Pakistan A`s tour of Sri Lanka ends with Test loss

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All-rounder Hammad Azam was one of the top performers for Pakistan during the tour. —File Photo

Pakistan 'A' completed a disappointing tour of Sri Lanka when they lost the second unofficial Test against the hosts on Friday.

Sri Lanka 'A' scored a 39-run win over the visitors in a low-scoring match at Hambantota, which saw 23 wickets go down on the first day.

The hosts bagged the two-match series 1-0 after the rain-affected first Test was drawn in Galle last week.

All-rounder Hammad Azam and left-arm pacer Junaid Khan were the standout performers for Pakistan on the bowler-friendly wicket of the southern coastal city.

Khan finished the match with figures of 9-for-83 from his 23.4 overs in the two innings. The 20-year-old left-armer from Abbottabad rattled the Sri Lankan batting with his five-for in the first innings.

Meanwhile, Azam was the top-scorer in Pakistan's second innings with a resolute 40 and also took four wickets in the match.

The match was completely dominated by the ball after the first match ended in a tame draw on Sunday. Twenty-three wickets went down on the first day as both sides were dismissed for under 100 runs in their respective innings.

FIRST INNINGS
Sri Lanka 'A' were folded out for 97 in their first innings, as Azam and Khan took four wickets each and Lankan all-rounder Jeevan Mendis scored 40 runs.

Pakistan's performance in their first innings was no better as they were dismissed three runs short of Sri Lanka's first innings total, with no batsman getting into the twenties. All-rounder Sachithra Senanayake took six wickets with his right-arm off-break. Senanayake was aided by fast bowler Suranga Lakmal, who took four wickets in his ten overs.

SECOND INNINGS
The hosts showed an improved batting performance in their second innings, as their middle-order chipped in to post 175 runs. Dinesh Chandimal, who has played four ODIs for Sri Lanka, scored 46 with contributions from Thilan Kandamby (32) and Janaka Gunaratne (29). Junaid Khan took five wickets for Pakistan 'A'.

Pakistan looked to have started well, until captain Azeem Ghumman was run out on 11 and Pakistan Test discard Khurram Manzoor was caught behind off Lakmal. The visitors lost three more wickets to end the second day on 93-5 and Azam and Naeem Anjum at the crease.

When play resumed on the third day, Friday, Sri Lanka needed five wickets to win while Pakistan needed another 86 runs for victory. Azam was dismissed for 40, after which, the tail failed to put up any resistance. Mendis took five-for-32 for the hosts.

FIRST TEST
The first unofficial Test ended in a draw after the match failed to get into a second innings due to heavy rainfall.

TRI-NATION ODI SERIES
Pakistan lost three of their four ODI matches in the tri-nation series, which also involved South Africa 'A'. Their only win came against Sri Lanka 'A' but Pakistan failed to qualify for the final.

Match summary

First innings
Sri Lanka A
97 (Jeevan Mendis 40, Nadeera Nawela 28; Junaid Khan 11-33-4, Hammad Azam 7.1-19-4)
Pakistan A 94 (Mohammad Rameez 16; Sachithra Senanayake 13.4-19-6, Suranga Lakmal 10-33-4)

Second innings
Sri Lanka A 175 (Dinesh Chandimal 46, Thilan Kandamby 32; Junaid Khan 12.4-50-4, Zulfiqar Babar 18-38-4)
Pakistan A 139 (Hammad Azam 40; Jeevan Mendis 12-32-5)

Result Sri Lanka A won by 39 runs.

First Test
Sri Lanka A 308 (Kaushal Silva 124, Thilan Kandamby 100)
Pakistan A 222 (Naeem Anjum 53, Aamer Sajjad 51)

ODI Series
Pakistan A vs. South Africa A
South Africa A won by six wickets (Pakistan A 219-9, South Africa A 220-4)
Pakistan A vs. Sri Lanka A Pakistan A won by three wickets (Sri Lanka A 224-9, Pakistan A 226-7)
Pakistan A vs. South Africa A South Africa A won by six wickets (Pakistan A 191, South Africa A 192-4)
Pakistan A vs. Sri Lanka A Sri Lanka A won by seven runs (Pakistan A 241-6, Sri Lanka A 238-9; D/L method)

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