Centuries from Sri Lanka ‘A’s Sonal Dinusha and Pavan Rathnayake headlined the final day of the second four-day match against Pakistan Shaheens, which ended in a draw at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The result sealed a 1-0 series win for Pakistan Shaheens, who had triumphed in the first match.
Sri Lanka ‘A’ Fightback
Resuming their second innings at 157 for four, Dinusha and Rathnayake carried their side to a commanding position with a marathon partnership of 214 runs for the fifth wicket. Their stand, spanning 369 deliveries, rescued Sri Lanka ‘A’ from 46 for four and allowed them to declare at 260 for four, setting Pakistan Shaheens a stiff target of 284 in 60 overs.
Dinusha, unbeaten on 51 overnight, reached his fourth first-class century, finishing on 116 not out off 184 balls, including 10 boundaries. Rathnayake, resuming at 64, completed his seventh first-class ton, scoring 100 not out off 198 balls with eight fours.
Shaheens Hold Firm
Chasing 284, Pakistan Shaheens found themselves in trouble at 67 for three but were rescued by an unbeaten fourth-wicket partnership between Mohammad Suleman and Haider Ali. Suleman anchored the innings with a composed 66* off 121 balls, supported by Haider’s 43* off 68. Ali Zaryab also chipped in with 31 runs at the top of the order.
The duo’s 89-run stand ensured that the Shaheens finished safely at 156 for three in 45 overs when the match was called off.
Brief Scores:
Sri Lanka ‘A’: 310 all out in 79 overs (Sonal Dinusha 85*, Wanuja Sahan 63; Khurram Shahzad 6-30) & 260/4d in 76 overs (Sonal Dinusha 116*, Pavan Rathnayake 100*; Ahmed Bashir 2-65)
Pakistan Shaheens: 287 all out in 98 overs (Abdul Faseeh 59; Wanuja Sahan 5-74) & 156/3 in 45 overs (Mohammad Suleman 66*, Haider Ali 43*, Ali Zaryab 31)
Result: Match drawn; Pakistan Shaheens win two-match series 1-0
The two teams will now transition to a three-match 50-over series starting November 25 at the same venue.
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