Pak v SL: 2nd Test match

[Maranello]

Sri Lanka 208 & 134/1 (28.0 ov)
Pakistan 478

Sri Lanka trail by 136 runs with 9 wickets remaining.

Jayasuriya on 97 (off only 104 deliveries).

[Rachael]

Originally Posted by Shaka

The first 6 overs went for 54 runs. Welcome to test cricket Rana and Afridi Not impressive stuff at all, but at least razzaq was able to come on and show these guys how to bowl a more restrictive line and length. The fact that Danis Kaneria is on after 7 overs doesn't say much for the way Pakistan have bowled with the new ball.

Not having seen the innings I'm curious: did Jayasuria's explosive start really boil down to the debutants getting knocked off their line and length.. or was this one of those passages of play you occasionally get with guys like Jayasuria, Gayle, Sehwag, Hayden and the like where no matter what ANYONE does the ball is going to get clattered around the park?

I hate seeing it happen.. but sometimes batsmen get into such a groove that one wonders if even McGrath and Stathan in tandem with Warne and Murali to back them up could really stem the flow.

Was this one such occasion? Or just debutants being bettered by a wise batsman able to knock them out of their stride?

[Mike Small]

I didn't see the whole thing just highlights in a news report. To me it seemed like Afrid and Hassan bowled at Jayasuriya's stengths & he pounced on it, although there was this one cover drive he hit off Razaq that came of a perfectly respectable ball - I didn't see the whole session so I'm also not in a position to give a decesive verdict but I guess it would have been more or less a mix of some bad bowling accompanied by good shots.

[Maranello]

A bit of both Rachael..there was some wayward bowling, esp. the three overs that Naved bowled. But Jayasuriya did go after Afridi and Razzaq too, and some quite decent balls ended up on the ropes... just one of those afternoons!

[Shaka]

Originally Posted by Maranello

All in all, these 4 guys are going to struggle to take the 9 remaining wickets of their own accord any time soon... the only way out might be if Kaneria sticks to the right line and utilises whatever the conditions may offer him...

Care to make another "5 wickets for Kaneria" prediction?

This what made me go for the prediction in the first place, I didn't factor in that the seam bowlers would get so much movement in the 1st innings. However the pitch is a lot flatter so I think there's every chance that Danish will get at least 5 in this one!

SL have all but wiped out the deficit with 7 wickets still in hand so are very much back in this one, although still on the back foot obviously.

[Shaka]

Stumps Day 4: Sri Lanka 361/7 Sri Lanka lead by 91 runs

This has turned into a tremendous test match, with SL fighting back so strongly that for most of the day it looked like this was headed for a draw but in the final hour Danny Kaneria finally fulfilled the prophecies and ripped out 4 more wickets to give him figures of 6-102. Looks well on the way to a 10 wicket haul, with only Vaas likely to offer much resistance tomorrow, although Herath is also a very decent player of spin.

Fabulous fighting knock from Kumar Sangakarra to bring SL back into this game, on getting out he tossed his bat high into the air in disappointment. Kaneria proving once again that he is now the leading spinner in Pakistan, with Mushtaq Ahmed and Saqlain's careers having faded badly.

[Shaka]

Tea - Pak 2nd inn 65/4 require 72 runs to win with min. 29 overs remaining.

Once again Pakistan managing to turn a straightforward task into a drama. All four batsmen getting out to bad shots...herath managing to pick up two wickets despite getting little turn. Youhanna (the vice captain) trying to cut a straight ball from leg stump for some reason; Hameed and Younis misjudging a couple of drives and feeding catches, with Farhat out trying to drive a wide Vaas away swinger on the up.

With Inzimam batting low down due to a back problem this has the potential to get even more ludicrous.

[Maranello]

The 2 Test series is thus levelled at 1-1.

After being 57/4, the two "all-rounders" Shoaib Malik (53*) and Abdul Razzaq (35*) put on 82 for the unbroken 5th wicket partnership to see Pakistan home in some style.

A vindication for Woolmer's selection policy - he was castigated for preferring Malik to a specialist batsman, and Razzaq to a specialist bowler. In both instances, the players have proven their critics wrong - Malik has been Pakistan's most consistent batsman in either form of the game all of this season, as well as being a handy off-spinner, whilst Razzaq has shone with the ball and with bat in this Test.

Excellent bowling by Kaneria all of yesterday set up this win - he ended with 10 wickets in the match, and 7 for 118 off a marathon 60 over stint in the 2nd innings - this, on what remained till the end, a very good batting pitch. Also a good match for Kamran Akmal, the young wicket-keeper - he has kept very well, and unlike Moin, is a natural glove-man. He has some batting skill too, and could develop into a decent no.8.

The most glaring failing for me would be Youhana - I am beginning to see merit in the argument that he only scores runs when {a} batting is very easy and {b} Pakistan have already lost the Test... when the going gets tough and its time to stand up and be counted, Youhana often does not turn up.
The other negative is Yasir Hameed's continuing recklessness with the bat.

[Rachael]

Question: of all the wickets to fall in this Test (on either side) how many could actually be said to have been taken (as opposed to gifted)?

My impression is that the answer (as in so many Tests) remains "very few".

If wickets ARE more often giftend than taken.. then in truth the case for the best possible batsmen recedes: the best (like Youhana) may have their wicket taken less freuently.. but if a lesser batsman (perhaps Shoaib Malik) gifts HIS less frequently (especially when occupation of the crease actually matters).. then in truth... the latter is more use to the team.

[Maranello]

Good question Rachael - especially since you know the answer :-) The truly unplayable ball, coming out of some bowling genius or a demon in the pitch or conditions, is rare. Most dismissals are due to some form of batting error, because of {a} wrong shot selection.. {b} not reading the conditions or the bowling well... {c} being pressurised into playing a more risky shot because runs have dried up...etc..

Not sure about your use of the word "gifting" one's wicket... For instance, if a batsman is pressurised into playing a more risky shot because of the pressure good bowling has generated, then he has not really gifted his wicket... instead he has been out-thought by the bowler and the bowling team.

So I would say there are probably three types of dismissals...

1) unplayable delivery due to any reason, which would pick up a wicket most of the time, whatever the condition, and whoever the batsman --> this is rare!

2) batsman being out-thought by bowling side..or not having the requisite skill to cope with the conditions or the bowling.. (akin to a forced error in tennis)

3) batsman gifting his wicket, eg taking a wild swipe at a harmless floater way past off-stump...(an unforced error in tennis terms).

Using these classifications, a lot of the dismissals in the Tests, including this one, fall into category 2 and 3. So yes, in a round-about way I agree with you - a batsman who can minimise or even eradicate (3) and does not ever gift his wicket
is a real asset... He may get out because of lack of skill (i.e. category 2) more often than a better and more accompolished batsman, but still he should be preferred to the "best batsman" if the latter is always gifting his wicket away.

This is also because batsman gifting their wickets has a negative impact on team morale and outlook - it means the team members are not all fighting for each other as hard as they should. I would much rather have a guy who makes 10 off 30 balls, occupies time at the crease, and gets out because of lack of skill.. as opposed to a chap out on a wild stroke after getting a fluent 10 off 10 balls.