The Hindu : Sport : Sri Lanka amasses a big total

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Sri Lanka amasses a big total

Samaraweera hits double hundred, Dilshan 145; Gul scalps six

— Photo: AFP

PROLIFIC PLAYERS: Thilan Samaraweera (right), who made yet another double hundred, congratulates Tillakaratne Dilshan on the latter reaching his century.

LAHORE: Thilan Samaraweera notched up his second successive Test double century and Tillakaratne Dilshan smashed an aggressive 145 as Sri Lanka posted an imposing first-innings score of 606 in the second Test against Pakistan on Monday.

Samaraweera, who scored 231 in the first Test at Karachi, made 245 (338 balls, 32 x 4) and Dilshan struck his eighth Test century off 170 deliveries before the touring side was bowled out in the last session.

Paceman Umar Gul finished with a career-best six for 135, surpassing his previous best of five for 31 achieved against India here in 2004.

Pakistan, needing 407 to avoid the follow-on, began its first innings positively and racked up 110 for one before stumps were drawn on day two. Khurram Manzoor was unbeaten on 59 with 11 boundaries.

Both Samaraweera and Dilshan were run out on either side of the last session after sharing Sri Lanka’s record-breaking 207-run fifth-wicket stand against Pakistan in three hours of powerful strokeplay.

In select company

Samaraweera became the sixth batsman after Walter Hammond, Don Bradman, Vinod Kambli, Kumar Sangakkara and Graeme Smith to score successive double centuries in Test matches.

Hammond and Bradman had twice hit successive double centuries in consecutive Test matches.

Pakistan was let down by its sloppy fielding with Misbah-ul-Haq dropping a simple catch at slip when Dilshan was on 127, though Gul went on to have Prasanna Jayawardene caught behind for 15 in the same over.

Gul clean bowled Thilan Thushara (10) on the last ball before tea and then returned to claim the wicket of Ajantha Mendis off his first ball after the break.

Dilshan was run out off a direct throw from Yasir Arafat after hitting 21 boundaries during his four-and-a-half hour knock. Muttiah Muralitharan (22 off 16 balls) ensured that Sri Lanka passed the 600-run mark for the second successive time in the series.

He hit rookie fast bowler Mohammad Talha for three consecutive boundaries before becoming the right-arm paceman’s first Test victim.

With the Gaddafi Stadium wicket proving increasingly friendly to the batsmen, Samaraweera and Dilshan punished loose deliveries with some attractive pull shots and cover drives.

Record stand

Their 207-run fifth-wicket stand bettered the previous best of 143 against Pakistan between Romesh Kaluwitharana and Russel Arnold at the same venue in 1999.

The Pakistan bowlers toiled hard in the two sessions as the seamers got little assistance from the wicket and Danish Kaneria was unable to trouble the batsmen with his leg-spin. — AP

Corrections & Clarifications

The sixth paragraph of a report "Sri Lanka amasses a big total" ("Sport", March 3, 2009) said Samaraweera became the sixth batsman after Walter Hammond, Don Bradman, Vinod Kambli, Kumar Sangakkara and Graeme Smith to score successive double centuries in Test matches. He is actually the seventh, for Ricky Ponting has also accomplished a similar feat. He did so against India in 2003-04 scoring 242 and 257 in successive Tests at Adelaide and Melbourne.

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