Karachi: Sri Lanka opener Oshada Fernando struck a maiden century to delay Pakistan’s victory quest after the home team’s top four all scored hundreds in the second Test in Karachi on Sunday.
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Set a daunting 476 runs to win, Sri Lanka were tottering at 97-5 before Oshada and Niroshan Dickwella halted the slide with a resolute 104-run stand for the sixth wicket.
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But the last three overs of the day saw Dickwella fall for 65 – bowled while attempting a reverse sweep off spinner Haris Sohail – and Dilruwan Perera caught behind off Naseen Shah for five.
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The 16-year-old Naseem had the best figures of 3-31.
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At the close, Sri Lanka were 212-7 with Oshada (102 not out) at the crease and with the visitors needing an unlikely 264 runs for victory.
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Pakistan need just three wickets on Monday to win the series – their first at home since the 2009 attack on the Sri Lanka side resulted in international cricket being suspended in the country.
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Pakistan earlier declared their second innings at lunch on 555-3 after Azhar returned to form with 118 and Babar Azam struck 100 not out.
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It was a dismal batting show by the Sri Lankans on a National Stadium pitch where the home batsmen flourished.
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Skipper Dimuth Karunaratne went for 16, Kusal Mendis for a duck and Angelo Matthews for 19 before tea.
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Pace spearhead Mohammad Abbas had Karunaratne caught behind in the tenth over of the innings before Naseem had Mendis snapped up in the slips.
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It became 70-3 when Mathews, Sri Lanka’s most experienced batsman, edged a short delivery from Shaheen Shah Afridi to wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan.
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After tea, young Naseem accounted for Dinesh Chandimal (two) and leg-spinner Yasir Shah dismissed Dhananjaya de Silva (nought) to leave Sri Lanka struggling at 97-5.
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In the morning Pakistan batsmen flayed the Sri Lankan bowling.
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It was only the second time in a Test innings that the top four all scored centuries after openers Abid Ali (174) and Shan Masood (135) grabbed theirs on Saturday.
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India against Bangladesh at Dhaka in 2007 was the other occasion.
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Azhar, who had a lean 2019, completed his 16th century before he was stumped off spinner Lasith Embuldeniya after 11 boundaries in his 157-ball innings.
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Azam’s fourth century – and third in the last four Tests – had seven boundaries and a six off 131 balls.
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Earlier, when Pakistan resumed at 395-2, Azhar smashed three boundaries off pace bowler Vishwa Fernando and then took two runs to complete his first century in 12 months.
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Azhar added 148 for the third wicket with Azam as Sri Lankan bowlers toiled hard for wickets. Lahiru Kumara finished with 2-139.
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Scoreboard
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Pakistan 1st innings 191 all out
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Sri Lanka 1st innings 271 all out
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Pakistan 2nd innings (overnight 395-2)
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Az. Ali st Dickwella b Embuldeniya 118
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B. Azam not out 100
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M. Rizwan not out 21
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Extras (lb5, w2) 7
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Total (131 overs) 555-3 dec.
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Fall of wickets: 1-278 Masood, 2-355 Abid, 3-503 Azhar
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Bowling: Fernando 24-2-105-0, Kumara 29-5-139-2, Embuldeniya 50-4-193-1 (1w), Perera 21-1-94-0 (1w), De Silva 7-0-19-0
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Sri Lanka 2nd innings
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D. Karunaratne c Rizwan b Abbas 16
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O. Fernando Not Out 102
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K. Mendis c Azam b N. Shah 0
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A. Mathews c Rizwan b Afridi 19
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D. Chandimal lbw N. Shah 2
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D. De Silva b Y. Shah 0
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N. Dickwella b Sohail 65
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D. Perera c Rizwan b N. Shah 5
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Extras (3lb) 3
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Total (60.1 overs) 212-7
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Fall of Wickets : 1-39 Karunaratne, 2-40 Mendis, 3-70 Mathews, 4-96 Chandimal, 5-97 de Silva, 6-201 Dickwella, 7-212 Perera To Bat : Embuldeniya, Fernando, Kumara
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Bowling: Afridi 14-3-51-1, Abbas 12-2-33-1, N. Shah 11.1-3-31-3, Y. Shah 19-2-84-1, Sohail 4-0-10-1
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