29 October 2004	Friday	14 Ramazan 1425

KARACHI, Oct 28: Abdul Razzaq hit back at his critics by producing an inspired seam bowling performance on Thursday as Pakistan restricted Sri Lanka to a modest first-innings score of 208 on an eventful opening day of the second and final Test at the National Stadium.

Razzaq, taking advantage of a seaming track, never allowed the Sri Lankan batsmen to settle down and went onto claim his career-best figures of five for 35 in 23.1 overs as the tourists were dismissed at start of the final over of the evening.

Having dominated the first day, it will be upto the batsmen to ensure Pakistan do not lose initiative. With the pitch likely to play as it did on Thursday, the batsmen will have to buckle down to ensure Pakistan put up a decent total on the board in the first innings.

In what was a disappointing batting display by Sri Lanka, the only redeeming feature was a fighting half-century by Romesh Kaluwitharana which partially saved Sri Lanka from total disaster.

The diminutive wicket-keeper battling 54 off 104 balls has given Sri Lankan total some respectability going in to the second day after an astonishing collapse saw the tourists losing eight wickets for 98 runs once Sanath Jayasuriya and Marvan Atapattu had launched innings with an opening stand of 66.

The 32-year-old Kaluwitharana, who made mustered five runs in the Faisalabad Test, held the innings together before falling to Danish Kaneria in the penultimate over when he edged a catch to Kamran Akmal while attempting to cut a wide delivery.

Kaluwitharana stood his ground until Billy Bowden, the New Zealand umpire on the ICC Elite Panel, raised his finger rather belatedly.

Kaluwitharana's ninth fifty in 49 Tests included four boundaries and the day's solitary six - off Kaneria in a stay of 127 minutes.

Razzaq, fittingly, ended the innings when Rangana Herath, who had helped Kaluwitharana put on an invaluable 44 for the ninth-wicket, was given out caught behind by Steve Bucknor after some deliberations.

Razzaq, who surpassed his previous best effort of four for 25 against the West Indies at Sharjah during the off-shore series in 2002, was naturally pleased with his day's work.

"Someone had to take the responsibility in the absence of our strike bowlers (Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami). I'm glad that it was my day," Razzaq told reporters.

"Basically, my designated job had been to bowl a spell of five overs to contain. But today I found the conditions more to my liking. I was in proper rhythm which helped a lot in landing the ball in the corridor of uncertainty."

On a wicket which generated ample seam movement, Inzamamul Haq, the Pakistan captain, won a crucial toss and had no hesitation in putting the Sri Lankans into bat with Rana Naveedul Hasan and Riaz Afridi providing the rare instance of sharing the new ball in their debut Test for Pakistan - the first since Tahir Naqqash and Rashid Khan opened the bowling in the inaugural Test against Sri Lanka at the same ground in March 1982.

After his harrowing experience in Faisalabad, where Shoaib Akhtar twice got him leg-before-wicket for a pair, Atapattu, quite understandably, decided against taking first strike.

Jayasuriya, coming into the match with 997 runs this year in 10 Tests, soon joined the West Indian trio of Brian Lara, Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan as a 1,000-run scorer in the calendar year.

The left-hander, having got eye , then attempted a sweep to the third ball of Kaneria's first over, but missed the line and watched in horror as Bucknor's famous nod of the head, followed his raised index finger sent him on his for 26.

Kaneria struck again shortly after when Atapattu, who made a stylish 44 with six hits to the fence, was caught at slip off a Kaneria leg-spinner, The replays indicated umpire Bucknor was right in his judgement since Atapattu had got a thin edge as the ball deflected off his pads to Younis Khan.

Sri Lanka, who were 80 for two at lunch, lost their way in the afternoon session as four wickets went down for the addition of 70 runs.

Kumar Sangakkara provided Riaz Afridi with his first Test wicket when he hooked him down Kaneria's throat at long-leg for 13.

Mahela Jayawardene (16) was undone by a fine delivery from the Afridi that seamed away and the resultant edge was held by Inzamam at first slip.

Thilan Samaraweera, one of the heroes of the Faisalabad Test, perished to a good catch at slip by Imran Farhat for 13. Jehan Mubarak, who also made 13, was missed by Inzamam at short mid-wicket off Rana Naveed but did not last long.

Chaminda Vaas (7) also fell to Razzaq, who then had Farveez Maharoof brilliantly caught in front of first slip by a diving Kamran Akmal for two.

Razzaq at that point had bowled an unchanged spell of 15 overs on either side of tea interval during which he picked up four for 22.

Pakistan, as expected, made four changes from the Faisalabad Test with Younis, Naveed, Riaz and Kamran Akmal replacing the unlucky Asim Kamal, Shoaib Akhtar, Sami and Moin Khan.

Sri Lanka preferred Maharoof over Lasith Malinga in the only change from the victorious first Test side.

Scoreboard

SRI LANKA (Ist innings):

S. Jayasuriya lbw b Kaneria 26

M. Atapattu c Younis b Kaneria 44

K. Sangakkara c Kaneria b Afridi 13

M. Jayawardene c Inzamam b Afridi 16

T. Samaraweera c Imran b Razzaq 13

Jehan Mubarak c Yasir b Razzaq 13

R. Kaluwitharana c Akmal b Kaneria 54

C. Vaas c Imran by Razzaq 7

F. Maharoof c Akmal b Razzaq 2

R. Herath c Akmal b Razzaq 12

Dilhara Fernando not out 0

EXTRAS: (b4, lb3, w1) 8

TOTAL: (all out in 82.1 overs) 208

FALL OF WKTS: 1-66, 2-79, 3-97, 4-106,

5-126, 6-140, 7-158, 8-164, 9-208

BOWLING: Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan 17-2-52-0; Riaz Afridi 19-7-42-2; Abdul Razzaq

23.1-9-35-5 (1w); Danish Kaneria 23-3-72-3.

UMPIRES: Steven Bucknor (West Indies) & Bill Bowden (New Zealand).

TV UMPIRE: Asad Rauf (Pakistan).

MATCH REFEREE: Jeff Crowe (New Zealand).

SCORER: Muhammad Ahsan.