their belts, Pakistan travelled to South Africa to play the hosts. The three-match series turned out to be a thriller. Pakistan won the first match, but entered the last ODI with the series hanging in balance. A six of the penultimate ball by tailender Nashra Sandhu helped Pakistan secure a tie and level the series 1-1. Aliya Riaz truly announced herself as an all-rounder when it mattered the most by taking 2-49 and scoring 71. Javeria Khan was the second highest run-getter in the series, six behind Laura Wolvaardt, as she made 128 runs in three matches at an average of 64. Bismah Maroof: “Before landing there I had never thought that we would be able to secure this result. Winning the first match of the series gave us a lot of confidence in our abilities. Unfortunately, we lost the second match, but we made a strong comeback in the third match after South Africa scored 265. “Our batting was a bit out of touch, but Javeria Khan’s partnerships with other batters, especially with Aliya Riaz, played a vital role in giving us the momentum.” Aliya Riaz: “I thoroughly enjoyed the final. It was an important match for the team and I had to bat deep, while ensuring that the runs keep coming for us. South Africa are a quality team and they don’t let you off the hook that easily. I was enjoying the competition and it helped me execute the plan which was given to me by the coaching staff. “Earlier in the match, with the ball in my hand, I wanted to provide early breakthroughs and having taken a crucial wicket at a critical stage boosted me. I wanted to put up all-round performance for the team and I am glad everything worked out according to the plan.” Pakistan’s final round assignment in the ICC Women’s Championship was the recently-concluded ODI series against England Women in Kuala Lumpur. They were in a tight race with South Africa, who still have six matches to go in the tournament, with only one point separating them. Pakistan got that point as the third ODI was washed-out and by the virtue of having a better net run-rate they leapfrogged South Africa to the fourth spot. Pakistan lost 2-0 in a series in which their captain with two half-centuries in three innings stood out. Bismah Maroof: “It is good to be amongst runs but my runs would have been more valuable had we won these matches. We played good cricket in bits and pieces but we couldn’t stretch them to longer spells. The difference between us and good sides is that they don’t let the momentum slip away which is something we are lacking and it was the difference between us and England. There was certainly an improvement in our performances in the series. We did not give easy runs to England. Our fielding has improved a lot over, which is also a big positive. We are aware what areas we need to improve going forward.” Despite having played only 15 matches in this tournament, Sana Mir leads the overall wicket-takers’ chart with 35 wickets at a phenomenal average of 13.74. Pakistan’s next best bowler Nashra Sandhu is ranked 15th with 20 wickets in 17 matches. The third best bowler from Pakistan is Diana Baig with 12 wickets in 13 matches. The weight of Pakistan’s batting over the course of the ICC Women’s Championship was carried by Javeria Khan (552 runs in 18 matches), Nahida Khan (521 runs in 18 matches) and Bismah Maroof (447 runs in 14 matches) – the top-three batters from the side. Whether Pakistan stays at the fourth spot in the ICC Women’s Championship will be determined by South Africa’s run over the course of their next six matches. In the inaugural edition of the ICC Women’s Championship, which ran from 2014-2016, Pakistan finished second last with only four wins from 18 matches. In this edition, however, there has been a marked improvement. And, going forward, they will hope to build on the impressive performances they have put over the course of the past two years. Javeria Khan: “Our side has the talent, it just needs a bit enhancement. What we need to is how to handle pressure at critical stages. We often let matches slip away because of our lack of experience, but playing more against quality sides will help us learn better.” Sana Mir: “It is extremely important that we know our role and deliver accordingly. As a player you cannot win every match for your side, but if everyone is sticking to the game plan then they can complement those who are having a good day in the field. “I can’t emphasise enough on how good this championship is for women’s cricket because it provides opportunities to play against higher-ranked sides consistently. When you put performances against good sides it boosts your confidence and allows you to gauge where you stand as a team.” Bismah Maroof: “The girls have shown great improvement in all three facets of the game in the past two years. Our fielding and fitness standards have improved and now we give top-ranked sides a tough competition. We are taking steps in the right direction. “We need to be more consistent in our performances. We can overcome that by playing competitive cricket on regular basis and the ICC Women’s Championship is providing teams opportunities to grow.” Pakistan’s fixture against India couldn’t take place as the PCB didn’t receive the invitation from the BCCI. With the series window already closed, the matter has now been referred to the ICC event secretariat in Dubai. 

