Pakistan reach 225-5 at tea in 1st Sri Lanka test

2009-07-05 12:27:01 -

GALLE, Sri Lanka (AP) - Mohammad Yousaf announced his comeback to test cricket with a composed 82 not out Sunday as he steadied Pakistan's innings against Sri Lanka in a 139-run stand for the fifth wicket with Misbah-ul-Haq .
Resuming after lunch on the second day of the first test at 120-4, Yousaf and Misbah made steady headway before Misbah was dismissed just before tea. At the interval, Pakistan was 225-5 and trailing Sri Lanka by 67 runs in the first innings.
Yousaf's 115-ball innings included seven boundaries while Misbah was caught by Mahela Jayawardene at slip off left-arm spinner Rangana Herath for 56 runs facing 128 balls with nine boundaries.
Pakistan's most senior batsman, Yousaf had been away from test cricket for 19 months after he signed up with the Indian Cricket League. But he was recalled by the authorities to tour Sri Lanka after he broke links with the controversial league.
Having restricted Sri Lanka to 292 on the first day, the visitors made a nervous start losing opener Sulman Butt in the second ball of the innings bowled by seamer Nuwan Kulasekera. Left-arm seamer Thilan Thushara trapped Khurram Manzoor lbw for two runs to leave the visitors on 15-2 at stumps.
However, a responsible 50-run partnership between night-watchman Abdur Rauf and captain Younis Khan prevented a slide.
Rauf, making his test debut, belied his lack of experience, making 31 before nicking Kulasekera to wicketkeeper Tillakaratne Dilshan with the total on 55.
Debutant Sri Lanka seamer Anjelo Mathews then dismissed Khan (25) via a catch to Dilshan, claiming his first test wicket and leaving the visitors on a precarious 80-4 before Yousaf and Misbah combined.
Kulasekera returned the best bowling figures with 2-44 while left-arm seamer Thushara, Mathews and spinner Rangana Herath bagged a wicket each.
Opener Tharanga Paranavitana top-scored for Sri Lanka with 72 runs as Pakistan's new-look bowling attack that included three debutants performed admirably to restrict the hosts' much-vanuted lineup to a modest total.
Mohammad Aamer, 17, returned the best figures for Pakistan with 3-74 while Rauf recorded 2-59. Offspinner Saeed Ajmal and Khan also captured two wickets apiece.
The test is the first between the sides since a deadly terrorist attack on the Sri Lanka team and its security convoy during a test in Lahore in March.