COLOMBO: Openers Shan Masood, Dimuth Karunaratne and Upul Tharanga all hit fifties, and leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay claimed three wickets on the final day of the Pakistan's warm up against the Sri Lanka Board President's XI in Colombo Saturday.
Azhar Ali was also retired out on 48 on the Pakistan's way to 257 for 7 declared. The Board XI openers
By GEO ENGLISH
June 13, 2015
COLOMBO: Openers Shan Masood, Dimuth Karunaratne and Upul Tharanga all hit fifties, and leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay claimed three wickets on the final day of the Pakistan's warm up against the Sri Lanka Board President's XI in Colombo Saturday.
Azhar Ali was also retired out on 48 on the Pakistan's way to 257 for 7 declared. The Board XI openers then hit two brisk half-centuries, before the match wound to a draw - the host's score at 129 for 3.
Masood and Azhar had been not out overnight and put on 113 for the second wicket before Masood became Vandersay's first victim of the innings. He had hit 69 from 122 balls, somewhat strengthening his chances of appearing in the Galle Test, though he had not been required to bat in the first innings of this match.
Azhar was retired out on the brink of his fifty before Vandersay claimed Misbah-ul-Haq's scalp for the second time in the match.
Misbah and Younis both made middling scores, but Sarfraz Ahmed collected his second duck of the match, completing a pair. Vandersay's later completed a haul of eight wickets for the match, when he had Wahab Riaz trapped in front.
The Board XI set out quickly in the final innings, as the openers struck eight fours each and maintained a strike rate higher than 75.
Both were eventually retired out after they crossed fifty, before Jehan Mubarak was dismissed for 16, weakening his hold over a middle-order position in next week's Test.
Pakistan will play three Tests, five one-day internationals and two Twenty20s on their 53-day tour of Sri Lanka. The first Test begins on June 17 at Galle.