Rain ends third Pakistan v England Women’s ODI in no-result SB Report KUALA LUMPUR (December 14, 2019):-Pakistan Women and England Women shared a point each as rain washed-out the third and final ICC Women’s Championship ODI between them at Kinrara Oval, Kuala Lumpur on Saturday. The addition of one point took Pakistan’s tally to 16 and saw them leapfrog South Africa Women to the fourth spot on the points table, while England, with 29 points, strengthened their hold on the second position. The conclusion of the ODI series – which England won 2-0 – also culminated both teams’ ICC Women’s Championship journey. The top-four teams on the standings, along with hosts New Zealand Women, will secure direct qualification for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2021. England captain Heather Knight won the toss for the third time in the series and elected to bowl. Though the match began on the scheduled time, the toss was delayed by 15 minutes due to drizzle. England made one change in their line-up with pacer Freya Davis, who replaced Kate Cross, making her ODI debut. Pakistan, making three changes, also handed an ODI debut as batter Kaynat Hafeez replaced Sidra Amin. The other two changes saw Anam Amin and Aroob Shah come in at the places of Nashra Sandhu and Rameen Shamim. Pakistan were provided a solid foundation by openers Nahida Khan and Javeria Khan as the pair put together the record for the highest first-wicket partnership for Pakistan Women. Their 96-run partnership surpassed Maliha Hussain and Sharmeen Khan’s and Ayesha Zafar and Nahida Khan’s 84-run stands against South Africa (1997) and New Zealand (2016) respectively. Javeria Khan, while reflecting on the partnership, said: “A lot of credit for this partnership goes to Nahida. She was brilliant out in the middle. She played the ball on merit while dispatching bad deliveries. “Our plan was to prolong our partnership rather than making any records. But it is certainly a good feeling to have one against a quality side like England. “It is nothing less than an achievement for Pakistan to break into top-four. It is the result of all the hard work everyone attached with the Pakistan side - whether the management of the past and present or the players – has put in. “Going forward we have to hold our nerves in pressure situations. We have often lost control of matches despite coming very close. Our players have the skills which are required to thrive at this level, it is just they need to work on controlling their nerves.” Over the course of the partnership, Nahida scored her ODI career’s eighth half-century. The right-handed batter scored 55 runs from 59 balls, eight of which were dispatched for fours. With 37 off 65, Javeria was the second best scorer. She hit five fours before she became the first Pakistan wicket to fall when Sarah Glenn trapped her LBW on the first ball of the 20th over. The dismissal sparked a collapse - thanks to Glenn, who took four wickets for 18 runs in eight overs - as Pakistan lost eight wickets for 49 runs. The hosts were 145 for eight in 37.5 overs when rain forced umpires to stop the play. Speaking about her bowling performance, Sarah Glenn said: “I was really happy to get four wickets today, but it’s a shame the rain came and the game had to be abandoned. “We came back really well with the ball after Pakistan had started on top. We kept it tight and we got our rewards. “I’ve really enjoyed the three matches and it’s good to come out with a series win. The girls have been really welcoming and I’m looking forward to the T20Is.” Anya Shurbsole was the other notable bowler as the pacer returned three for 32 in 6.4 overs. Knight, the England captain, was awarded player of the series award for scoring 127 runs in the series at an average of 63.50 and taking two wickets. The ODI series will be followed by three T20Is, which will be played at Kinrara Oval on 17, 19 and 20 December. The matches will be live-streamed on the PCB’s YouTube channel.

