Pakistan A strike on a curtailed day

Sri Lanka A 35 for 1 v Pakistan A
Scorecard

Wet work in Kandy as rain plagues unofficial Test © CricInfo

The opening day's play of the first four-day Test between Sri Lanka A and Pakistan A was restricted to just 40 minutes due to rain at the Asgiriya International Stadium in Kandy. In that brief period, Sri Lanka A chose to bat first and scored 35 for the loss of Avishka Gunawardene, who was trapped in front by a full-toss by Najaf Shah for 6. Michael Vandort and Ian Daniel were unbeaten on 14 and 9 when bad light and then heavy rain put an end to the day's proceedings.

Play did not commence until 1.30pm because of excess moisture on the pitch, which was a result of the wicket being covered for two consecutive days due to rain. The outfield was in excellent shape, but the damp pitch meant that there was no play in the entire morning session.

The Sri Lankans went into the match with seven specialist batsmen, a move which bordered on the defensive, but one which also spoke a lot about the uncertainty in their batting line-up. The move was probably caused by the fact that the team had a couple of part-time spinners in Russel Arnold and Jehan Mubarak, who could support Malinga Bandara, the specialist legspinner.

Asgiriya has a history of rain-affected international matches and the early abandonment wasn't unusual for the locals. Play is due to commence at 10am on the second day to partially make up for the lost time.