Pakistan vs Sri Lanka first Test Archives

Abdullah shines as Pakistan outclass Sri Lanka by four wickets in first Test

GALLE: Abdullah Shafique starred for Pakistan with a blistering knock of 160 not-out as the touring side clinched a thumping win against Sri Lanka by four wickets on the final day of the first Test, here on Wednesday.

Abdullah led the charge for the Green Shirts during their chase of the massive 342-run target set by Sri Lanka in the final innings of the match.

Pakistan resumed their second inning on the final day with the overnight score of 222/3 and sailed comfortably towards the target despite losing three wickets along the course and a brief delay due to rain.

The overnight pair of Mohammad Rizwan and Abdullah provided a solid start to the day’s play as they added another 55 runs to the total before Rizwan fell prey to the spinner Prabath Jayasuriya following a crucial 40-run knock.

Debutant Agha Salman failed to impress for the second time in the match and managed only 12 runs before Jayasuriya removed him on a caught-behind wicket.

Hasan Ali’s short-lived knock brought Mohammad Nawaz to the crease who scored 19 runs to take his side towards the finish line with undeterred Abdullah on the other end.

For Sri Lanka, spinner Jaysuria remained phenomenal with the bowl throughout the game as he grabbed four wickets in the second inning followed by a five-wicket haul in the first. Whereas, Ramesh Mendis and Dhananjaya De Silva took a wicket apiece.

Moreover, Pakistan completely dominated the hosts during the last two days of the Galle Test as the Green Shirts had a flourishing start to their chase on the previous day after wrapping up Sri Lanka’s second inning on 337.

Earlier, Pakistan raised 218 in their first inning after a magnificent centurion knock by the skipper Babar Azam, meanwhile, Sri Lanka scored 222 during their first inning.

READ: ‘Job isn’t done yet’ centurion Abdullah aims to lead Pakistan to victory

Abdullah’s ton powers Pakistan to dominate Sri Lanka on fourth day

GALLE: Opener Abdullah Shafique starred with an astounding century to cement his side’s position in the game as Pakistan raised 222 for three wickets while chasing the 342-run target set by Sri Lanka in the first Test, here on Tuesday.

Abdullah played a glittering knock of 112 not-out and remained firm on the crease at the end of the fourth day’s play with 120 more runs left to chase.

Skipper Babar Azam, on the other hand, combined excellently with Abdullah as the former shone with a half-century to build a solid 101-run partnership for the fourth wicket.

Meanwhile, Babar reached another milestone as he completed his 3000 Test runs during his magnificent 55-run knock.

Pakistan had a flourishing start to their chase of a massive 342-run target on a ruthless spin track after wrapping up the hosts’ second inning on 337.

The opening pair of Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah provided a solid start of 87 runs to bolster Pakistan’s second inning.

Ramesh Mendis gave Sri Lanka a much-needed breakthrough when wicket-keeper Niroshan Dickwella dislodged the bells to stump out Imam on 35.

Whereas, experienced batter Azhar Ali remained unimpressive for the second time in the match as Prabath Jayasuriya got rid of him cheaply on 6.

Jayasuriya, however, took his second wicket to soothe Sri Lanka as he bowled out Babar when Pakistan were looking to dominate Sri Lanka scoring 205 runs for the loss of just two wickets.

Pakistan will resume their batting on the final day with centurion Abdullah Shafique and wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan on the crease and seven wickets in hand to chase another 120 runs to seal the victory.

Earlier, the overnight pair of Dinesh Chandimal and the tail-ender Prabath Jayasuriya started the day’s play and survived just four more overs to add eight runs to the Sri Lankan total on a new day.

Naseem Shah castled the stumps of the tail-ender to leave Chandimal stranded on the 90s but remained the top-scorer for his side with his blistering 94 including five boundaries and two sixes.

Kusal Mendis and Oshada Fernando played crucial knocks of 72 and 64, respectively, to take their side towards a competitive total on a menacing spin track.

For Pakistan, Mohammad Nawaz starred with the bowl with his five-wicket haul while Yasir Shah grabbed three wickets. Hasan Ali and Naseem Shah took wicket apiece.

Meanwhile, Pakistan raised 218 runs in their first inning after a phenomenal century knock by the skipper whereas Sri Lanka scored 222 in their first inning.

READ: Yasir’s magical delivery to Mendis sparks ball of the century debate

Chandimal powers Sri Lanka for 333-run lead over Pakistan in first Test

GALLE: Dinesh Chandimal defied Pakistan’s spin attack to give Sri Lanka a 333-run lead after Mohammad Nawaz completed his five-wicket haul on the third day of the first Test, here on Monday.

Chandimal shone with a magnificent knock of 86 not-out and remained firm on the crease alongside the tail-ender Prabath Jayasuriya as Sri Lanka ended on 329/9 at the conclusion of the day’s play.

Earlier Pakistan spinner rebounded after a dominating first session by Sri Lankan batters as Yasir Shah claimed three wickets while Nawaz starred with five.

