At Kandy, April 3, 4, 5, 2006. Pakistan won by eight wickets. Toss: Pakistan. Test
debut: Iftikhar Anjum.
This was a classic Kandy contest, played under uncertain skies, full of on-field drama
and off-field distractions. Apart from the sideshow of Sanath Jayasuriya's short-lived
Test retirement, which dominated the lead-up to the match, there was a spat between
Bob Woolmer and Sri Lanka's head groundsman, Anuruddha Polonowita, who accused
Pakistan's coach of "interfering with pitch preparation" when he inserted a thin metal
spike into the side of it to test the amount of moisture underneath. Although an official
complaint was made, the referee Alan Hurst brushed the issue aside. But the surface
did attract widespread debate as wickets tumbled fast and the match hurtled towards
a three-day finish.
Jayawardene lost his ninth consecutive toss - including the Bangladesh tour - and
Sri Lanka were put in: after a wet week in the hills, the pitch offered some extravagant
early movement. Once again, Mohammad Asif was in the thick of the action, claiming
the first three wickets during a long new-ball spell. But although there was a lot of
lateral movement, the bounce was consistent, and batting was far from impossible. The
in-form Sangakkara opted for aggression this time, and made a scintillating 79 from
98 balls. While he peppered the boundary, Samaraweera bedded down for 65 in four and a half hours. Bandara added a career-best 43 as Sri Lanka ended the first day with
267 for eight, a decent effort in the conditions.
The match seesawed during a dramatic second day. Sri Lanka's tail was mopped up
swiftly by Asif, who finished with a Test-best six for 44, then Pakistan's openers started
confidently, capitalising on some wayward new-ball bowling to add 57. But the dismissal
of Mohammad Yousuf triggered a collapse. Muralitharan, spinning the ball sharply and
enjoying the pitch's extra bite, claimed five for 39 as Pakistan lost their last eight
wickets for 49.
Sri Lanka thus started the second innings firmly in the driving seat, 109 ahead and
with the advantage of bowling last fuelling local confidence. But during a frenetic
evening session, in the face of more fine new-ball bowling from Asif, they selfdestructed
amid a mixture of fine deliveries and panic-stricken strokes. By the end of
a day on which 20 wickets fell, Sri Lanka were 73 for eight.
Next morning, they were all out to the very first ball of the day - Jayasuriya could
not bat after badly dislocating his thumb holding a catch at gully - leaving a potentially
tricky target of 183. The momentum, though, had shifted emphatically Pakistan's way,
and they pounced on their opportunity. Sri Lanka, handicapped by a virus which limited
Maharoof, their best seamer in the series, needed to make rapid inroads. When the
new ball failed to work, everything rested on Murali's shoulders. But it was not to be
his day, or Sri Lanka's. A series of marginal lbw appeals were turned down, and Younis
Khan, after three low scores in the series, took control with a glorious unbeaten 73.
Afterwards Woolmer said that he felt the injury to Jayasuriya was the "hidden turningpoint
of the match", because of the disruption it caused to the second innings. It would
have been a sad way for Sri Lanka's leading scorer to end his Test career: happily, a
new selection panel persuaded him to change his mind.
Man of the Match: Mohammad Asif.
Man of the Series: Mohammad Asif.
Charlie Austin is Cricinfo's Sri Lankan correspondent