Pakistan Vs Sri Lanka, Pindi Test No ball, no game, Day-4 calls off By Abdul Jabbar Faisal RAWAPINDI (December 14, 2019):-ICC Test Championship fixture between hosts Pakistan and visitors Sri Lanka, unfortunately, Day-4 called off by the umpire without a solitary ball game at Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi on Saturday. The rain in the twin cities in Rawalpindi and Islamabad did not allow the ground men to remove even covers from the field. English umpires Richard Kettleborough and Micheal Gough deputed by International Cricket Council (ICC) announced after lunch on Saturday “No game today” Day 1 - Sri Lanka 1st innings 202/5 (DM de Silva 38*, N Dickwella 11*, 68.1 ov) Day 2 - Sri Lanka 1st innings 263/6 (DM de Silva 72*, MDK Perera 2*, 86.3 ov) Day 3 - Sri Lanka 1st innings 282/6 (DM de Silva 87*, MDK Perera 6*, 91.5 ov) Day 4 - no play

Asitha Fernando reaches Rawalpindi Sports Desk ISLAMABAD:-Sri Lankan pace bowler Asitha Fernando arrived in Rawalpindi (via Dubai) on Friday morning.  The right arm pace bowler is a replacement for another fast bowler Suranga Lakmal, who on the eve of the team departure had to be withdrawn after being down with the dengue. On his road route to the twin city from Islamabad to Rawalpindi, Asitha Fernando was accorded the tight security. The second Test will commence in Karachi from 19th December. Players are quite satisfied with the security arrangements. When not at ground mostly they are asked to remain in the hotel. Without security clearance they are not supposed to go out. SLC's security expert Romesh Goonathilake has been traveling with the team. In the meantime, Sri Lanka's first Test captain Bandulla Warnapura returned to Colombo (via Dubai) on Friday evening. He watched only the two-day rain affected game in Rawalpindi and was not at the ground on the 3rd day where even the sixth over if the day could not be completed. The 67-year-old Warnapura was a special guest of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Isuru Udana wins hearts of his fans Sports Desk ISLAMABAD:-Sri Lankan all-rounder Isuru Udana has won the hearts of his fans. The 32-year-old Udana, now playing the Mzansi Super League (MSL) in South Africa for Paarl Rocks, had all the time in the world to run out the batsman of the opposite team but decided against it because the non-striker Marco Marais was directly hit by a shot from his team mate Heino Kuhn. “Spirit of cricket Raise your hand for more moments like this! Always!” MSL tweeted from its official Twitter account. "I noticed that the non-striker was hurt badly and so I decided not to run him out", Udana, speaking exclusively to this Reporter, said. Incidentally, Udana had replaced David Willey as Paarl Rocks' international marquee player for the second edition of the Mzansi Super League. Willey had been ruled out due to the need to manage his workload. In 1964, England v Australia, Trent Bridge Test match, Australian wicket-keeper Wally Grout sportingly threw the ball aside and refused to run out Fred Titmus after he was accidentally knocked over by bowler Neil Hawke and left stranded. Sadly, there have been one or two cases of the polar opposite in sportsmanship in recent years, Grant Elliott coming to mind as a victim.

Qatar T10 League Squad 2019 Sports Desk ISLAMABAD (December 14, 2019):-As many as six teams are contesting for the top honour of the Qatar T10 Cricket League. Team Falcon Hunters Squad 2019 Hashim Amla (South Africa), Johnson Charles (West Indies), Salman Butt (Pakistan), Ammad Butt (Pakistan), Saad bin Zafar (Canada), Aqib Ali (Oman), Fayyaz Butt (Oman), Tom Abell (England) and Qatar Players (Iqbal Hussain Chaudhry, Mohammad Rizlan, Kamran Khan, Taimoor Sajjad, Murad Khan, Irshad Umer, Nawaf Pullangadam & Hussain Khan) Team Flying Oryx Squad 2019 Andrew Fletcher (West Indies), Hussain Talat (Pakistan), Krishmar Santokie (West Indies), Kennar Lewis (West Indies), Aftab Alam (Afghanistan), Sompal Kami (Nepal), Abdul Shakoor (UAE), Amjad Gul (UAE), Hamandep Singh (Canada), Bilawal Iqbal (Pakistan) and Qatar Players (Noman Sarwar, Musawir Khan, Asif Raja, Imran Ashraf, Jassom Khan & Bilal Butt) Team Pearl Gladiators Squad 2019 Muhammad Irfan (Pakistan), Mohammad Sami (Pakistan), Ajantha Mendis (Sri Lanka), Sharjeel Khan (Pakistan), Malinda Pushpakumara (Sri Lanka), Afsar Zazai (Afghanistan), Adil Khan (Afghanistan), Karim Sadiq (Afghanistan) and Qatar Players (Faisal Khan, Khurram Shehzad, Muhammad Nafees, Qalander Khan & Saqlain Arshad) Team Heat Stormers Squad 