South Africa v New Zealand - First Test

Springbok Park, Bloemfontein

South Africa: BA Richards, TL Goddard, *WJ Cronje, RG Pollock, DJ Cullinan, JN Rhodes, +DT Lindsay, MJ Procter, NBF Mann, AA Donald, NAT Adcock.
New Zealand: GM Turner, B Sutcliffe, AH Jones, MD Crowe, MP Donnelly, *JR Reid, +AC Parore, RJ Hadlee, DK Morrison, J Cowie, SL Boock.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: Khizer Hayat (PAK) & DM Archer (WI)
Toss: South Africa

The big news ahead of the first Test was that Chris Cairns would not be making his debut for New Zealand in Bloemfontein or, indeed, in any match in this series due to a torn hamstring suffered in training. Cairns' arrival on the ATG circuit had been highly anticipated, but the first Test still managed to serve up all kinds of excitement in his absence, with South Africa dominating the early exchanges.

Hansie Cronje won a vital toss on a damp and overcast first day, and shortly after tea New Zealand had been bowled out for just 202, only managing to get that many thanks to skipper John Reid's skilful marshaling of the tail. Reid's attacking 73 was his fourth consecutive score of fifty or more, and it just about kept Kiwi heads above water in the face of some probing pace bowling from Donald, Procter and Adcock. The biggest partnership of the innings was the 35 Reid added for the eighth wicket with a defiant Danny Morrison, but a career high score of 16 was to prove Morrison's most positive contribution to the match as he became embroiled in controversy on the second day.

With Hadlee bowling superbly to remove both openers, South Africa's batsmen were finding the conditions every bit as difficult as their New Zealand counterparts, and with the score on 94-2 Morrison had a confident appeal for caught behind against Cronje turned down by umpire Archer. An incandescent Morrison responded by bowling a beamer at the South African captain with the very next ball, and it was at this point that Graeme Pollock, the non-striker at the time, took it upon himself to stamp his authority on the game.

In conditions that were still testing, Pollock stroked his way to a marvellous century before stumps, becoming just the second player after Bradman to pass 6000 career runs in the process, and having added exactly 100 for the fourth wicket with a resilient Cullinan (36), he proceeded to dominate a series of fruitful partnerships as South Africa took control on day three. From an overnight score of 257-5, Pollock powered his side first past 300 and then on past the 400 mark, and in conditions that were now far more batsman friendly, even last man Neil Adcock got in on the act, contributing a career best 19 to a South African record last wicket stand of 66, during which time Pollock managed to raise what was a truly magnificent double hundred.

Pollock finally finished undefeated on 237 out of South Africa's eventual total of 485, and the tourists now had more than two days batting ahead of them if they were going to save the game. Wickets fell regularly though, and only Turner stood firm, grinding out a valuable fifty before finally falling for 78 to the spin of Mann, leaving New Zealand on a rocky 160-5 shortly before tea on the fourth afternoon. Martin Donnelly was the last specialist batsman remaining for the tourists, and just as Reid had done in the first innings, Donnelly set about organising the lower order into some sort of meaningful resistance.

Hadlee (21) helped add 50 runs for the eighth wicket, but when last man Cowie came to the crease, New Zealand were still 37 runs behind and South Africa looked like they would wrap up victory inside four days. However, just as Neil Adcock had done for the hosts, Cowie batted like never before, attacking the bowling and pushing the game into its final day, allowing Donnelly to complete a most deserved century before Cowie was finally stumped off Mann for 33, by far his highest ever score. New Zealand's total of 315 set the Proteas a nominal target of 33, and although the cheap dismissals of both Richards and Goddard tarnished the celebrations just a little, South Africa wrapped up a comfortable eight wicket victory before lunch. The damage had been done on the first day, but had it not been for Graeme Pollock, the outcome of this series opener could have been very different indeed.

