5 things we learnt from the Sri Lanka - Pakistan Test series

Who doesn’t like three Test matches, all yielding results? And who doesn’t like each game throwing up a different hero, young and old, underrated and underestimated, ignored or tormented. The recently concluded Sri Lanka – Pakistan Test series was one of the most tantalisingly contested Test series in the subcontinent.It started with a stunning, almost unbelievable win by Pakistan and it ended with a similar, stunning, almost unbelievable win by Pakistan. Sri Lanka erased Pakistan’s lead in the second Test and looked like they were about to pull off a great comeback to take the series 2-1 after losing the first match. But that wasn’t to be. Pakistan’s old warhorses made sure they had enough in their tank to set their team up for their greatest fourth innings chase and probably one of their greatest victories away from home.It took close to a decade for Pakistan to win a series in Sri Lanka and the win has pushed them to No.3 on the Test rankings behind Australia and South Africa. That is some achievement. Interestingly, the Test series also offered some serious lessons for every cricket follower.

#1 Younis Khan is still Pakistan\'s saviour

Younis Khan stands out most of the time during the 4^th innings of a Test match

Younis Khan scores read 47, DNB, 6, 40 and 3 in the five innings prior to the last. In the second innings in the Third Test, chasing 377 for victory, he scored 171* to shepherd Pakistan through its toughest and biggest fourth innings chase.

In doing so, he became the first man ever, to score five fourth innings Test centuries. He has a stunning average of over 60 in the fourth innings of a game, when historically, it is known that the conditions are toughest for batting.

Younis walked in when Pakistan were 13 for two after seven overs, having just lost their best batsman in form, Azhar Ali, with 364 still to get on a fourth-day pitch. Khan’s 271 ball knock had 18 fours but no sixes. Even though fluent and confident, he showed how it’s done, by cutting off the risk completely from his batting and yet, rarely missing out on opportunities to score.

The 37-year-old who played his 100th Test during this series now has 8814 runs at 54.07, just a few runs away from Javed Miandad to become the highest run-getter in Tests for Pakistan. He has 30 centuries to go with 29 half-centuries with one of the most splendid conversion rates in history of the game.

#2 Counter-attack pays off, at times

Sarfraz turned it around for Pakistan in the 1^st Test

Counter-attack pays off if done well. Football shows it often to us and so does basketball. Cricket being a game with less action, almost like a gigantic machine moving, the counter-attack cannot be seen in its influence until a little later. But, it does matter. Pakistan showed twice during this series that counter-attack is the way to go if you are under the cosh.

The need to go for broke sometimes looks reckless, a little too much daredevilry for the conservatives. Yet, sometimes, the best way to topple an opponent on the charge is to go all guns blazing.

Sample this. In the first Test Pakistan were 96 for five in reply to Sri Lanka’s 300. Sarfraz Ahmed showed how it is done. He later won the Man of the Match ahead of centurion Asad Shafiq and leg-spinner Yasir Shah, who made the win possible with a seven-wicket haul. Ahmed scored 96 blistering runs in just 86 balls with 13 fours.

He probably threw away his century attacking, but did he throw the kitchen sink at the situation or what. Pakistan got 139 runs during that partnership in just over 31 overs, of which Ahmed got a major chunk. Pakistan’s lower order wagged big with Zulfiqar Babar making merry with a 60 ball 56 batting at No.10. Pakistan got 417, a lead of 117 that helped them win the game.

Once again in the final test, Pakistan were 13 for two on day 4 chasing 377. Instead of blocking their way to a defeat, Younis Khan and Shan Masood played positive, fluent cricket scoring at over four at times easily. The pair took Pakistan to 230 for two in 63 overs by the end of the fourth day’s play, both batsmen reaching their centuries. That approach helped them get to their highest fourth innings total and that says something!

#3 Sri Lanka has a problem with its middle order

Sri Lanka need to cope up with Sangakkara’s absence

Kumar Sangakkara is two matches away from retirement. Sri Lanka got a taste of his absence in the Third Test when even a valiant century from their skipper’s bat proved to be too little in the bigger scheme of things. Sri Lanka went from 278 for five to 313 all out in that game.

There is very little experience at the moment in Sri Lanka’s Top 6. Both Kaushal Silva and Dimuth Karunaratne have done really well in this series, both getting a ton each. But, the middle order is vulnerable and too heavily reliant on Angelo Mathews. Lahiru Thirimanne, the vice-captain, failed often and too much has been invested on him to question him at this point.

The same is true about Dinesh Chandimal, who scored a sprightly half-century in the last Test but was rarely solid with scores of 23, 38, 1, DNB and 24 before that. Sri Lanka had to go back to Jehan Mubarak, one of their first class veterans who got two starts in the third Test but couldn’t convert either, playing at home. Upul Tharanga had an attacking intent but he has too many weaknesses for Sri Lanka to rely on him, away from home.

Kithuruwan Vithanage was tried everywhere in the two Tests he played, with barely any time to settle. There are problems in the middle order and when Sri Lanka travel, they have to be really careful.

#4 Pakistan\'s batting can win games again

Pakistani batsmen stepped up

One of Pakistan’s eminent cricket writers, Osman Samiuddin, wrote beautifully, ‘Pakistan defending a target is light, Pakistan chasing a target is darkness.’ Pakistan have imploded a lot in the last decade. That is no exaggeration, in fact, an understatement.

Yet, it was Pakistan’s batting that won them the series, truth be told. Pakistan crossed 300 in every Test, sometimes when it seemed highly unlikely. Of course, Yasir Shah set it up with a seven-wicket haul in the first Test and Imran Khan set it up in the Third Test with a five-wicket haul that cleaned Sri Lanka’s lower order up.

However, in the first Test, Pakistan managed 417 with a lower order resilience they have rarely shown. They scored 92 in just over 11 overs without losing a wicket in the fourth innings of that Test to chase down the target. We are more used to seeing Pakistan make a mess of such targets. Not this time. In the final Test, their young opener and old warhorse pulled off the impossible.

The collapse was always a few moments away and yet, it stayed that way even after Masood gifted away his wicket. Misbah-ul-Haq calmly helped himself to another half-century and in the company of his vintage partner ensured Pakistan take the series that was in their reach that morning.

#5 T20 actually helps Test cricket

Both sides went for the kill

The purists blame the advent of T20 cricket affecting the interests of Test cricket. It is diverting the audiences away, some say. But, if we look at the results of the recently concluded series, it shows how T20 cricket might be changing Test cricket for good.

Three results out of three in Sri Lanka is a rare event, considering that the pitches there are generally flatter than they are in the rest of the world, unless you have Muttiah Muralitharan or Shane Warne playing for you. Yet, it is the style of play which is ensuring that bowlers get more chances to get batsmen out these days. Scoring at four an over is not a rarity anymore.

Sri Lanka smashed 153 in the fourth innings of the second Test in just 26.3 overs so they could win before rain stopped play again. The first Test lost its entire first day to rain and there was still a result thanks to some real aggressive display by the batsmen.

Pakistan scored 417 in just 113 overs making a result possible. They smacked 92 in the fourth innings without losing a wicket, in just 11.2 overs. Similarly, the third Test saw Pakistan score 382 in just 103 overs after being 13 for two, on the fourth and fifth day. Exciting shot-making is bringing more crowds too, getting more involved in the game. Joe Root’s ton against Australia in the ongoing Ashes Test corroborates the hypothesis.