Defiant Dimuth but Shah wreaks havoc after lunch

the batsman edged paceman Rahat Ali, one of the four new faces in the Pakistan team, to be caught behind.

Karunaratne added 91 with Upul Tharanga (46) to steady the innings but Shah wreaked havoc after lunch as Sri Lanka lost three wickets for the addition of just 31 runs.

Tharanga was outfoxed by a Shah googly that took the outside edge, deflected off wicketkeeper Ahmed’s pads and ballooned up for Younus Khan to take a diving catch at slip.

Lahiru Thirimanne needed 17 balls to get off the mark before he decided to come down the track and hit a Shah delivery straight to mid-off.

Skipper Angelo Mathews, the only member of the Sri Lankan side to have played more than 25 Tests, was also guilty of poor shot selection, hitting Shah straight to mid-on.

A resolute Karunaratne took two runs off Azhar to bring up his century in 188 balls – contributing exactly half of the team’s total at that point – before punching the air in celebration.

He added 67 runs with Jehan Mubarak (25), who was playing his first Test in more than seven years after being named in the side in one of the four Sri Lanka changes.

Mubarak got started but could not convert it and was lured out of his crease to be stumped.

Azhar struck back-to-back blows by dismissing Karunaratne and Dhammika Prasad off successful deliveries as Sri Lanka lost four wick- ets in the final session.

Meanwhile, fast bowler Mohammad Irfan has recovered from a hip injury and was named in Pakistan’s one-day squad for the five-match series in Sri Lanka later this month.

The 33-year-old giant paceman had his World Cup campaign cut short earlier this year by a pelvic stress fracture and has not played since.

Fellow left-arm paceman Wahab Riaz, who missed the ongoing third and final Test against the same opponents after sustaining a hand injury in the second Test, may play the last two one-dayers, provided he recovers sufficiently.

“The rehab process of Wahab Riaz is being monitored and our medical panel is expected to re-scan his injured left hand around the middle of this month to find out the recovery process,” chief selector Haroon Rashid said.

“It is hoped he recovers well in time to be available for the last two ODIs and if he is declared fit, the selection committee might consider sending him ...”

The 16-member team led by Azhar Ali includes uncapped batsman Mukhtar Ahmed, who has been rewarded for his Twenty20 International skills underlined by a 158-plus strike rate. “Mukhtar Ahmed performed well at international level in T20 format,” Rashid said.

Dambulla hosts the first ODI next Saturday, followed by matches on July 15 (Pallekele), July 19 (Colombo), July 22 (Colombo) and July 26 (Hambantota). – Reuters