1st & 2nd innings scorecards
(click to enlarge)

Scores
NZL 1st Inns 202 (Reid 73; Procter 4-46)
SAF 1st Inns 485 (Pollock 237*, Lindsay 41; Hadlee 4-113)
NZL 2nd Inns 315 (Donnelly 100*, Turner 78)
SAF 2nd Inns 35-2

SOUTH AFRICA WON BY 8 WICKETS


Man of the Match: RG Pollock

South Africa v New Zealand - Tour Match

South African Board President's XI v New Zealanders
Willowmore Park, Benoni
3 Day Game
Umpires: RGA Ashman & DV Collins
Toss: SAB XI

SAB XI: G Kirsten, *A Melville, WR Endean, AW Nourse, PN Kirsten, RA McLean, +HB Cameron, JH Sinclair, PL Symcox, CR Matthews, AJ Bell.
NZL: GM Turner, B Sutcliffe, AH Jones, GP Howarth, MP Donnelly, *JR Reid, CL Cairns, +AC Parore, RJ Hadlee, DN Patel, DK Morrison.

Rain on days two and three ruined New Zealand's tour match as a competitive fixture, but the play that was possible did manage to provide one or two pointers for the Test series nonetheless. Alan Melville inserted the tourists upon winning the toss, and Sutcliffe's first ball dismissal to one that kept low from Sinclair provided his decision with almost immediate justification. Turner dug in for 44, but by mid afternoon the tourists had managed to amass just 111 runs for the loss of four wickets, and despite batting all the way down to Patel at number ten, the Kiwis looked in distinct trouble.

Former captain Geoff Howarth managed to accumulate a solid fifty though, and with current skipper John Reid looking in good touch, the rest of the day belonged to the New Zealanders as the pitch settled down and the runs flowed. Reid powered his way to an excellent hundred, and although he did flash through the slips on more than one occasion, he always flashed hard and deserved his ultimate reward. Howarth on the other hand continued to bat in more sedate fashion, and it was quite out of character when he pulled the first two deliveries from Sinclair on day two for four to bring up his own century. When Howarth was finally caught behind off Bell for 112, his partnership with Reid was worth 226 runs and had taken the New Zealanders well past the 300 mark, allowing Reid to declare shortly before lunch with the scoreboard reading 383-9.

Reid himself eventually amassed an imposing 143, and Chris Cairns marked his first appearance for the New Zealanders with an attacking cameo of 27. The pick of the South African bowlers was the unheralded 'Sandy' Bell, whose right arm seamers returned the excellent figures of 6-72, but Bell apart the bowling was poor, and it was a similar story as the SAB XI got their innings underway in earnest. New Zealand's bowlers were not helped by the fact that the remainder of day two turned into a real 'on and off' affair due to persistent showers, and Gary Kirsten took full advantage of the lack of rhythm shown by the tourists' bowlers.

Kirsten had reached 60 by the time stumps were drawn on day two, and on the third and final day he added a further 100 runs in between the showers, adding 107 with 'Dave' Nourse (49) and 98 with half-brother Peter (63*) before finally driving Reid into the covers, a tired stroke ending what had been a fine innings. Danny Morrison, although finishing wicketless, was probably the only New Zealand bowler to enhance his reputation, whilst Chris Cairns turned in a decidedly underwhelming performance with the ball, picking up just one wicket for 89 off 21 largely unimpressive overs. Cairns is still expected to make his Test debut in Bloemfontein though, and with Martin Crowe expected to be fit after missing this game with a side strain, it will be interesting to see if Howarth's century will find him a place in the XI for the first Test.

1st innings scorecards
(click to enlarge)

Scores
NZL 1st Inns 383-9 dec. (Reid 143, Howarth 112, Turner 44; Bell 6-72)
SAB XI 1st Inns 349-5 (G Kirsten 160, PN Kirsten 63*, Nourse 49)

MATCH DRAWN

South Africa v New Zealand - Series Preview

South Africa have been playing good, hard cricket since Hansie Cronje took over as captain, and series victories at home against Pakistan and, very impressively, away to England have given them the chance to leap into second place in the rankings if they can achieve a 2-0 or better result over New Zealand. The Proteas are expected to field a similar side to the one that performed so well in England, although Cronje himself will be hoping to fare better with the bat than he did on that tour, and the pressure will be on former skipper Trevor Goddard to score runs at the top of the order. Goddard is the only ever-present in the ATG world having played in all South Africa's 61 Tests to date, and he remains South Africa's leading wicket taker with 199 victims to his name, but his poor performance with the bat in recent times sees his place in the side now come under real threat.

