Sri Lanka v Pakistan, 1st ODI, Pallekele

Seamers unsteady  Sri-Lanka to 135

42 overs Sri Lanka 135 for 8 (Thirimanne 42*, Gul 3-24, Sami 3-19) v Pakistan

Umar Gul sliced through the Sri Lanka top order ©

For the third game in succession in this tour, setting a target turned into an arduous task for the team winning the toss. In a stop-start day, interrupted thrice by rain, Sri Lanka struggled to 135 in the face of incisive swing and seam bowling by Pakistan's trio, led by the consistent Umar Gul. The ball nipped around, skidded, turned and bounced alarmingly and tested the technique and patience of the batsmen, with the cloudy conditions giving the bowlers an overwhelming advantage. The match was eventually reduced to 42 overs a side after another hour and a quarter was lost following a cloud-burst at 6.30pm.

After two low-scoring Twenty20 games to kickstart the series, the surface at Pallekele was expected to produce a more even contest between bat and ball. Runs off the bat were at a premium, though, and the top four failed to reach double digits and their combined contribution was outscored by extras. It was a struggle, not just to pick the gaps but to put bat on ball. Sohail Tanvir's angle away from the right-hander had Mahela Jayawardene playing and missing; Gul's bounce off a good length and incutters troubled Tillakaratne Dilshan, who looked like he hadn't yet shrugged off the Twenty20 hangover. After two let-offs, he tried to loft over the bowler's head but got a top edge to mid-on.

It was a battle of attrition at both ends. Sri Lanka had two of their most experienced accumulators at the crease - Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara - but the seamers found ways to avert a partnership. An indipper from Gul trapped Jayawardene lbw, before Dinesh Chandimal chopped one onto his stumps without using his feet.

The batsmen may have had their wallets nicked when they walked out to bat - they couldn't even buy a run. In the first ten overs, Pakistan didn't concede a run off the bat for 26 consecutive legal deliveries. In that period, the only source of runs was 13 wides. The first boundary off the bat - there were only six in all - came in the 12th over. Any semblance of a recovery was halted when Mohammad Sami nipped out two wickets in successive overs, leaving Sri Lanka five down at the 15th over. Sangakkara didn't look pleased when he was lbw after his boot came in the way of an inswinging yorker, though the anger may have been directed at himself.

Rain forced interruptions in the 18th over and again after the 24th. In between, Sri Lanka lost another wicket as Upul Tharanga gave the offspinner Mohammad Hafeez the charge and lost his stumps after a big swing. What followed were two of the most productive partnerships.

Lahiru Thirimanne added 25 with Thisara Perera, and doubled that with Nuwan Kulasekara. It was still a battle for survival, and the frequent interruptions didn't help Sri Lanka's bid to find momentum. Following the third rain interval, Sri Lanka had only five overs to bat out. Thirimanne slogged and swished at several deliveries but managed to fetch three boundaries, including one off the final ball.

The target, though paltry, could be slippery for Pakistan, given Sri Lanka's seam-heavy attack.