COLOMBO, (Reuters) – Mahela Jayawardene fell cheaply in his final test as Pakistan came back strongly in the last session to grab five wickets and reduce Sri Lanka to 261 for eight on the first day of the second test yesterday.
Dhammika Prasad was unbeaten on four at the close after captain Angelo Mathews was dismissed for 39 in the final over of the day when he was caught down the leg side off Wahab Riaz.
Left-arm fast bowler Junaid Khan took three of the four wickets to fall in the session and ended the day with figures of four for 69.
“There wasn’t much in the pitch but if you bowl in good areas and work hard then you can get something out of it,” Junaid told reporters.
“If you bowl bad balls in bad areas you can score as well.
“From one end Wahab bowled with pace and bounce which made the batsmen scared and he was bowling with swing and at the stumps and it worked very well for Pakistan.”
There was great expectation from the spectators who had turned up to see former captain Jayawardene play in his 149th test, but the elegant 37-year-old lasted just 16 balls and made four runs before he was trapped lbw by Saeed Ajmal in the first over after tea.
Pakistan also grabbed the wicket of opener Upul Tharanga when he flicked a ball from Riaz and the inside edge that came off his pad was held smartly by Azhar Ali at short leg after a fumble.
Tharanga scored 92 off 179 balls including 12 fours.
“We need to get as many runs as possible tomorrow, because first innings runs are crucial on a track that is turning from the first day,” Tharanga said.
“That will go a long way towards determining the outcome of the match.