New Zealand lost 4-1 in the Caribbean on their last outing, but with two of the Tests they lost going right down to the wire, they actually emerged from that series with a fair amount of credit, and they will be looking to build on their progress in South Africa. John Reid retains the captaincy after some improving personal performances, and the squad that he leads is strengthened by the addition of Chris Cairns, who is finally eligible for selection in the ATG arena. The inclusion of Cairns adds to the number of top-class all rounders that are likely to be on display in this series, but South Africa must still be viewed as hot favourites, not only to take the series but also to claim the number two spot in the rankings behind West Indies.

Current form (most recent result first)
South Africa WWLWD
New Zealand WLLLL

Previous series result
South Africa 2 New Zealand 0 (Season III, 3 Tests)

New Zealand Squad
JR Reid (c), MD Crowe (v/c), SL Boock, CL Cairns, J Cowie, MP Donnelly, RJ Hadlee, GP Howarth, AH Jones, DK Morrison, AC Parore, DN Patel, B Sutcliffe, BR Taylor, GM Turner.

Pakistan v Sri Lanka - Series Summary

PAKISTAN WON THE SERIES 3-0
Pakistan started as hot favourites in spite of the fact that they had not won a series since season IV, and a 3-0 scoreline come the conclusion of proceedings came as no surprise. Sri Lanka's batting proved itself capable, at least until the final Test, but its bowling attack was hopelessly outclassed, and the record total that Pakistan was allowed to amass in the first Test set the tone for the series.

Javed's triple century in Karachi was the undoubted batting highlight of the series, but Majid Khan was arguably Pakistan's most consistent batsman, notching two centuries and a fifty in his five visits to the crease. Mushtaq Mohammad was the only home batsman to disappoint, but he made up for this with his best ever series with the ball, culminating in his hat-trick in Lahore where he also returned the best bowling figures on either side over the course of the three Tests. Imran enjoyed a very consistent series with bat and ball, and victories in all three Tests have now placed his team right on England's shoulder in the rankings.

As for Sri Lanka, the lack of firepower in their bowling attack will surely see them continue to struggle at this level until the likes of Muralitharan and Vaas become eligible for selection in some future time. That said, the five wicket hauls returned by Ravi Ratnayeke and Rumesh Ratnayake in Lahore do offer some hope, although the wholly ineffectual performance of leg spinner Somachandra de Silva was a great disappointment. The other de Silva, Aravinda, made a most positive impact with the bat after missing the first Test through injury, and the fact that the Sri Lankans were able to pass the 300 mark in each of their first four innings shows that batting is certainly the islanders strongest suit. Gurusinha and Ranatunga will be unhappy with their contributions to the cause though, and both will be keen to make amends when their side next takes the field in a one-off Test against India.

Series averages
(click to enlarge)

Players of the Series: Javed Miandad & RS Mahanama

Pakistan v Sri Lanka - Third Test

Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore

Pakistan: Majid Khan, Mohsin Khan, Ijaz Ahmed, Javed Miandad, Mushtaq Mohammad, Asif Iqbal, *Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Sarfraz Nawaz, +Wasim Bari, Iqbal Qasim.
Sri Lanka: RS Mahanama, UC Hathurusingha, AP Gurusinha, RL Dias, PA de Silva, *A Ranatunga, +RS Kaluwitharana, JR Ratnayeke, HDPK Dharmasena, RJ Ratnayake, GP Wickramasinghe.

