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| Younis Khan helped Pakistan to a reasonable total with a ton. |
Younis and Azhar Ali began the resistance when Pakistan was 19 for 2. Younis then added 100 with captain Misbah and stacked in an unbroken 105 with Asad Shafiq. Rangana Herath persevered for 26 overs, and dismissed Azhar Ali and Misbah with rippers, but even he could not get Younis, who just got better and better as the day progressed.
There was swing and seam in the morning, and the hustling pace of Dhammika Prasad made the difficult combination even harder address. He moved the ball consistently and took odd wickets, leaving Azhar in particular groping. Before that, Ahmed Shehzad did not cover enough for a shot, and chopped his third ball in the middle stump. His opening partner, Khurram Manzoor, again fell into place and was captured on the front with another incoming delivery.
Azhar, apart from their struggles, also played some lovely cover drives fours. These limits were a response to pressure adjustment Prasad created, but after the explosion of fast bowler, Pakistan had to face a relentless examination of Herath. Find a casual turn and bounce early in the match, in Herath launched one central trunk, Azhar drew forward, and spun past the outside edge to hit the top of off stump.
Younis took his time, as usual, slowly playing himself in. He stayed behind when he could, and the sweep is also used regularly to counter spinners. The stroke frequency increased only after lunch, and Younis sweep and reverse sweep Dilruwan Perera off successive deliveries. It was the turn of Misbah try a palette of the next ball and Perera changed to round the window thereafter.
Only Younis was allowed to bat more positively against offspinner; the batter picks 48 of the 43 balls he faced from Perera. Just before drinks in the second session, Younis swept, lofted and Perera led for three to four consecutive legs. Younis also hitting Perera went for six. Two balls later, hit a reverse sweep in the air, Mahela Jayawardene and, moving clockwise slip, has both hands to it but could not hold. Younis was 68.
He had already successfully examined twice, once 20 after being given caught behind Prasad, and 59 after the leg was awarded before Perera. On the first occasion, replays showed that there were bats in question, and second, the ball-tracker showed the delivery had bounced just over the stumps.
Misbah had an opinion contrary rejected when he was yet to get off the mark, with repeats call signaling the referee at the point of impact of Angelo Mathews. Misbah took his first race out of 17 delivery and scoring his second shot was a hook off the 40th outside Prasad. I was happy to be back or jump right ahead and defend like Younis initially was about the business of scoring. Sweeps and shoving brought the strange term. Misbah fought until issue number 100 proved to be a wonder Herath pitched middle and leg and past the jagged pulse to give a nick to the keeper.
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| Misbah and Younis built up a solid partnership. |
Shafiq Younis joined and was very eager to punish the bad deliveries. He was particularly severe in the cut and pull and even a cost of Herath hit a straight six. Pakistan strike turns faster now accelerated to the score before the second new ball approached. Younis launched a series of powerful drives through the off side, being outstanding career when she moved into the line of a Herath ball to lift it over extra cover. With the surface have eased out considerably, the second new ball was much easier to handle than the first, and Pakistan closed the day after taking the last two sessions.
With courtesy of: ESPN Cricinfo.
