Tag: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka

COLOMBO: Abdullah Shafique’s first-innings double century, followed by a sensational seven-wicket haul by Noman Ali steered Pakistan to thump Sri Lanka in the second Test by an innings and 222 runs.

Following a dominant victory, Pakistan claimed their first clean sweep victory over Sri Lanka in the latter’s backyard after 1994.

The 2-0 series victory also marked a promising start to Pakistan’s World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 campaign as they hold the top in the standings with a 100 percent winning record.

Resuming Sri Lanka’s struggling second innings, Angelo Mathews and Ramesh Mendis could add a further 34 runs to their seventh-wicket stand before Noman struck again to get Mendis stumped on 16.

Following Mendis’s departure, Naseem Shah ran through the Sri Lankan batting tail by castling the last three batters on duck and completed a convincing victory for Pakistan.

Noman Ali led the bowling attack for Pakistan in the second innings with 7/70, followed by Naseem Shah’s 3/44.

Sri Lanka were in a state of bother at Tea on Day 4 as the home side slipped to 143/6, trailing a further 267 runs to avoid an innings defeat.

Noman Ali, who provided a much-needed breakthrough to Pakistan in the first session, picked up five more wickets to put Sri Lanka in heaps of trouble.

Angelo Mathews (38*) and Ramesh Mendis (0*) were at the crease for the home side before walking off for Tea.

Noman-led Pakistan dominated another session of the ongoing second Test to move just four wickets within completing a series sweep over Sri Lanka in their backyard since 1994.

Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis resumed Sri Lanka’s innings at 81/1 after Lunch and could add five more runs to their budding second-wicket partnership before Noman outclassed the former.

Karunaratne scored 41 from 61 balls, hitting six boundaries.

Mendis was soon to follow Karunaratne as the extra bounce got the better of him and he ended up handing a straightforward catch to Saud Shakeel off Noman Ali.

The left-arm spinner then struck thrice more in quick succession — removing Dinesh Chandimal (1), Dhananjaya de Silva (10) and Sadeera Samarawickrama (5) — to add further to Sri Lanka’s misery.

Noman’s exploits meant Pakistan went into the break, needing just four more wickets to conclude their Test tour of Sri Lanka in a perfect fashion.

At the stroke of Lunch on the penultimate day of the ongoing second Test, Sri Lanka were 81/1, trailing a further 319 runs.

Pakistan’s overnight pair of Salman Ali Agha and Mohammad Rizwan resumed the touring side’s first innings at 563/5 on the fourth day.

Wicketkeeper batter Rizwan scored at a brisk rate to complete his half-century before Babar Azam finally called for the declaration with Pakistan at 576/5 and a hefty 410-run lead.

Mohammad Rizwan scored 50 not out in just 67 deliveries with the help of four boundaries and a six.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s centurion Salman Ali Agha remained unbeaten with a 154-ball 132 which featured 15 boundaries and a six.

Abdullah Shafique, who batted for over eight hours on his way to his maiden double century, remained the top-scorer for Pakistan with 201. He conceded 326 deliveries and smashed 19 boundaries and four sixes.

Besides them, left-handed batters Shan Masood (51) and Saud Shakeel (57) made vital contributions, scoring a half-century each.

Sri Lanka, who had a mountain to climb to avoid a defeat and a clean sweep in the two-match series, led by Pakistan 1-0, were off to a solid start.

Home side’s openers Nishan Madushka and Dimuth Karunaratne batted sensibly for their 69-run stand before Noman Ali dismissed the former to draw a much-needed success for Pakistan.

Madushka scored a gutsy 33 from 72 balls, hitting four boundaries and a six.

Kusal Mendis joined his skipper Karunaratne in the middle and could add 12 runs to their budding partnership before the lunch break was called.

Heading into the break, Karunaratne was unbeaten on 36 while Mendis was 11 not out.

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Mohammad Rizwan replaced Sarfaraz Ahmed as the concussion substitute on Day 3 of the ongoing second Test against Sri Lanka, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed.

“Sarfaraz Ahmed has been replaced by Mohammad Rizwan as a concussion substitute in the ongoing second Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka,” said PCB in a statement.

“Match referee David Boon accepted the Pakistan team management’s request for the substitution,” it added.

Notably, Sarfaraz was hit on his head while ducking a bouncer by Asitha Fernando in the afternoon session on day three.

The incident occurred in the 81st over of Pakistan’s first innings when Sarfaraz Ahmed came out to bat at number six after Saud Shakeel’s dismissal.

