A 6 hour defiance which involved 2 centuries, one of them a
double from Kumar Sangakarra, earned Sri Lanka a most unlikely looking draw in
the first test between the two, a match that the hosts would surely have won if
not for a host of fielding errors and the run out of Pakistani opener Taufeeq
Umar, who having amassed a colossal 236 in the opening test match, looking
utterly unmovable at the crease for over 170 overs before being run out.
This still represents another steady improvement for
Pakistan, who have not lost a test match in eight games since an awful tour of
England a couple of summers ago. Sri Lanka can still put on a big total, but
their bowling attack’s inability to take 20 wickets in a match is stopping them
from winning a game, and Australia kept them scoreless at home before this
series.
With that in mind runs should be at the forefront of our
thinking – The last test between these two saw South Africa and Pakistan score
300 in their last innings – and with a flat pitch again possible, the draw is
the odds on favourite.
With both attacks struggling to get wickets that seems fair
enough – Sri Lanka drew twice against Australia and only lost 1-0 to England
despite being up against it for much of the series – and it might prove
difficult for Pakistan to down a resilient, if not a particularly sharp side.
Sri Lanka gave up the highest opening partnership to the
opposing team twice against Australia and also against Pakistan in the first
test, which makes the 10/11 on Pakistan’s openers lasting longest tempting
again.
This could see Kumar Sangakarra starring again, after his
stunning 211 in the second Innings of Abu Dhabi. He has the propensity to throw
in a bit of a stinker sometimes but his previous scores were 79, 60, and 48,
which makes a 36 run line fair gain and he’s given a vote of confidence to make
37 or more.
Advice
2 pts Draw (evs Betfred)
1 pt Pakistan highest opening partnership (10/11 Hills)
1 pt Kumar Sangakarra to make 38 or more runs (5/6
Ladbrokes)
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