Debuts: UC Hathurusingha (SL)
Umpires: BL Aldridge (NZL) & VK Ramaswamy (IND)
Toss: Pakistan

The Gaddafi Stadium was sparsely populated throughout the duration of the third and final Test, but there was plenty of entertainment on offer for the few fans that bothered to show up. Pakistan, who were fielding Sarfraz Nawaz and Iqbal Qasim in place of the under-performing Fazal Mahmood and Abdul Qadir, rattled up an impressive 342 runs on day one, but equally impressive was the fact that the Sri Lankans had managed to claim eight wickets during that time, with Ravi Ratnayeke going on to claim the first five wicket haul in the visitors' history as the innings closed for the addition of just six further runs on the second morning.

The Sri Lankan bowlers stuck to their task admirably, and a succession of home batsmen got themselves out to shots of which they would not be proud. Ijaz was one such culprit, caught on the boundary off the recalled Dharmasena seven runs short of what would have been a maiden ATG century, and it was not until the arrival of Asif Iqbal at the crease that we were treated to some composed, measured batsmanship. Asif eventually fell to the second new ball, bowled by an excellent off-cutter from Ratnayake for 71, but Sarfraz continued to enjoy himself and was eventually last out for 48 on would prove to be a most eventful second day.

Mahanama and debutant Hathurusingha gave Sri Lanka's reply a solid foundation, but after lunch came with the score on 91-1, the innings imploded in the afternoon session as Mushtaq Mohammad ran through the card in spectacular fashion. Mahanama was bowled shortly after the resumption for 64, Iqbal Qasim getting his revenge after being struck for two huge, straight sixes before the interval, then Mushtaq took over with a spell of 6-12 in the space of 26 deliveries, the Sri Lankans having no answer to his flighted leg spin. In the midst of his amazing spell, Mushtaq also claimed the first ever hat-trick in ATG history by dismissing Gurusinha, Ratnayeke and Dharmasena with the third, fourth and fifth balls of his sixth over, Dharmasena providing Sarfraz with a steepling catch in the covers that left hearts in mouths for what seemed like an eternity before the celebrations could begin.

Sri Lanka were eventually dismissed for 194 to give Pakistan a 154 run first innings lead, and after Majid and Mohsin were both nipped out before stumps to complete a second day's play on which 14 wickets had fallen, the third day was all about Javed Miandad as his second century of the series dispelled any fanciful thoughts of winning the game that the tourists may have still harboured. Wickets fell regularly throughout the day as Sri Lanka's seamers again bowled with admirable perseverance, but Javed was the glue that held the innings together, and when he was ninth out for 112, after a 61 run stand with Sarfraz that just about hammered the final nail into Sri Lanka's coffin, Pakistan's lead exceeded 400 and the tourists' chance had gone.

Rumesh Ratnayake trumped his near namesake's efforts in the first innings by recording figures of 6-92, but unfortunately for Sri Lanka their batsmen failed to show anything like the same levels of application in their second innings, and with the scoreboard reading 86-4 at the end of day three, the writing was very much on the wall. Aravinda de Silva had fallen for a silky 46 in the day's last over, gated by a turning ball from Qasim, and without his presence the remainder of the order crumbled on day four, two stoppages for rain the only impediment to a decisive Pakistani victory. It was pace rather than spin that did for the Lankans this time, and Imran and Akram shared nine wickets between them as the innings subsided to a paltry total of 126. Sri Lanka's batting had let them down badly after it had been their strongest suit in the first two Tests, and Pakistan's series sweep, sadly celebrated in front of just a handful of spectators, was both predictable and deserved.

1st & 2nd innings scorecards
(click to enlarge)

Scores
PAK 1st Inns 348 (Ijaz Ahmed 93, Asif Iqbal 71, Sarfraz Nawaz 48; Ratnayeke 5-62)
SL 1st Inns 194 (Mahanama 64; Mushtaq Mohammad 6-29)
PAK 2nd Inns 255 (Javed Miandad 112; Ratnayake 6-92)
SL 2nd Inns 126 (PA de Silva 46; Imran Khan 5-37, Wasim Akram 4-42)

