RAWALPINDI: Fast bowlers Kashif Ali and Khurram Shahzad shared nine wickets between them as Pakistan Shaheens bowled out Sri Lanka ‘A’ for a modest total of 115 on the opening day of the first four-dayer here at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Monday.

At the close of play, Shaheens trailed by 49 runs, having put 66-2 on the board in 24 overs. Only 57.1 overs of play was possible on the first day as stumps were drawn early due to bad light.

Earlier, after Shaheens put Sri Lanka ‘A’ in to bat, right-armer Kashif ran through the visitors’ line-up, registering figures of 5-31 in 12 overs. He was assisted by Test pacer Khurram, who dismissed four batters, giving away only 32 runs in 10.1 overs.

After Sri Lanka ‘A’ were reduced to 14-4, skipper Pasindu Sooriyabandara (28 off 40) and top-scorer Sonal Dinusha (30 off 66) stitched a 51-run fifth-wicket stand before Hussain Talat struck to remove the former. At the lunch break, Sri Lanka ‘A’ were 90-6 before losing their next four wickets for 25 runs.

In response, Shaheens lost their skipper Mohammad Huraira in the seventh over to Test fast bowler Vishwa Fernando. Opening batter Abdul Faseeh (26 off 60) fell to Wanuja Sahan in the 20th over after putting on a 34-run second-wicket stand with fellow southpaw Ali Zaryab.

Ali (18 not out off 49) and Mohammad Suleman (11 not out off 18) will be on the crease for Shaheens when they resume their first innings on Tuesday.

Scores in brief:

SRI LANKA ‘A’ 115 in 33.1 overs (Sonal Dinusha 30, Pasindu Sooriyabandara 28; Kashif Ali 5-31, Khurram Shahzad 4-32); PAKISTAN SHAHEENS 66-2 in 24 overs (Abdul Faseeh 26, Ali Zaryab 18 not out; Wanuja Sahan 1-8, Vishwa Fernando 1-14).

Published in Dawn, November 12th, 2024