Sri Lanka looked in a comfortable position on 132/2 before Lunch as Oshada Fernando and Kusal Mendis remained firm on the crease after spinner Mohammad Nawaz provided a breakthrough early in the day.

Leg-spinner Shah dismantled the strong-looking 91-run partnership between opener Fernando and Mendis when Sri Lanka resumed their inning on 132/2 after Lunch.

Fernando departed without disturbing the scoreboard in the second session after he played a gritty knock of 64 runs.

All-rounder Angelo Mathew failed to impress with the bat as Nawaz dismissed the Sri Lankan veteran cheaply on 9.

Mendis, on the other hand, continued to upset the Pakistan bowlers and looked dangerous on 76 before Shah’s sharp turning ball hit the off-stump to end his inning.

Dhananjaya De Silva combined excellently with the middle-order batter Dinesh Chandimal to raise the 40-run partnership after Sri Lanka were struggling at 178/5.

However, Shah again took the charge and dislodged the stump to send De Silva back to the pavilion after scoring 20.

Meanwhile, Nawaz dismissed wicket-keeper Niroshan Dickwella on 12 and Ramesh Mendis on 22 to complete his five-wicket haul.

Hasan Ali, on the other hand, remained the only pacer to claim a wicket during a spin-dominated day as he dismissed the number ten batter Maheesh Theekshana on a team total of 308.

Earlier, Sri Lanka resumed the day’s play with an overnight score of 36/1 and lost its lone wicket of the session at a 50-run total as Nawaz dismissed Kasun Rajitha on 7 in a leg-before wicket.

Meanwhile, Pakistan raised 218 in its first inning after the skipper Babar Azam shone with a blistering century on the second day despite a batting collapse.

READ: Tamim Iqbal calls time on his T20I career.

Babar’s ton upsets Sri Lanka as Pakistan raise 218 in first inning

GALLE: National team skipper Babar Azam shone with an astounding century to propel the team out of the crisis as Pakistan raised 218 runs in the first innings before Sri Lanka managed 36/1 at the end of the second day’s play in the first Test, here on Sunday.

The skipper marked his seventh Test hundred and reached the milestone of 10,000 international runs during his crucial knock of 119 runs before he was dismissed by right-arm spinner Maheesh Theekshana in a leg-before wicket.

Meanwhile, Sri Lankan spinner Prabath Jayasuriya wreaked havoc on Pakistan’s batting line as he took his third consecutive five-wicket haul, after his phenomenal Test debut in the last match against Australia grabbing six wickets in each innings.

Apart from Babar, the rest of Pakistan’s batters remained helpless in the face of the Sri Lankan spin attack as the team was struggling on 148/9 before a phenomenal 70-run last-wicket partnership between the skipper and the tail-ender Naseem Shah.

Babar remained the major runs contributor in the gritty 10th wicket stand while Naseem put up a strong resistance not to offer his wicket.

Sri Lanka started their second inning with a four-run lead and were off to a solid start before Mohammad Nawaz struck in the second last over to remove the skipper Dimuth Karunaratne on 16.

Earlier in the day, Pakistan underwent complete batting chaos after resuming with the overnight score of 24/2. Jayasuriya got rid of Azhar Ali on just the third ball as the play resumed on the second day with a half-an-hour delay.

Wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan and skipper Babar Azam then put up some resistance and made a partnership of 41 runs before Rizwan fell prey to Ramesh Mendis on a total of 64.

The next three wickets fell in quick successions as the left-arm-spinner struck down the debutant Salman Agha on meagre 5 runs, before taking back-to-back wickets of Mohammad Nawaz and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Yasir Shah combined briefly with Babar before he fell prey to Theekshana on 18 after Lunch while Hasan Ali was sent back to the pavilion by Ramesh Mendis on 17.

For Sri Lanka, Jayasuriya remained the leading wicket-taker with five wickets, while Mendis and Theekshana grabbed two wickets apiece with Kasun Rajitha taking a scalp.

Earlier, Sri Lanka finished the opening day of the first Test in a relatively comfortable position dismissing the opening pair of Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq cheaply after their batters could only muster 222 in the first inning.

READ: Virat Kohli responds to Babar Azam’s supportive message

Late wickets bolster Sri Lanka after batters score 222 in first inning

GALLE: Sri Lanka finished the opening day of the first Test in a relatively comfortable position as their bowlers restrict Pakistan on 24/2 after the batters could only muster 222 in the first inning.

Pakistan, in response to Sri Lanka’s 222, finished the opening day at 24/2 after Prabath Jayasuriya and Kasun Rajitha removed both openers – Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq – in quick successions for a skimpy 13 and two respectively.

Following the early hiccup, Pakistan captain Babar Azam (1*) and veteran right-handed batter Azhar Ali (3*) will now resume the proceedings for the touring side with a deficit of 198 runs.

Batting first, Sri Lanka could only manage to pose 222 runs on the board despite a valiant half-century from their in-form batter Chandimal as the rest of the batters remained unable to contribute significantly to the total.

