Sri Lanka’s left-arm fast bowler Vishwa Fernando struck twice in three balls and Lahiru Kumara dismissed recent batting sensation Abid Ali as Pakistan struggled to 72-3 after the first session of the second cricket test.
Fernando (2-18) gave Sri Lanka an early advantage when he knocked back the off stumps of Shan Masood (4) and captain Azhar Ali for a duck in his fourth over after Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat.
Kumara (1-19) bowled at a lively pace of over 140 kph (87 mph) and had Abid adjudged lbw just before lunch for 38 to give Sri Lanka a perfect start as Pakistan also wasted one of its two available reviews.
Abid took 16 balls to get off the mark against Kumara and Fernando. But once he got off the mark with his trademark square cut boundary in the fifth over, he didn’t let it go waste any lose delivery. He hit seven fours, and a pulled six off captain Dimuth Karunaratnes occasional spin, before he was undone by Kumaras sharp delivery.
Abid made headlines last week as he became the only male international cricketer to score centuries in both his ODI debut and test debut when he made hundred against Sri Lanka in the drawn first test at Rawalpindi.
Premier batsman Babar Azam successfully overturned an lbw decision against him off Fernando through television referral when on 4. He was not out on 27 while Asad Shafiq is unbeaten on 1 at the break.
Left-handed Masood, who was out without scoring in the rain-marred first test, once again struggled against the length of Fernando, who bowled him with a delivery which moved enough and missed the bat.
Skipper Azhar’s woeful run in test matches continued as Fernando uprooted his off stump and made it 10-2.
Azhar now has scored only 162 runs in his last 13 test innings at an average of just 12.46.
Leg-spinner Yasir Shah returned to Pakistan’s XI after working with spin consultant Mushtaq Ahmed at Lahore on his googlies and bowling action last week. Pakistan went with an all out pace attack at Rawalpindi but Shah has returned to replace Usman Shinwari, who has been ruled out with typhoid.
The Karachi Test will be the deciding fixture of the International Cricket Council World Test Championship as the National Stadium hosts its first five-day match after a gap of 10 years and nine months.
