PALLEKELE: Pakistan’s brittle top-order undid the good work of Yasir Shah’s brilliant bowling as Sri Lanka seized control of the series-deciding third and final Test in Pallekele on Saturday.

Having been bowled out for 278 in the first innings, Sri Lanka hit back to reduce Pakistan to 209-9 by stumps on the second day that saw 11 wickets fall on the evenly-paced pitch at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.

Nuwan Pradeep grabbed 3-26 in 14 steady overs and fellow seamer Dhammika Prasad chipped in another three wickets to cause a dramatic Pakistani collapse.

Sarfraz returned unbeaten on a gallant 72 and Azhar Ali made 52, but none of the other batsmen settled down to form a sizeable partnership.

Last man Imran Khan, who got to bat for the first time in five Test matches, kept Sarfraz company at close on zero.

Pakistan were struggling at 152-7 when Yasir Shah helped Sarfraz add 45 for the eighth wicket, himself contributing 18 with the bat to follow his impressive bowling in the hosts’ first innings.

Yasir claimed another five-wicket haul as Sri Lanka added six runs to their overnight score of 272-8 before they were dismissed within 20 minutes of the start.

Tharindu Kaushal was leg-before to left-arm seamer Rahat Ali for 18 and last man Pradeep fell in the same fashion to Yasir without scoring.

Yasir finished with 5-78, joining his idol Shane Warne as the only overseas bowlers to claim five or more wickets in an innings three times during a Test series in Sri Lanka.

Yasir had taken 2-79 and 7-76 in the first Test in Galle to fashion Pakistan’s 10-wicket win. He then claimed 6-96 and 2-55 in the second match in Colombo which Sri Lanka won by seven wickets.

The 29-year-old, who hails from Swabi, has already grabbed 59 wickets in a 10-Test career which began in October last year.

Pakistan lost both openers, Shan Masood and Ahmed Shehzad, by the score of 40 and star batsman Younis Khan was run out off the last ball of the morning session to make it 45-3.

Younis (three) charged down for a sharp single after tapping a ball from Angelo Mathews to mid-wicket, but failed to make his ground at the non-striker’s end as Kaushal Silva threw down the stumps.

Azhar and Asad Shafiq repaired the early damage with a 46-run stand for the fourth wicket on either side of a 19-minute interruption for rain early in the post-lunch session.

Asad fell in the second over after resumption for 15, playing back to a full-pitched delivery from Prasad and was given out leg-before.

A heavy downpour for the second time forced the umpires to call for an early tea, but Pakistan’s woes just refused to end as the next three wickets fell for 17 runs in five overs.

Azhar was on 49 and Pakistan still 158 runs behind when he was reprieved by TV umpire Sundaram Ravi after on-field official Paul Reiffel had declared him caught behind off Prasad.

But Azhar only managed to add another three runs when he edged a drive off Pradeep to be snapped up by Dimuth Karunaratne at second slip.

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq, who came in to bat at number seven due to a mild groin strain, became Pradeep’s third scalp when he was given out leg-before after making six.

Scoreboard

SRI LANKA (1st Innings, overnight 272-8):

F.D.M. Karunaratne st Sarfraz b Azhar 130 J.K. Silva c Sarfraz b Rahat 9 W.U. Tharanga c Younis b Yasir 46 H.D.R.L. Thirimanne c sub b Yasir 11 A.D. Mathews c sub b Yasir 3 J. Mubarak st Sarfraz b Yasir 25 L.D. Chandimal lbw b Rahat 24 K.T.G.D. Prasad c Yasir b Azhar 0 P.H.T. Kaushal lbw b Rahat 18 R.A.S. Lakmal not out 6 N. Pradeep lbw b Yasir 0

EXTRAS (LB-3, W-3) 6

TOTAL (all out, 89.5 overs) 278

FALL OF WKTS: 1-15, 2-106, 3-133, 4-137, 5-204, 6-248, 7-248, 8-264, 9-277.

BOWLING: Rahat Ali 21-4-74-3 (1w); Ehsan Adil 14-3-37-0 (1w); Imran Khan 16-3-51-0 (1w); Yasir Shah 31.5-4-78-5; Azhar Ali 7-0-35-2.

PAKISTAN (1st Innings):

Shan Masood lbw b Prasad 13 Ahmed Shehzad c Chandimal b Pradeep 21 Azhar Ali c Karunaratne b Pradeep 52 Younis Khan run out 3 Asad Shafiq lbw b Prasad 15 Sarfraz Ahmed not out 72 Misbah-ul-Haq lbw b Pradeep 6 Ehsan Adil lbw b Kaushal 0 Yasir Shah c Chandimal b Prasad 18 Rahat Ali lbw b Kaushal 2 Imran Khan not out 0

EXTRAS (LB-4, W-1, NB-2) 7

TOTAL (for nine wkts, 64 overs) 209

Fall of wkts: 1-32, 2-40, 3-45, 4-91, 5-135, 6-151, 7-152, 8-197, 9-202.

BOWLING (to-date): Prasad 19-1-78-3 (1w); Lakmal 14-1-64-0 (2nb); Pradeep 14-5-26-3; Mathews 4-1-3-0; Kaushal 13-1-34-2.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2015

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