Asitha Fernando welcomed the wicketkeeper batter with a short-pitched delivery but the ball deflected down to the fine leg boundary off the helmet.

However, Sarfaraz Ahmed continued to bat on his way to a 22-ball 14 before he was taken off the field after 86 overs.

According to the PCB, he will remain under observation of the cricket board’s medical panel.

When this story was filed Pakistan were 512/5 in the 123rd over and had gathered a mammoth lead of 346 runs.

Salman Ali Agha (103) and Mohammad Rizwan (20) were unbeaten at the crease as Pakistan looked to add a little more to their massive advantage before potentially declaring their first innings in the closing minutes of the ongoing third day.

Abdullah Shafique led the way for Pakistan’s batting charge with a sensational double-century and put his side in complete command Prabath Jayasuriya finally got rid of him.

He top-scored for Pakistan with 201 from 326 deliveries, hitting 19 boundaries and four sixes.

READ: Babar Azam slips but Saud Shakeel makes big leap in ICC Test Rankings

DUBAI: Pakistan captain Babar Azam slipped two spots to fifth in the latest ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings, updated on Wednesday, while Saud Shakeel enjoyed a massive surge at the back of a record-breaking double century.

Pakistan’s hero with the bat amid their four-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the first Test, Saud Shakeel got the reward of his heroics in the Galle Test as he rose 12 spots to 15th and a new career-best rating on the latest rankings for Test batters.

Meanwhile, Pakistan captain Babar Azam, who was close to reach the summit in the Test batting rankings, dropped two spots after a below-par individual performance in the aforementioned Test.

His scores of 13 and 24 resulted in him losing 27 rating points and down to the fifth spot in the rankings.

Besides the duo, All-rounder Agha Salman shot up 17 places to 58th overall for batters, while young seamer Naseem Shah (up one place to 44th) and inexperienced spinner Abrar Ahmed (up 12 spots to equal 45th) found new highs on the list for Test bowlers after excellent performances with the ball against Sri Lanka.

Notably, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, who got a fortunate push to the top of the Test batting rankings, again managed to cling to the summit with 883 rating points but the race for bragging rights and the No.1 spot for batters further intensifies.

Australia right-hander and former No.1 ranked batter Marnus Labuschagne rose three places to second overall after his century at Old Trafford, while England trio Joe Root (up three spots to third), Harry Brook (up two places to 11th) and Zak Crawley (up 13 places to 35th) also made some good ground.

After losing their first Test at home narrowly, Sri Lanka have a moment to cherish as their lethal left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya rose seven places to seventh overall on the list for bowlers following his seven wickets for the match.

READ: Saud Shakeel breaks an all-time Test record during second Sri Lanka Test

Saud Shakeel’s half-century in the second Test against Sri Lanka on Wednesday, propelled him to become the first-ever batter in the history of Test cricket to score a half-century in each of the first seven Tests of his career.

With his astounding consistency, the left-handed batter left behind the likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Basil Butcher, Saeed Ahmad, and Bert Sutcliffe, who scored a half-century in each of their first six Tests.

Pakistan were 210/3 in response to Sri Lanka’s 166 when Pakistan’s first match hero Saud Shakeel walked out to bat.

The in-form batter wasted no time adapting to the conditions and soon put on an important partnership for the touring side.

He played a brilliant 57-run knock from 110 deliveries, hitting six boundaries before Asitha Fernando dismissed him in the 81st with Pakistan at 319/4.

With his record-breaking half-century, Saud Shakeel put on an important fourth-wicket partnership with Abdullah Shafique. They added 109 runs to the total which lifted Pakistan to stretch their first-innings lead to 153.

Pakistan, resuming their first innings at an overnight score of 178/2, enjoyed a fruitful opening session of Day 3 despite their captain Babar Azam’s dismissal as the touring side acquired a dominating 107-run lead.

The pair of Babar and Shafique, batting since the last session of the opening day, finally got broken in the early half of day three’s opening session when Prabath Jayasuriya, once again, dismissed Pakistan captain Babar.

The left-arm spinner trapped Babar Azam plumb in front to draw a much-needed success for Sri Lanka while the Pakistan captain fell just 11 short of his half-century.

He scored 39 off 75 deliveries, laced with four boundaries and a six.

Notably, Rain played spoilsport on the second day of the ongoing second Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Only 10 overs of action was possible on an important second day due to persistent downpour.

Pakistan were 178/2 and had a 12-run lead when the rain intervened.

