Pakistani opener Taufeeq Umar on Wednesday notched up a brilliant hundred in the first Test against Sri Lanka, further cementing his place after being in the wilderness for four years. The 30-year-old left-hander notched a patient 109 to help Pakistan reach 259-1 at close on the second day, adding an invaluable unbroken 141 for the second wickets with Azhar Ali (60 not out) at Abu Dhabi stadium. That typical five-day format knock guided Pakistan to a 62-run lead over Sri Lanka’s first-innings total of 197.
Despite scoring his second hundred on a comeback trail, his first against the West Indies in May this year, Umar said a comeback was always harder than the start. “When you make a comeback, you have more pressure on you than your debut,” said Umar, who hit eight boundaries during his 296-ball knock. “A century always gives you confidence and I am happy at that.” Regarded as Pakistan’s best opener when he hit a hundred in his first Test, against Bangladesh in 2001, Umar further gained reputation with a solid 135 against a formidable South African attack at Cape Town in 2002.