2019 Manpreet Singh Gony (India), Mohammad Shahzad (Afghanistan), Naeem Islam (Bangladesh), Mohammad Irfan (Pakistan), Rohit Kumar Paudel (Nepal), Scott Edwards (Netherlands), Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe), Suffyan Mehmood (Oman) and Qatar Players (Owais Ahmed, Raja Amir, Andri Berenger, Dharmang Patel, Imraz Rafi, Talal Ahmed & Afsarullah Khan) Team Swift Gallopers Squad 2019 Imran Nazir (Pakistan), Shafiqullah Shafaq (Afghanistan), Luke Wright (England), Danza Hyatt (West Indies), Ansh Tandon (UAE), Chirag Suri (UAE), Raninder Singh (India), Richmond Mutumbami (Zimbabwe) and Qatar Players (Zaheeruddeen, Inam Ul Haq, Sadiq NM, Zainu Dheen, Gayan Wimalshantha & Zahanzeb Ashad) Team Desert Riders Squad 2019 Sohail Tanveer (Pakistan), Khurram Manzoor (Pakistan), Amjad Khan (UAE), Bhupinder Singh (Canada), CP Rizwan (UAE), Oshane Thomas (West Indies), Kithruwan (Sri Lanka), Shahadat Hossain (Bangladesh) and Qatar Players (Awais Malik, Muhammad Tanveer, Mujeeb Khan, Muhammad Ikram, Himanshu Rathod & Imal Malindu Liyanage)

  Australia and England teams will visit Pakistan, Eshan Mani By Marium Bibi RAWALPINDI (December 12, 2019):-Chairman, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Eshan Mani hoped that Australia and England would visit Pakistan for a full cricket in next two years while Bangladesh would play two Test and three T20 matches in January and February 2010. On Thursday, he was talking to sports journalists at the media center of Pindi Cricket Stadium and further added, “We are talking to Australia Cricket Board and England Cricket Board about their upcoming tours, which will be taken place at the different cricket venues of Pakistan. My stance is very simple and clear. We consider Pakistan is a safe country for the international cricket matches. If any board of any country denies, it should prove this thing that why they do not want to come here, why we should run behind anyone. Chief Executive has visited here, in Pakistan with a director and now he has gone back and also chief executive of Australian and Ireland board came to Pakistan for a visit, “he added. “We will play a Test match with Bangladesh in the same city, very soon. Bangladeshi players will come to Pakistan for the series in January. There will be held 8 matches. It is our first step, there will be 6 venues and every team will have its own home. Peshawar will be one of these venues. According to the ICC Program, England will come to Pakistan in 2020\21 and Australia will come in 2022, “he said. To a question, Mani said, “It is the responsibility of selectors to pick up good players and at the end of PCB, we observe the performance of selectors not the players. People misunderstood that only Misbah ul Haq selects the players, in fact PCB have 7 selectors, who are retired cricketers. Retired Test cricketers are with Misbah Ul Haq, who decides that which players should be selected. Other test selector’s responsibility was to look after the domestic cricket when the team was playing in Australia and their assessment was that Shanwari and Fawad should be selected for the match, “he maintained. A question regarding the international cricket stadium Islamabad, head of the PCB said that it was the government responsibility to build venues not of board. “Pakistan is the only country where we are looking after 8 stadiums, so, should I spent money on stadium or cricket, because we do not have unlimited resources. Our responsibility is to work on cricket. We have a girl’s cricket section in Rawalpindi Stadium and Karachi academy is also dedicated to the girls. National cricket team matches are also expected here. Like, we are playing with England women team in Malaysia, if England team came first then their women has came here, but they wanted that first our men’s team should have come then they will come, which I can understand, “he concluded.

Yasir Shah to work at NCA Our Sports Reporter RAWALPINDI (December 12, 2019):-Pakistan wrist spinner Yasir Shah has been released from the Pakistan national men’s cricket team so that he can work with spin bowling consultant Mushtaq Ahmed at the National Cricket Academy. Yasir will re-join the team in Karachi on 16 December, where the second Test will commence on 19 December. Mushtaq was appointed as spin bowling consultant last week. According to his contract, he will work 120 days in a year at the National Cricket Academy with the U16, U19 and other domestic bowlers. As and when required, he will work with the national team.  