PAKISTAN WON BY 283 RUNS


Man of the Match: Mushtaq Mohammad

Pakistan v Sri Lanka - Second Test

Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad

Pakistan: Majid Khan, Mohsin Khan, Ijaz Ahmed, Javed Miandad, Mushtaq Mohammad, Asif Iqbal, *Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, +Wasim Bari, Fazal Mahmood, Abdul Qadir.
Sri Lanka: S Wettimuny, RS Mahanama, AP Gurusinha, RL Dias, PA de Silva, *A Ranatunga, +RS Kaluwitharana, DS de Silva, JR Ratnayeke, RJ Ratnayake, GP Wickramasinghe.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: CJ Egar (AUS) & S Kishen (IND)
Toss: Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka's batsmen performed creditably in the first Test defeat, and given first use of a rock-hard track in Faisalabad they again batted well, providing the Lankans with perhaps their best day in the ATG arena thus far as they racked up 352 runs on a helter-skelter first day at the Iqbal Stadium. Hashan Tillakaratne was ruled out of this game with a groin strain, but Aravinda de Silva was fit again, and on his recall to the side he and Roy Dias compiled a wonderful stand of 168 in an afternoon session that saw the runs come at a rate approaching a run a ball.

The pair combined in a display of truly audacious strokeplay, but both missed out on their centuries as Imran produced a devastating spell either side of tea. The innings stumbled from 240-3 to 261-8, and Imran's five wicket burst saw him become just the third player, after Malcolm Marshall and Bill O'Reilly, to reach 200 ATG wickets. Somachandra de Silva, with his first ATG fifty, and Rumesh Ratnayake rallied the innings thereafter though and their excellent stand of 78 for the ninth wicket helped push Sri Lanka's total to 352, the innings having spanned just 82 overs. However, what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander, and over the course of the second day Pakistan's batsmen metered out similar punishment as the tourists' attack again struggled to either contain or penetrate.

From an overnight score of 7-0, Pakistan piled on a further 391 runs for the loss of just five wickets on day two, with Majid topping his century in the first Test by stroking his way to a career high 161 before being trapped by a good slower ball from Wickramasinghe, Sri Lanka's best bowler on the day. Majid had earlier been part of a second successive century opening partnership with Mohsin, and he added a further 116 with Ijaz, whose first ATG fifty showed promise until he was caught in the deep off Ratnayeke. With opposite number Ranatunga dropping the field back, Imran managed to give the tail end of the innings some impetus with a cultured 83, and a last wicket stand of 66 with Qadir pushed Pakistan to a total of 538 and a lead of 186 when Imran was finally dismissed on the third afternoon.

It was Aravinda de Silva who bowled the Pakistani captain, and after a rocky start to Sri Lanka's second innings it was Aravinda the batsman to the rescue as he raised his maiden ATG hundred after coming so close on the first day. Two more wickets from Imran, including that of Dias for 3 courtesy of a stunning catch in the slips from Majid, had reduced Sri Lanka to 38-3, but de Silva then got to work as Sri Lanka moved towards making their opponents bat twice for the first time in their brief ATG history. That de Silva was dropped three times during his 143 should not take anything away from the quality of his innings, and the fact that the next highest score was Kaluwitharana's 38 highlights the dominance of the diminutive maestro's performance.

Sri Lanka's final total of 327 set Pakistan a relatively comfortable target of 142 for victory, and although a three wicket burst from Wickramasinghe on the final morning finally gave the visitors something to cheer in the field, it was a case of too little too late as Pakistan got home by five wickets to take both the match and the series. Sri Lanka's batsmen had again performed admirably but, just as in the first Test, their bowlers looked far from threatening, and a 3-0 whitewash seems on the cards as the teams head to Lahore for the third and final Test.