READ: Abdullah’s century strengthens Pakistan’s grip on second Sri Lanka Test

COLOMBO: Abdullah Shafique’s maiden double century, followed by an unbeaten 132 by Salman Ali Agha kept Pakistan in complete control of the ongoing second Test against Sri Lanka.

At the stumps on Day 3, Pakistan were 563/5 and had a humongous 397-run lead over Sri Lanka with Agha and Mohammad Rizwan still on the crease.

Pakistan dominated another session of the ongoing Colombo Test as the visitors added 166 runs to their total at the cost of a wicket.

Salman Ali Agha and Abdullah Shafique resumed Pakistan’s first innings at 397/4 after the Tea break and stretched their fifth-wicket stand to 124 before Prabath Jayasuriya finally got rid of the latter soon after his double century.

Shafique top-scored for Pakistan with 210 from 306 deliveries, laced up with 19 boundaries and four sixes.

Coming in to bat for Pakistan as Sarfaraz Ahmed’s concussion substitute, Mohammad Rizwan batted sensibly amid his 95-run unbeaten partnership with Salman Ali Agha to solidify Pakistan’s grip.

At the stumps, Rizwan was unbeaten on 37 while Agha had scored 132 not out with the help of 15 boundaries and a six.

Pakistan were 397 and had gathered a massive 231-run lead for the loss of four wickets at Tea on the third day of the ongoing second Test.

At the conclusion of the second session, Abdullah Shafique was just 10 runs away from his maiden double century while Salman Ali Agha was unbeaten on 28.

Abdullah Shafique and Saud Shakeel resumed Pakistan’s batting charge at 273/3 and added a further 46 runs to their stand before Asitha Fernando got rid of Saud Shakeel.

The left-handed batter, who scripted all-time Test history, scored 57 off 110 deliveries, laced with six deliveries.

Following Saud’s dismissal, wicketkeeper batter Sarfaraz Ahmed put on a brief 25-run partnership with Abdullah before getting retired hurt.

He could score 14 from 22 deliveries before returning to the pavilion.

Walking out to bat after Sarfaraz’s unfortunate departure, Salman Ali Agha partnered strongly with Pakistan’s mainstay Abdullah Shafique and stitched an unbeaten 53-run partnership before the break.

Pakistan, resuming their first innings at an overnight score of 178/2, enjoyed a fruitful opening session of Day 3 despite their captain Babar Azam’s dismissal as the touring side acquired a dominating 107-run lead.

Pakistan’s pair, batting since the last session of the opening day, finally got broken in the early half of day three’s opening session when Prabath Jayasuriya, once again, dismissed Pakistan captain Babar.

The left-arm spinner trapped Babar Azam plumb in front to draw a much-needed success for Sri Lanka while the Pakistan captain fell just 11 short of his half-century.

He scored 39 off 75 deliveries, laced with four boundaries and a six.

Pakistan were 210/3 in response to Sri Lanka’s 166 when Pakistan’s first match hero Saud Shakeel walked out to bat.

The in-form batter wasted no time adapting to the conditions and soon put on an important partnership for the touring side.

Saud and Abdullah had added an unbeaten 63 runs amid their fourth-wicket partnership before Lunch.

At the stroke of Lunch, Abdullah Shafique was unbeaten on 137 while Saud was 32 not out.

Notably, Rain played spoilsport on the second day of the ongoing second Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Only 10 overs of action was possible on an important second day due to persistent downpour.

Pakistan were 178/2 and had a 12-run lead when the rain intervened.

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Shan Masood and Abdullah Shafique scored blistering half-centuries for Pakistan and cut the deficit by 21 runs at the closure of the opening day of the ongoing second Test against Sri Lanka.

At the stumps on Day 1, Pakistan were well in control at 145/2 in response to Sri Lanka’s first-innings 166 with captain Babar Azam and Abdullah Shafique firm at the crease.

The visitors, however, had a contrasting start to their innings as they lost Imam-ul-Haq (6) early in the third over with just 13 runs on the board.

But Shan Masood and Abdullah Shafique launched an astounding counterattack and pushed Sri Lanka on the backfoot with a brisk 108-run partnership.

The pair batted a quick rate amid their second-wicket partnership and was looking determined to put Pakistan into the lead by the end of the opening day.

However, Asitha Fernando got a much-needed breakthrough for Sri Lanka in the form of Shan Masood, who scored 51off 47 deliveries, laced with four boundaries and a six.

Masood’s dismissal halted the flow of runs but the pair of Babar Azam and Abdullah Shafique batted sensibly and stitched an unbeaten 24-run partnership.

