DIMUTH Karunaratne’s unbeaten 133 – an innings defined by its smoothness and control – ensured Sri Lanka’s first brush with day-night Test cricket was a success. They moved to 254 for 3 by stumps, after debutant Sadheera Samarawickreme contributed a delectable 38, and Dinesh Chandimal progressed to the verge of another cautious half-century. Earlier in the day, Kaushal Silva had hung around for 27 off 71 balls as well.

Pakistan had got themselves in the match soon after the tea break, when Samarawickreme and Kusal Mendis fell in quick succession. Though they had Sri Lanka 136 for 3 at one stage, no further wickets came in the second half of the day.
Their frustrations were compounded in the last half an hour when Mohammad Amir pulled up in the middle of the 88th over and left the field clutching his thigh, prompting concerns over the state of his hamstring. Sarfraz Ahmed also burned their two reviews trying to dismiss the irritating Chandimal.
Though the quicks gleaned good movement with the new pink balls, it was Yasir Shah who was the most menacing bowler, getting faster and faster turn off the Dubai pitch through the day. He bowled 29.3 overs and returned figures of 2 for 90. Amir was the other bowler to make a breakthrough – his first in the series.
While other batsmen advanced at varying rates around him, Karunaratne was Sri Lanka’s day one metronome. Samarawickreme produced a boundary-filled cameo; Chandimal and Kaushal stonewalled, almost becoming completely inert at times.
Karunaratne, however, progressed evenly, never getting pinned down, never pressing the attack for long. He struck three fours off one Mohammad Amir over just before the tea break, but that was as exciting as his day got. Otherwise, he was seen flicking balls to his favourite midwicket region, and working the spinners towards square leg. Over a hundred of his runs, and 11 of his 16 boundaries came on the legside.
This seventh career hundred – his first in the first innings since 2015 – is an extension of his excellent run in 2017. Though he missed out on triple figures at Abu Dhabi, where he was run-out on 93, Karunaratne has nevertheless struck three high-quality centuries this year, all against good attacks.
Following two years in which he constantly tested the selectors’ patience, this has been a long-awaited harvest.
Gone from his game are the impetuous flashes that frustrated him early in his career, and the tentativeness that plagued him twelve months ago. The Karunaratne that has emerged in 2017 is versatile and tempered – rarely short of scoring options for long, and often able to weather testing spells.
Yesterday, he saw out some early swing from Amir, and defused Yasir expertly, though the spinner was already gaining substantial turn from this surface. Even late in the day, he would make calculated trips down the track, to the spinners.

SCORECARD

SRI LANKA 1st innings
Dimuth Karunaratne not out 133
Kaushal Silva c S. Ahmed b Shah 27
Sadheera Samarawickreme c & b Amir 38
Kusal Mendis c Shafiq b Shah 1
Dinesh Chandimal not out 49
Extras: (lb-1 nb-4 w-1) 6
Total: (for 3 wickets, 90 overs) 254
Fall of wickets: 1-63, 2-131, 3-136.
Bowling: Mohammad Amir 16.3-5-59-1, Mohammad Abbas 18-5-48-0 (nb-1), Wahab Riaz 13-5-25-0 (nb-3) Yasir Shah 29.3-5-90-2, Asad Shafiq 8-1-16-0 (w-1) Haris Sohail 5-1-15-0.