Sri Lanka v Pakistan | 3rd Test | July 3-7 | Pallekele | Day 1

[JilaWatan]

Pak win toss bowl first.

Sri Lanka Team
JK Silva, FDM Karunaratne, WU Tharanga, HDRL Thirimanne, AD Mathews*, LD Chandimal†, J Mubarak, KTGD Prasad, PHT Kaushal, RAS Lakmal, N Pradeep

Pakistan Team
Ahmed Shehzad, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq*, Asad Shafiq, Sarfraz Ahmed†, Ehsan Adil, Yasir Shah, Rahat Ali, Imran Khan

3 new pacers and just 1 spinner for Pakistan.

 

[hussain.r97]

Interesting choice to play 3 pacers. Not a bad one by any means. Both Junaid and Babar were out of their depth.

 

[Neferpitou]

Good to see Babar and Junaid dropped. Shan's selection is understandable as well.

 

[JilaWatan]

interesting to see Pakistan moving away from their comfort zone ie playing more spinners. with hafeez out we have only 4 legit bowler. guessing azhar ali and shehzad might get to roll their arms

 

[Zeshan547]

After a long time i have seen best possible XI selected from the given squad and available players. Good to see that team management showed some common sense atlast. Now it's upto players to perform and grab their chance with both hands and make their place permanent.

 

[junaid.ahmed]

why sanga is not playing?? is he dropped or not fit?

 

[Flat_Track_Bully]

Pakistan has take 3 wickets to in the 1st session to have a chance of winning the test.

 

[neckbrah]

After a long time i have seen best possible XI selected from the given squad and available players. Good to see that team management showed some common sense atlast. Now it's upto players to perform and grab their chance with both hands and make their place permanent.

You did it Zheeshan, misbah and waqar listened to you. When are you becoming a part of the selection committee?

 

[junaid.ahmed]

After a long time i have seen best possible XI selected from the given squad and available players. Good to see that team management showed some common sense atlast. Now it's upto players to perform and grab their chance with both hands and make their place permanent.

yeah

 

[Adnan Siddiqui]

Totally agree with squad. 3 pacer is right selection. Very nice to see Misbah coming out of his comfort zone and going with 1 spinner only. I hope it will work well for him and team. Good Luck Misbah.

 

[JilaWatan]

interesting comments by YK when asked about the teams fielding issues. he says its all depends on the person himself and also most of the times it comes down to the fitness. our players sometimes lack the discipline to be good fielders.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

The only thing is who will fulfill the 5th bowlers role now that hafeez is not playing?

 

[Zeshan547]

You did it Zheeshan, misbah and waqar listened to you. When are you becoming a part of the selection committee?

whenever you offer me, Mr. Chairman PCB. I will join asap.

 

[#GreenRoars]

i said earlier in pre match discussion they are gonna play Rahat and IK. good

 

[Abdullah719]

Early impression is that Rahat has caught the JK bug and his injury is still affecting him, which is understandable. Bowling around ~130kph.

 

[Abdullah719]

Adil not quite finding the perfect length in that over but more swing than all the other bowlers combined, and surprisingly more pace too, high 130s.

 

[Flat_Track_Bully]

Rubbish bowling my both pacers. No control.

 

[Abdullah719]

Good swing for Rahat too. Opening new-ball bowlers detected. Emotional moment.

Now to pick up some wickets too.

 

[Zeshan547]

Give him a break, atleast rahat is not bowling gun barrel straight as jk, which is a big improvement.

 

[Abdullah719]

Rubbish bowling my both pacers. No control.

True. But I am remembering JK's gun-barrel straight bowling. Control will come but that skill can't be learned I feel. At least not by JK.

 

[Neferpitou]

Good to see em swinging.

 

[Abdullah719]

Control not ideal but I prefer seeing this to seeing JK and MoHa opening the bowling.

 

[walashi]

139.6kph

 

[Flat_Track_Bully]

True. But I am remembering JK's gun-barrel straight bowling. Control will come but that skill can't be learned I feel. At least not by JK.

Need to take 2 wickets in the next 7 overs otherwise new ball is a complete waste.

 

[angrypathan]

140.5kph good pace

 

[neckbrah]

Wicket around the corner

 

[Shafi]

Good changes!!! Wished Asad Shafiq replace by Babar Azam

 

[angrypathan]

4, poor delivery

 

[Flat_Track_Bully]

Rahat with his customary 1 bad ball an over.

 

[angrypathan]

beautyyy

 

[Abdullah719]

Need to take 2 wickets in the next 7 overs otherwise new ball is a complete waste.

JK needs to get his retirement plans in order.

 

[Neferpitou]

Rahat with his customary 1 bad ball an over.

Silence child.

 

[Shafi]

Wicket!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Square Drive]

Beauty from Rahat! Huge wicket!

 

[angrypathan]

Good changes!!! Wished Asad Shafiq replace by Babar Azam

Why do you have an issue with Shafiq's selection?

 

[honeybadger]

Reiffel is not racist. He's a good guy.

He is bad at his job.

 

[Abdullah719]

Rahat with his customary 1 bad ball an over.

The 1 good ball has been more than JK managed in two Test matches.

