Inexperienced Pakistan attack struggles as Sri Lanka reach 404-4

Rawalpindi: Dhananjaya de Silva and Kusal Mendis smashed centuries against Pakistan’s inexperienced bowling attack to take Sri Lanka to a formidable 404-4 at stumps on Day 3 of the first cricket Test on Wednesday.

De Silva struck an unbeaten 167 with 20 fours to score his 14th Test hundred, while Mendis celebrated his elevation to the Test captaincy with 117 not out, featuring 10 fours and four sixes.

The aggressive double-century stand between the former and current Test captains pushed Sri Lanka to within 30 runs of Pakistan’s first-innings total of 434-9 declared.

“We need to get a good first-innings lead,” No. 4 batter Kamindu Mendis said after his knock of 58. “Two set batsmen are at the crease and hopefully they’ll play well tomorrow as well.

“We haven’t yet decided when we will declare, but we have to score more runs in the first session tomorrow. I feel maybe tomorrow evening or on the last day it (the wicket) might get good for spinners and there’s something in it for the fast bowlers too.”

De Silva and Kusal Mendis toyed with Pakistan’s bowlers, except for the accurate Mohammad Abbas (2-64), to combine in an unbroken stand of 249, Sri Lanka’s highest for the fifth wicket against Pakistan.

Thilan Samaraweera and Tillakaratne Dilshan held the previous record of 207, which was set in Lahore during the 2009 tour, when the tourists came under a terrorist attack.

Pakistan’s only success on another curtailed day due to fading light came in the first session when Abbas found the edge of Kamindu Mendis’ bat.

Going into the Test with two debutant bowlers, Arafat Minhas (0-92) and Saqib Khan (2-105), along with Razaullah (0-127), who has played only one Test, may have backfired for Pakistan.

De Silva, who resumed on 22 overnight with Sri Lanka struggling at 114-3, got a reprieve on 38 when Saud Shakeel spilled a regulation first-slip catch off a loose drive.

It was the only chance given by the batters all day.

After a guarded latter half of the first session, during which Kamindu Mendis was dismissed for 58, De Silva and Kusal Mendis took charge against Minhas’ left-arm spin, while fast bowlers Razaullah and Saqib strayed in their lines and lengths.

De Silva raised his hundred off 151 balls with a well-timed boundary through mid-on against Minhas in the second session and then continued to show plenty of aggression, even when Pakistan took the second new ball.

Mendis was particularly aggressive, hitting Minhas for two straight sixes and once pulling Razaullah for a big six over deep fine leg as Pakistan skipper Babar Azam ran out of ideas.

Mendis raised his century off 152 balls with a ramped boundary over the wicketkeeper’s head in the final session before play ended with 23 overs still to be bowled.

“I would like to give credit to both batters, they played really well,” Abbas said. “We gave our effort and beat the bat on a number of occasions, but that’s the beauty of Test cricket. The cricket board wants to bring in new faces and give them a chance. They are learning.”