1st & 2nd innings scorecards
(click to enlarge)

Scores
SL 1st Inns 352 (PA de Silva 96, Dias 89, DS de Silva 57, Wettimuny 42; Imran Khan 5-73)
PAK 1st Inns 538 (Majid Khan 161, Imran Khan 83, Ijaz Ahmed 69, Javed Miandad 49, Mohsin Khan 46)
SL 2nd Inns 327 (PA de Silva 143; Wasim Akram 4-98)
PAK 2nd Inns 142-5 (Majid Khan 65, Mohsin Khan 47)

PAKISTAN WON BY 5 WICKETS


Man of the Match: PA de Silva

Pakistan v Sri Lanka - First Test

National Stadium, Karachi

Pakistan: Majid Khan, Mohsin Khan, Ijaz Ahmed, Javed Miandad, Mushtaq Mohammad, Asif Iqbal, *Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, +Wasim Bari, Fazal Mahmood, Abdul Qadir.
Sri Lanka: S Wettimuny, RS Mahanama, AP Gurusinha, RL Dias, *A Ranatunga, HP Tillakaratne, +RS Kaluwitharana, DS de Silva, JR Ratnayeke, ALF de Mel, GP Wickramasinghe.

Debuts: Ijaz Ahmed (PAK); RL Dias, ALF de Mel & GP Wickramasinghe (SL)
Umpires: CJ Egar (AUS) & S Kishen (IND)
Toss: Pakistan

Sri Lanka entered into their first Test overseas with something of an injury crisis in their already thin bowling stocks, and on the flattest of tracks in Karachi, the attack that the Lankans did manage to put out onto the field was flayed to all quarters by a rampant Pakistani batting line-up. Majid Khan, with 101, was the dominant partner as the first wicket put on a completely untroubled 181, and Mohsin Khan then played second fiddle to a rampaging Javed in a third wicket partnership that took the hosts to an imposing 375-2 at the end of day one.

Mohsin passed 1000 career runs as he posted a career high 188, and his partnership with Javed had reached a national record 207 before the perspiring de Mel finally induced an edge behind midway through the second morning. Pakistan had already racked up 446 runs by this stage, and there was to be no let up for the tourists as Javed went into overdrive. Already past his hundred, Javed was determined to put on an unforgettable show for his home crowd, and his fourth ATG double century was raised off just 213 balls as he and Asif added a further 112 runs at almost a run a ball for the fifth wicket.

The score ticked past the 600 mark soon after Javed's milestone, and with the scoreboard reading a mammoth 662-5 at tea, the highest total in Pakistan's history, the toiling Sri Lankans would have been hoping and praying for Imran to call time on proceedings. It was not to be though, and after the break Javed and Imran took their partnership towards the 200 mark as Javed first passed his own national record of 284, and then became the first Pakistani to break the 300 barrier before Imran finally declared on 766-5, the third highest total in ATG history. Whilst Javed was celebrating, Sri Lanka's bowlers were left to lick their substantial wounds, with de Mel and Somachandra de Silva the first bowlers ever to concede in excess of 200 runs in a single innings, and it came as no surprise when Wasim Akram whipped out both Wettimuny and Gurusinha before stumps on day two to leave the visitors a precarious 4-2 overnight.

That the Sri Lankans did not fold completely on day three was down to two men; Mahanama blazed a defiant 92 at the top of the order then Hashan Tillakaratne rallied the tail to record his second century in succession as the total crept past 300, finally matching Javed's 304 when de Mel was last man out for a commendable, two and a half hour, 31. It was now lunch on day four, and in humid conditions and with a lead of 462, Imran enforced the follow-on, giving the Sri Lankans five sessions to hold out for an improbable draw. Wettimuny and Gurusinha both went cheaply again, but Mahanama and Dias then linked up in a partnership that saw them bat on into the final day and present the tourists with the possibility of staging one of the greatest of escapes.

Mahanama reached his century in audacious fashion, striking consecutive boundaries off Akram in the final over of day four to reach three figures and Dias, who was making his debut in place of the injured Aravinda de Silva, compiled a stoic fifty as the pair put together their nation's highest partnership to date. Their stand had reached 173 before Dias ballooned a catch off the leading edge against Mushtaq on the final morning, and unfortunately for Sri Lanka his wicket marked the start of a steady decline as Pakistan's spinners took control in the afternoon. Mahanama was finally out for 163 to go with his 92 in the first innings, and the last six wickets fell for just 52 runs as the tail melted away against the turning ball. Sri Lanka were eventually all out for 321 shortly before tea, and Pakistan claimed victory by the tidy margin of an innings and 141 runs. The visitors' batsmen had certainly not disgraced themselves but, as predicted, their bowling attack seems incapable of taking ten wickets in a match, let alone twenty, and one cannot foresee anything other than more leather chasing for the tourists as the series continues.

