Only 5.2 overs were possible on day 3 of the historic test between Sri Lanka and Pakistan in Rawalpindi.
The Test at Rawalpindi was something the local cricket fans had been longing for more than a decade. But, the weather gods seem to have no mercy on them whatsoever. We saw an early shutdown on the first-day of play, only 10.3 overs were possible on day-two, and just 5.2 on day-three. The shop had to be shut as early as 1.36 pm today after a delayed start to the day. We have lost approximately almost one-third of the game and it is quite visible that a result will not be possible in this Test from hereon, unless we see some magical bowling from the Lankans.
In front of some absolute cricket maniacs at Pindi who stayed back to see this game get underway, resisting the rain and the cold, the day’s play started at about 1.10 pm local time. Dhananjaya de Silva started off the day’s scoring with a gorgeous cover drive through point off Shaheen Shah Afridi.
But the satisfaction of watching a World Test Championship game being unfolded did not last long for that spirited set of spectators as only 2.3 over of Shaheen Shah Afridi and 2.5 overs of the quick and gutsy Naseem Shah was possible on the day. Naseem did trouble Dilruwan Perera, who remained on 6 not-out after the passage of play today, as he managed to find Perera’s inside edge on one occasion where it missed the off stump by inches and whizzed a few quickies past Dilruwan’s outside edge.
Meanwhile on the other end, De Silva is knitting a beauty of a Test knock with solid defensive shots, elegant drives and authoritative pulls. He dispatched a short delivery off Naseem Shah to the boundary in front of square by rocking to his backfoot early and whipping from just outside-off amidst the dimming light, two balls before the day was called off for bad-light.
Tea was taken early but at about 3.35 pm the day was called off.
Not much is left in this Test from now on. Maybe the second consecutive hundred for Dhananjaya de Silva, to announce his return to form after the purple patch he had in the recent past in Tests, could be a point to look out for in the game. A fifer for the 16-year-old Naseem Shah in his, and of course the entire team’s, debut Test at home. The game has now drifted down to those individual battles and let us all hope for sunshine in Pindi tomorrow, if not for those milestones of the players, for those genuine fans of this game in Pakistan.
>>> Click here for more cricket news <<<
