Pakistan take first session after breezy Tayyab Arif-Azan Awais opening stand
Day 1 - Session 2: Sri Lanka chose to field.
Current RR: 4.72
• Min. Ov. Rem: 59.2
• Last 10 ov (RR): 41/0 (4.10)
Tayyab Arif walks back after scoring 57 in his first Test innings • AFP/Getty Images
Lunch Pakistan 137 for 2 (Arif 57, Babar 31*, Awais 30, Rathnayaka 1-18) vs Sri Lanka
Pakistan piled on the runs in a dominant first session of the first Test in Rawalpindi against Sri Lanka, with a sizzling opening partnership helping amass 137 in an eventful 30 overs.
Debutant Tayyab Arif controlled the morning with 57 off 51 balls in a brisk 86-run stand with Azan Awais. Sri Lanka hit back with the wickets of the openers in the space of five balls, but another bright partnership kept Pakistan's momentum up, with Babar Azam picking up where Arif had left off.
Sri Lanka won the toss on a bright morning, and opted to insert Pakistan in, Kusal Mendis' eyes lighting up at the green strip he wanted his four fast bowlers to exploit. But the surface turned out to be much less lethal and the Sri Lanka bowlers far less consistent than Mendis might have hoped.
Arif - one of four debutants in Pakistan's XI - showed no nerves as he went after the fast bowlers, especially punishing fuller lengths as Sri Lanka went searching for swing that was never quite there.
There were hints the pitch might have offered Sri Lanka more if they jhad settled on the right length. Awais, in particular, was beaten a number of times just outside off, but Dilshan Madushanka and Asitha Fernando kept allowing him to release the pressure. He was happy to do so, particularly though the cover region, and unafraid of taking his chances against the odd short ball, with one flying over deep fine-leg for six.
The pair struck a whopping 16 fours plus that six in the first half of the session , and it was on the stroke of drinks that Milan Rathnayaka finally broke through. He jagged one back into Awais from around the wicket and that took the edge through to Mendis behind the stumps.
The following over, Asitha drew Arif's outside edge, and suddenly Sri Lanka had roared back.
Pakistan can often see a pair of wickets turn into a cluster, but they spent the following hour shutting Sri Lanka out while refusing to hand over scoring momentum.
Babar got through the early stages of his innings with strokeplay confident enough to belie his recent lack of runs. Mohammad Taha, another of the debutants, was far more circumspect, but with Babar in free-flowing form, he was allowed to be. By the time lunch was called, the pair had closed in on a 50-run stand, having made up for the loss of the toss on a green, ostensibly lively surface.
Danyal Rasool is Cricinfo's Pakistan correspondent. @Danny61000
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