The right-handed batter top-scored for the side with 76 off 115 balls in the course of his fighting knock, laced with 10 boundaries and a six.

Besides Chandimal, Sri Lanka’s right-arm pacer Maheesh Theekshana remained the significant contributor as he scored important 38 runs down the order and bolstered the home side to a commendable total.

For Pakistan, Shaheen led the way with four wickets, while Yasir Shah and Hasan Ali bagged two each. Mohammad Nawaz, and Naseem Shah, on the other hand, struck out a batter each.

Sri Lanka, after resuming their first innings at 166/8 in the final session of the opening day, added 56 runs for the remaining two wickets as Theekshana displayed brilliance after Chandimal’s dismissal and added quick runs at the death.

The touring side earlier enjoyed a delightful second session as the hosts could only add 86 runs at the cost of four wickets at the back of a gritty unbeaten knock of Chandimal.

Resuming their score at 80/4 after Lunch, Sri Lanka soon lost half of their side on a combined score of 99 as Shaheen claimed his second wicket by removing Dhananjaya de Silva for 14.

Wicket-keeper batter Niroshan Dickwella’s stay at the crease, also remained brief as the left-arm pacer struck again to provide Pakistan with their sixth breakthrough.

Chandimal and Ramesh Mendis then attempted to anchor the proceedings for Sri Lanka as they added an important 27 runs for the seventh wicket before right-arm speedster Naseem struck his first by removing the latter on 11.

All-rounder Nawaz then further pushed the hosts on the back foot as he removed the tailender Prabath Jayasuriya for four and Sri Lanka, eventually, slipped to 133/8.

Amid the frustrating collapse, right-handed batter Chandimal displayed astounding resilience and kept the scoreboard ticking single-handedly while scoring boundaries at will. He smashed Naseem for three consecutive boundaries in the 45th over to bring up his 22nd Test half-century.

Sri Lanka, after opting to bat first, were off to a poor start as left-arm pacer Shaheen struck in his second over to remove the Sri Lankan captain Dimuth Karunaratne for a mere one.

Following the early hiccup, the hosts marched towards recovery with a gritty 49-run partnership for the second wicket as opener Oshada Fernando and Kusal Mendis batted sensibly and anchored the innings.

The duo appeared settled and was ticking the scoreboard comfortably, till the 15th over before the returning leg-spinner Yasir removed Mendis for 21. He faced 35 deliveries and smashed three boundaries. Following his departure, the hosts slipped to 60/2.

Pakistan pacer Hasan then added to the misery of the home side as he struck out Fernando in the next over, who remained the top-scorer for Sri Lanka thus far with 35 runs off 49 deliveries.

With the side struggling at 60/3, the veteran Sri Lankan batter Angelo Mathews looked to settle things down and took on a defensive approach, only for bagging a 15-ball-duck to Yasir.

Following Mathews’s dismissal, the home side were in all sorts of trouble at 68/4 in the 21st over. Sri Lanka’s hero for the second Test against Australia, Dinesh Chandimal and Dhananjaya de Silva then carried their way till lunch as they added 12 runs for the fifth wicket to help Sri Lanka finish at 80/4.

READ: Sri Lanka win toss, elect to bat first against Pakistan in first Test

Sri Lanka win toss, elect to bat first against Pakistan in first Test

GALLE: Sri Lanka have won the toss and elected to bat first in the first Test of the two-match series against Sri Lanka, here at Galle International Stadium.

PLAYING XIs

Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Oshada Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dinesh Chandimal, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Ramesh Mendis, Maheesh Theekshana, Prabath Jayasuriya, Kasun Rajitha

Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Azhar Ali, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Agha Salman Mohammad Nawaz, Yasir Shah, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah

HEAD TO HEAD

Matches-55, Pakistan-20, Australia-16, Draw-19

Agha to debut as Pakistan unveils Playing XI for first Test against Sri Lanka

GALLE: All-rounder Salman Ali Agha is set to make his debut for Pakistan on Saturday as the Green Shirts unveiled their Playing XI for the first Test against Sri Lanka.

Following his incredible run in the last three seasons of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, the all-rounder was initially named in the national team’s 18-member squad for the Test series.

The right-handed batter scored 1,629 runs at a remarkable average of 56.19 in 18 first-class matches since the 2019-2020 season. During this specific period, Agha smashed five centuries and eight half-centuries, while claiming 25 wickets with the ball.

Here's our XI for the first #SLvPAK Test tomorrow! #BackTheBoysInGreen 🇵🇰 pic.twitter.com/VOgFH247N6

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) July 15, 2022

Leg spinner Yasir Shah and all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz will make their return to the Test side for the first encounter of the two-match series.

Yasir, who aided Pakistan’s 2-1 series victory over Sri Lanka with his player of the series performance, will play his first Test since August 2021 after overcoming a thumb injury.

Nawaz, on the other hand, will make his return to the Test side after nearly a six-year gap, having played his last red-ball match in November 2106.

Pakistan’s XI: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (vc, wk), Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Afridi and Yasir Shah

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