England Women beat Pakistan Women by 127 runs in ODI SB News Kuala Lumpur (December 12, 2019):-England Women beat Pakistan Women by 127 runs to go 2-0 up in three-match ICC Women's Championship ODI series at Kuala Lumpur’s Kinrara Oval. England, after electing to bat first, scored an imposing 327 for four thanks to Natalie Sciver, who scored an unbeaten century at a strike rate of 117.64, and Fran Wilson’s 49-ball 85 not out. The two crafted a blistering 146-run partnership in 14.1 overs – which also saw them accumulate 67 runs from last five overs. Coming in to bat at number four, Sciver scored a brilliant 100 not out. The right-handed batter smashed 12 fours in 85 balls. From the other end, she was supported by Wilson, whose splendid 85 not out was studded with eight fours and three sixes. Speaking about her second ODI half-century, Fran Wilson said: “We were kind of aiming for 300. We were taking things as they came in the process. We played with this approach to see where we can get rather than thinking about it too much. “I am really happy with the way we have started out here. It is about setting your standards and pushing for them to see where you can go. We are very happy as a unit, but still we’ve got a lot of games to go. Pakistan had put a dent earlier in the England innings by dismissing Danni Wyatt, one of the century-makers in the last match, in the second over. Heather Knight, the England captain, denied Pakistan bowlers further inroads, despite some disciplined bowling, with a measured half-century. Over the course of her 86 from 100 balls, which included 14 fours, the England captain crafted a 61-run stand for the second-wicket with Tammy Beaumont (21 off 38) and an 84-run third-wicket partnership. Nida Dar, with her off-spin, accounted for two England wickets at the cost of 67 runs from nine overs, while left-arm spinner Nashra Sandhu returned one for 56 in 10 overs. Pakistan, in their chase, lost Sidra Amin (12 off 25) in the seventh over as right-arm medium-fast Kate Cross took a catch of her own bowling. But, Sidra’s opening partner Nahida Khan held one end as the right-hander scored 40 runs out of 43 balls, hitting four fours. Nahida put up a 47-run stand for the second-wicket with Javeria Khan, who made 26 from 37, and added 40 runs for the third-wicket with her captain Bismah Maroof - who with 64 off 65 top-scored for Pakistan for the second time in as many matches. Reflecting on her innings, Nahida Khan said: “Our plan was simple and it was to get as close as we can get to the target. We lacked a few solid partnerships in the top-order which hampered us from setting the pace required to chase a 300-plus score despite the wicket being suitable for batting.” Bismah cracked nine fours to register her 14th half-century in ODI cricket. The Pakistan skipper failed to get support from the other end after Nahida’s dismissal as Pakistan were bowled out for 200 with 5.1 overs to spare. Anya Shrubsole, Sarah Glenn, Sophie Ecclestone and Knight equally shared eight wickets between them. For her exploits, first with bat and then with ball, Knight was awarded player of the match. The third and final ODI will be played on Saturday at Kinrara Oval. Scores in brief: England Women 327-4, 50 overs (Natalie Sciver 100 not out, Heather Knight 86, Fran Wilson 85 not out, Tammy Beaumont 21; Nida Dar 2-67) Pakistan Women 200 all-out, 44.5 overs (Bismah Maroof 64, Nahida Khan 40, Javeria Khan 26; Anya Shurbsole 2-31, Heather Knight 2-33, Sarah Glenn 2-37, Sophie Ecclestone 2-39).

  ICC Test Championship, Sri Lanka post 202 for 5 on board in Pindi Test By Abdul Jabbar Faisal RAWALPINDI (December 11, 2019):-Sri Lanka managed 202 runs on board in the ICC Test Championship fixture at Pindi Cricket Stadium, as light allowed only to bowl 68 overs instead of 90 over per day schedule.  On Wednesday, Sri Lankan captain Dimuth Karunaratne decided to bat first after winning the coin competition, as the visitor opener put 96 important runs for first wicket stand. It was enough good start for the Sri Lankan guys, as they lost their first batsman Karunaratne, who scored 59 runs off 110 balls with the help of 9 boundaries. He was judged Leg Before Wicket (LBW) on the bowling Shaheen Afridi, third umpire Richard Illingworth from England also rejected his appeal. After getting break through, Pakistan bowlers showed brilliant bowling tricks and get some quick wickets, as they were 127 for 4 at one time and tourist teams was in trouble. Oshada Fernanado 40 (81), Kusal Mendis 10 (47) and Denish Chandimal 2 (7) were dismissed by Naseem Shah, Usman and Mohammad Abbas respectively. Anglo Methew and De Silve aggregated 50 (96) runs for 5th wicket, as Anglo was dismissed by Naseem Shah. Asad Shafiq took his catch at first slip. Naseem Shah got two wickets while Usman, Afridi and Mohammad Abbas sent each one batsman back to pavilion. At the end of the day, De Silva 38 (77) and Dickwilla 11 (13) were not out batsmen, when umpires decided to end the day-1 game after 68 overs. Sri Lankan will resume their remaining innings at 202 for 5 on Thursday.