1st & 2nd innings scorecards
(click to enlarge)

Scores
PAK 1st Inns 766-5 dec. (Javed Miandad 304*, Mohsin Khan 188, Majid Khan 101, Imran Khan 80*, Asif Iqbal 47)
SL 1st Inns 304 (Tillakaratne 108, Mahanama 92)
SL 2nd Inns 321 (Mahanama 163, Dias 65; Mushtaq Mohammad 4-33)

PAKISTAN WON BY AN INNINGS & 141 RUNS


Man of the Match: Javed Miandad

Pakistan v Sri Lanka - Tour Match

President's XI v Sri Lankans
Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad
3 Day Game
Umpires: Amanullah Khan & Mahboob Shah
Toss: Sri Lankans

President's XI: Aamer Sohail, Rameez Raja, Waqar Hasan, Javed Burki, Ijaz Ahmed, Wasim Raja, +*Rashid Latif, Nasim-ul-Ghani, Mahmood Hussain, Asif Masood, Aaqib Javed.
Sri Lankans: S Wettimuny, RS Mahanama, AP Gurusinha, RL Dias, *A Ranatunga, HP Tillakaratne, +RS Kaluwitharana, DS de Silva, JR Ratnayeke, HDPK Dharmasena, GP Wickramasinghe.

A batsman-friendly pitch at the Niaz Stadium meant that the draw was always going to be the likely result in Hyderabad, and Asanka Gurusinha took full advantage on the first day with a fine century for the tourists. Gurusinha (109) put on 138 for the third wicket with the more circumspect Dias (65) and then, after the Sri Lankans had stumbled from 200-2 to 257-7, Somachandra de Silva and Ravi Ratnayeke revived the innings with an attacking partnership of 78, allowing Ranatunga to declare overnight with the scoreboard reading 354-8.

Coming as it did from the number eight position, de Silva's fluent 75 proved that Sri Lanka's batting certainly has some depth to it, but over the course of the second day the tourists' bowling attack was put to the sword as Rameez Raja and Ijaz Ahmed both powered their way to confident hundreds. The pair piled on 229 runs for the fourth wicket in little over three hours, but once the stand was broken the misery was far from over for the Sri Lankans as Rashid Latif smashed four sixes on his way to a quickfire fifty, and a 105 run partnership with Wasim Raja helped propel the hosts into an 85 run lead before Latif declared on the final morning. Ratnayeke was the only member of the visitors' attack to emerge with any credit, and it was now down to the batsmen to play out time and avoid the possibility of a demoralising defeat ahead of the first Test.

Wettimuny (54) and Mahanama (37) put on a trouble-free 65 for the first wicket, and although wickets fell at regular intervals thereafter, a shoddy display in the field from the Pakistanis ensured that the tourists were able to keep the scoreboard ticking over, and the game petered out into its inevitable conclusion over the course of the remainder of the day. Sri Lanka will head into the opening Test with a reasonably confident batting unit in situ, but on the evidence of the last three days, coupled with their showing in their one previous Test against England, one wonders how their bowlers will manage to take twenty wickets in a Test, and for that reason Pakistan must remain strong favourites as the series begins in earnest.

1st & 2nd innings scorecards
(click to enlarge)

Scores
Sri Lankans 1st Inns 354-8 dec. (Gurusinha 109, de Silva 75, Dias 65)
President's XI 1st Inns 439-8 dec. (Rameez Raja 149, Ijaz Ahmed 110, Rashid Latif 73; Ratnayeke 4-90)
Sri Lankans 2nd Inns 235-8 (Wettimuny 54)

MATCH DRAWN