A flu-ridden Jets side bowed to the Bisons’ strength, losing 8-5. Pakistan have not lost a Test series at home since West Indies beat them 1-0 in a four-match rubber in 1980- 81.THIRD TEST (Sialkot, Pak)(Fourth day of five; Sri Lanka won toss)SRI LANKA – First Innings 232 (K Dharmasena 62 not out)PAKISTAN – First Innings 214 (Muralitharan 4-72)SRI LANKA – Second Innings(Overnight 177 for four)A Ranatunga c Inzamam b Mohammad 87C Dunusinghe b Mohammad 7H Tillekeratne b Aamir Sohail 50K Dharmasena c Inzamam b Mohammad 7U Vaas run out 27M Muralitharan not out 0Extras (b23, lb10, nb8) 41Total (for 4 dec, 120.3 overs) 338Fall of wickets: 1-37 2-71 3-97 4-175 5-206 6-265 7-279 8-338 9-338.Did not bat: P Wickremasinghe.Bowling: Aqib Javed 24-2-71-2 (nb3); Ata-ur-Rehman 23-5-66-1 (nb1); Mohammad Akram 20-5-39-3 (nb1); Aamir Nazir 17-2-55-1 (nb3); Aamir Sohail 25.3- 7-55-1; Shoaib Mohammad 11-3-19-0.PAKISTAN – Second InningsAamir Sohail c Hathurusingheb Wickremasinghe 5Shoaib Mohammad c and b Vaas 1Ramiz Raja c Mahanama b Wickremasinghe 4Inzamam-ul-Haq c Mahanama b Vaas 0Basit Ali c Dharmasena b Vaas 27Zahid Fazal c Gurusinha b Vaas 1Moin Khan not out 46Aqib Javed not out 5Extras (b1 lb4 nb5) 10Total (for 6, 36.4 overs) 99Fall: 1-7 2-7 3-7 4-13 5-15 6-79Bowling: Wickremasinghe 10-2-26-2 (nb4); Vaas 12-7-16-4; Gurusinha 3- 0-16-0; Dharmasena 6-2-11-0; Muralitharan 5-1-22-0 (nb1); de Silva 0.4- 0-3-0.. When play was halted 11 overs early due to fading light, wicketkeeper Moin Khan was propping up Pakistan with a gritty, unbeaten 46 and Aqib Javed was five not out.Sri Lanka’s only previous Test series win away was 1-0 in a two-match contest in New Zealand last March. Ranatunga batted resolutely in his 284-minute stay, facing 183 balls and striking 10 fours before falling to a splendid slip catch by Inzamam off the pace bowler Mohammad Akram in the first over after lunch.Vaas and Wickremasinghe destroyed Pakistan’s top order inside 72 deliveries as the hosts slumped to 15 for 5. Cricket
Chaminda Vaas and Pramodaya Wickremasinghe seized six Pakistan wickets to thrust Sri Lanka to the threshold of only their second away Test series triumph yesterday. It would also be only the third time this century a team has won a three-match series after going one down.
Left-arm bowler Vaas captured 4 for 16 in 12 overs and Wickremasinghe took 2 for 26 as Pakistan, needing 357 to win, collapsed to 99 for 6 at the close on the fourth day.Sri Lanka, boosted by a solid 87 from captain Arjuna Ranatunga and 50 by Hashan Tillekeratne, declared their second innings at 338 for 9 just before tea, having started the day on 177 for 4. “There was a good start to trading, but it tailed off during the day,” he said.
“There was plenty of interest in the Ryder Cup, but business was not as good as we had hoped.”However, Ian Wassell, of Ladbrokes, was more upbeat: “Yesterday’s business was second only to 1,000 Guineas day and there is no doubt that the quality of racing helped,” he said.. But they still stayed away and the feeling of pessimism towards Sunday racing is still apparent.”
Hood’s views were backed by Rob Hartnett of Coral. David Hood, of William Hill, which opened 1,200 of its 1,600 shops, said: “We hoped that by betting early on the competitive handicaps at Ascot, with a Group One race on the card, we would inspire more interest from punters. The hopes of the leading bookmakers for an increase in off-course betting turnover for last Sunday have not been realised, despite four races from Ascot being broadcast by BBC2, and the final round of matches in the Ryder Cup.
Were he to win on Saturday, the other trophies on Glover’s mantlepiece will probably start drinking milk.. Ladbrokes cut the gelding from 12-1 to 9-1 yesterday to add to his victories in 1989 and 1992. “Rambo’s Hall is fine,” Jeremy Glover, his trainer, said yesterday. “There has been some rain and a lot more is forecast, and the more the better. It rained late on for his other wins, and it seems to slow the fancied horses down, while he goes straight through it.”Rambo’s Hall has had injury problems throughout his career, and his build- up to this year’s race has again been far from trouble-free. In general, Hills does not approve of the supplementary-entry system, but he set his objections aside to get MY BRANCH (nap 3.40) into today’s race, and hints like that can never be ignored. With Seckar Vale in the 12-furlong handicap, it could be a exceptional day for the trainer, but Persian Elite (2.30) looks a better bet, while Baltic Dream (4.15), who has had a short rest, can return to form in the nursery.There were 64 entries at yesterday’s five-day stage for the Cambridgeshire itself, at Newmarket on Saturday, including the 10-year-old Rambo’s Hall, who will not only be attempting to win the race for the third time in six years, but has also been well-supported to do so.
Though still a maiden, he is a progressive colt, was second in a fast time on his latest outing, and represents a stable with considerable strength among its juveniles this year.Indeed, another rapidly improving member of the same team may surprise the highly-rated Blue Duster and Najiya in the Cheveley Park. The short-list extends no further than five runners, with Rio Duvida, second to Alhaarth at Doncaster recently, Peter Chapple-Hyam’s Ski Academy and His Excellence, from the Irish yard of Aidan “the new Vincent” O’Brien likely to attract strong support.At the anticipated odds, though, Barry Hills’s Sabot (next best 3.05) must be worth an interest. The incentive scheme extends well down the field, so the old problem of jockeys failing to ride out for a place will not apply (instead, expect to see blood-and-guts struggles for 11th and 12th).Perhaps the most interesting of this event’s many eccentricities is that, for a 30-runner race, it is far from impossible to solve. Last year’s winner was the very able Don Corleone, while Pentire, one of this year’s best three-year-olds, was down among the also-rans. Most of the remainder, though, would struggle to make a paragraph in the history books between them.The reason for these quirks, as if you hadn’t guessed, is money.
