Sri Lanka Batsmen Must Step Up Without Kumar Sangakkara and Kaushal Silva
At the end of the fourth day in Galle, the first Test between hosts Sri Lanka and Pakistan appears to be petering out into a draw after rain washed out the entire first day.
However, it may not be that straightforward, as the hosts are 63 for two, still behind by 54 from the first innings and without Kumar Sangakkara and Kaushal Silva.
The pair are the two wickets to have fallen already—Silva caught by Azhar Ali off Wahab Riaz and Sangakkara caught by Ali off Yasir Shah—and leave quite a hole for Sri Lanka.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
In the first innings, they were the only batsmen to pass 50 for the home side, with Silva grinding his way to 125 off 300 balls and Sangakkara scoring exactly 50 off 106.
Meanwhile, they had very little support, with no other player passing 25 in their team’s eventual total of 300 all out, an under-par score in spite of the weather.
That heavy reliance on the pair is troubling from Sri Lanka’s point of view, especially as they go into the second innings of the game with plenty still to do.
Pakistan are still ahead by 54 runs, which means the home side need to be sensible and careful with the bat, but they also need someone else to step up their game.
Dimuth Karunaratne was on 36 not out at the close, and after making this good start to his innings, the opener needs to push on and let his side build around him.
Alongside him is Dilruwan Perera, a talented bowler in as a nightwatchman but one who is capable of delivering with the bat.
His 95 against Pakistan early last year in Sharjah indicates what he is capable of, and Perera will be determined to produce more.
Moving down the batting order, the likes of Lahiru Thirimanne, Kithuruwan Vithanage and Dinesh Chandimal all have the ability to deliver.
None of them did so in the first innings, with Chandimal the highest scorer of the three with 23, and they will be hopeful of recovering from that disappointment.
Then, much will be expected of Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews, who also failed the first time around but remains one of his country’s superstars.
His bowling workload was light in Pakistan’s innings—six overs for 12 runs—so he should be in decent enough condition for a long knock of his own if called upon.
The game may well be moving toward a draw, but things are still a little precarious for Sri Lanka and could get worse if they are not careful.
They need to bat sensibly on this final day and ensure that Pakistan do not even have a sniff at victory, and someone other than Sangakkara or Silva must lead the way.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