 

[Neferpitou]

Rahat strikes. Big wicket.

 

[imshally81]

 

[#GreenRoars]

 

[neckbrah]

Good game boys, with Silva gone, only Matthews is left. The rest will crumble quick.

 

[Belawal2014]

Why do you have an issue with Shafiq's selection?

Yeah, stills. I understand why ppl don't like him ODIs, but in tests, it baffles me.

 

[Uzair Gooner]

Pitch it up to Tharanga, he loves to drive

 

[ViciousMachine]

Good start, need to keep the pressure up and force a SL collapse! Pay back for 1st innings in 2nd test

 

[Square Drive]

Rahat on :AAG

Expect his average to improve drastically after he plays the overseas Tests.

 

[Square Drive]

Lovely fielding by Shan!

 

[angrypathan]

Good delivery, oh how I have missed seeing a swinging new ball

 

[Square Drive]

Excellent delivery by Adil!

 

[wasim9211]

should be all out before 1.20 pm. koz minus silva K = 5 down.
after 3 hours, wicket will help middle order batsman

 

[imshally81]

Seriously.... if Riaz was fit......

 

[Flat_Track_Bully]

Rahat with his customary 1 bad ball an over.

 

[Neferpitou]

That's a better length from Rahat, don't mind the 4.

 

[angrypathan]

4, rekt

 

[Uzair Gooner]

Good from Ehsan swinging & Seaming it both ways

 

[GreenRage]

Dean Jones talking about my nigga Mohammad asif oh I miss those good old days.

 

[Xoib]

Pak would have been 4 down in these conditions by now awful waste of a new ball.

 

[Neferpitou]

Gotta pitch it up.

 

[Square Drive]

Time to give Rahat some rest now. Bring Imran on.

 

[Neferpitou]

Misbah needs to pack the off side and ask Rahat to continue pitching it up. Shouldn't be bothered by the fours.

 

[GreenRage]

Seriously.... if Riaz was fit......

He wouldn't do anything he can't swing the ball all he can do is bowl short.

 

[Thivagar]

No Herath. If SL was gonna go with 1 spinner, it should have been Herath not Kaushal.

 

[Thivagar]

If Mubarak fails in this match, his international career will be officially over.

 

[GreenRage]

No Herath. If SL was gonna go with 1 spinner, it should have been Herath not Kaushal.

Yeah this should be a easy win for Pakistan if they play sensibly. Herath is always the biggest threat to Pakistan Sri Lanka messed up.

 

[Thivagar]

Tharanga and Kusal are must for the ODi series. It is not like we have anyone else.

 

[Thivagar]

Yeah this should be a easy win for Pakistan if they play sensibly. Herath is always the biggest threat to Pakistan Sri Lanka messed up.

Mathews being retarded as usual. If Sanga was there, Herath would be playing.

 

[arehaan]

Wasted the new ball Sril Lanka on course

 

[Thivagar]

If you come down to a left arm spinner/off spinner what are they going to do ? The downside of being a finger spinner.

 

[Thivagar]

This line up has Minnow written all over

 

[angrypathan]

Good over from Ehsan, first maiden of the innings I think

 

[Thivagar]

The rain has discolored the seats and the stadium is less than 5 years old. Corruption exposed

 

[MMHS]

So far pathetic show by PAK new ball bowlers - Captain puts the opponent in & it's an absolute waste of new ball - 80% of the balls are actually leave able & yet they are going at 4+!!!!!

New ball skill is finished in PAK - the "exciting" movement that we saw was a double bluff - 90% of new ball skill is to make batsman play 5 out of 6; PAK pacers did opposite.

Same wicket, condition - SRL would have got PAK 3 down by now, with a couple of walking wicket in this condition to start with.

 

[Neferpitou]

So far pathetic show by PAK new ball bowlers - Captain puts the opponent in & it's an absolute waste of new ball - 80% of the balls are actually leave able & yet they are going at 4+!!!!!

New ball skill is finished in PAK - the "exciting" movement that we saw was a double bluff - 90% of new ball skill is to make batsman play 5 out of 6; PAK pacers did opposite.

Same wicket, condition - SRL would have got PAK 3 down by now, with a couple of walking wicket in this condition to start with.

Lol relax both of them are just coming off injuries. Adil is inexperienced as well.

 

[Thivagar]

Tharanga knows how to time the ball without an effort. Nigga had 6 odi centuries by the time he was 21, 3 of them came in NZ and England. 1, 90 as well. Too bad he is an idiot.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Mathews being retarded as usual. If Sanga was there, Herath would be playing.

But Herath wasn't effective in the last test.

And they say this is a 3 pacer pitch.

 

[angrypathan]

review time

 

[#GreenRoars]

was there any bat??

 

[angrypathan]

oh my god that ad with sarfraz in it is cringeworthy

 

[ViciousMachine]

Oh wow, given not out for inside edge? Did not see that coming.... looked like it had snuck past the bat. Would be interesting to see hawk eye cause I am not sure if we would have got the decision anyway though, he was fairly outside crease

 

[junaid.ahmed]

poor umpiring

 

[angrypathan]

was there any bat??

I don't think there was, but I guess the two sounds would suggest there was, and was too hard to tell from the replays