Fourth day’s play called off in historic Pakistan Test

RAWALPINDI: Overnight rain and poor light continued to mar Pakistan’s first home Test in a decade on Saturday, with officials calling the fourth day off before play had begun.

Groundsmen wiped water from the pitch covers and rolled out a super sopper, but overcast conditions and poor light forced umpires Richard Kettleborough and Michael Gough to call off play at 12:00 local time (0700 GMT).

Both the Pakistan and Sri Lanka teams remained in their hotel in Islamabad. Sri Lanka had won the toss and opted to bat on the first day, but play was called off after 68.1 overs due to bad light. Only 18.2 overs were possible on day two and 5.2 on the third. Sri Lanka were 282-6 in their first innings with Dhananjaya de Silva unbeaten on 87 and Dilruwan Perera not out on six. For Pakistan, 16-year-old pacer Naseem Shah (2-83) and Shaheen Shah Afridi (2-58) were the stand-out bowlers.

There is a clear forecast for Sunday but with so many overs lost over the four days, there is little chance of a result in the match. The second Test is in Karachi from December 19.

The Test is the first in Pakistan since a militant attack on the Sri Lankan team bus killed eight people in March 2009, leading to the suspension of international cricket in the country as foreign teams refused to visit over security fears.