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