Rain-hit first Test between Pakistan and Lanka ends in a tame draw

Opener Abid Ali became the first batsman to score hundreds on both Test and one-day debuts as Pakistan’s first home match in the long form of the game since the 2009 attack on the visiting Sri Lanka team ended in a tame draw against the same opponents on Sunday.

On 95, the 32-year-old hit paceman Vishwa Fernando for a boundary and then drove him through cover for two to complete his hundred, raising his hands in jubilation before kneeling on the ground to offer a prayer of gratitude.

His hundred came in 267 minutes, laced with 11 boundaries, and was the highlight of a Test badly affected by bad weather.

Pakistan finished at 252-2, with stylish batsman Babar Azam knocking his third Test century with a boundary off spinner Dilruwan Perera.

Azam ended with 102 not out, which came in 151 minutes of punishing batting spiced by 14 crisp boundaries.

But the day belonged to Abid, one of 15 batsmen to score a hundred on their one-day international debut -- against Australia in Dubai in March his year -- since the inception of limited over cricket in January 1971.

None of the others also scored a century on their debut in Test cricket, which started in 1876.

Abid is the 11th Pakistani batsmen to score a century on Test debut.

Abid’s feat spiced up the historic Test, the first in Pakistan since the 2009 attacks on the Sri Lankan team bus left international cricket suspended in the country.

Only 91.5 overs were possible on the first four days as rain, bad light and overcast conditions affected play. The fourth day was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

But there was bright sunshine on Sunday as Sri Lanka batted for 20 minutes to declare their first innings at 308-6 with middle-order batsman Dhananjaya de Silva scoring an unbeaten 102.

Pakistan lost opener Shan Masood for nought when he drove a full toss from paceman Kasun Rajitha straight into the hands of Dinesh Chandimal at cover Skipper Azhar Ali scored a shaky 36 before he was caught off Lahiru Kumara.

De Silva remained unbeaten on 102 after 241 minutes of batting, having come in with the score on 127-4 on Thursday. Dilruwan Perera remained unbeaten on 16.  The pick of the Pakistan bowlers were 16-year-old quickie Naseem Shah, who took 2-92, and Shaheen Shah Afridi with 2-58.

The second Test is in Karachi starting Dec.19.

Agencies



Scoreboard:

Sri Lanka 1st innings

D Karunaratne lbw b Shaheen    59

O Fernando c Sohail b Naseem    40

K Mendis c Rizwan b Shinwari    10

A Mathews c Shafiq b Naseem    31

D Chandimal b Abbas    2

D de Silva not out    102

N Dickwella c Azam b Shaheen    33

D Perera not out    16

Extras (b5, lb7, nb3)    15

Total (for six wkts, 97 overs)    308

Bowling: Abbas 27-9-72-1, Shaheen 22-7-58-2 (nb3), Shinwari 15-4-54-1, Naseem 27-5-92-2, Sohail 3-0-12-0, Masood 1-1-0-0, Shafiq 2-0-8-0

Pakistan 1st innings

S Masood c Chandimal b Rajitha0

A Ali not out    109

A Ali c Karunaratne b Kumara    36

B Azam not out    102

Extras: (b 2, nb 2, w 1)    5

Total: (for two wkts, 70 overs )    252

Bowling: Rajitha 6-2-5-1 (1nb), Fernando 13-1-49-0, Kumara 14-4-46-1, Perera 24-0-85-0, De Silva 11-0-48-0 (nb1), Oshada 1-0-3-0, Mendis 1-0-14-0

Result: Draw