The pair will now resume Pakistan’s first innings on the second day in a bid to secure a massive lead to further strengthen their side’s position in the second Test.

Abdullah Shafique scored an unbeaten 74 from 99 balls, hitting seven boundaries and two sixes while Babar Azam scored eight not out.

Pakistan dominated another session to take command of the ongoing second Test against Sri Lanka.

The visitors took six wickets after Lunch with Abrar Ahmed leading the charge, taking four wickets in the second session including the prized scalp of Dhananjaya de Silva.

Chandimal and de Silva resumed Sri Lanka’s first innings at 79/4 after the break and added 42 more runs to their crucial stand before Naseem dismissed the former to bring Pakistan back on top.

Chandimal fell after a 60-ball 34, laced with four boundaries.

His dismissal triggered a match-defining collapse in Sri Lanka’s batting lineup which soon slipped to 136/8 with their mainstay de Silva also falling after a brilliant half-century.

He top-scored for Sri Lanka with 68-ball 57 which featured nine boundaries and a six.

All-rounder Ramesh Mendis added vital runs for Sri Lanka amid his ninth-wicket partnership with Asitha Fernando (8) before Abrar Ahmed struck successive strikes marked the end of Sri Lanka’s first innings.

Mendis scored 27 from 44 deliveries with the help of three boundaries.

Abrar Ahmed led the bowling charge for Pakistan with 4/69 followed by Naseem Shah’s 3/41 while Shaheen Shah Afridi had one to his name.

At the stroke of Lunch, Sri Lanka were 79/4 with Dhananjaya de Silva (33) and Dinesh Chandimal (9) unbeaten at the crease.

Sri Lanka, opting to bat first in the second Test of the ongoing two-match series, led by Pakistan 1-0, got off to a shaky start to their innings.

The hosts coped with an unfortunate blow when opener Nishan Madushka (4) got run out, courtesy of a sharp fielding effort by Shan Masood, who charged in from short extra cover and nailed a one-handed direct hit onto the stumps.

Shaheen Shah Afridi then pushed Sri Lanka further on the backfoot when he got Kusal Mendis (6) caught at point.

Naseem Shah then added further to the misery of the home side as he struck twice in quick succession to leave them reeling at 36/4.

The right-arm pacer implemented a perfect trap to get rid of Angelo Matthews as he bowled continuously around the outside-off channel before finally inducing an edge of Matthews’s bat, who could score a mere nine.

Naseem then bamboozled Karunaratne with a sensational delivery. The right-arm pacer, after bowling a couple of outswingers, deceived the Sri Lankan captain with a lovely in-dipper and hit the timber.

Karunaratne played a cautious 17-run knock which featured three boundaries.

Following the shaky start, Sri Lanka’s first-match mainstay with the bat, Dhananjaya de Silva, once again clung on for the hosts and launched a recovery with Dinesh Chandimal.

The pair by the end of the first session, had added 43 runs to the total with de Silva leading the charge.

In an enthralling first session, dominated by Pakistan, Naseem Shah picked up two wickets while Shaheen struck once.

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COLOMBO: Pakistan’s red-ball squad, led by Babar Azam, reached here on Friday to play the final Test of the two-match series against Sri Lanka, scheduled to commence on July 24.

After a successful show in Galle in the first Test, the Men in Green are now just one win away from completing a series sweep over Sri Lanka in their backyard since 1994.

Pakistan’s squad reached here on Friday afternoon and will kick off their preparation for the second and final Test on Saturday.

Galle ➟ Colombo! 🚌

Pakistan team has arrived in Colombo for the second Test match 🏏#SLvPAK pic.twitter.com/XYC6feau2g

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) July 21, 2023

 

Before commencing the preparation for the second Test, the touring contingent will enjoy a rest day today.

In the first Test, Saud Shakeel’s first-innings double century remained in the spotlight as Pakistan edged Sri Lanka by four wickets to script a winning start to their World Test Championship (WTC) campaign.

Set to chase a modest total, Sri Lanka spinner Prabath Jayasuriya made sure to make it a daunting one for the touring side by picking up four wickets including the prized scalp of Pakistan captain Babar Azam.

Pakistan’s left-handed opener Imam-ul-Haq batted sensibly in the tricky run chase and steered his side over the line with a gutsy half-century. He carried his bat all the way through for an unbeaten 50, laced with four boundaries and a six.

Saud Shakeel was equally impressive in the run chase as he tackled Sri Lanka’s spin attack with the utmost domination and backed his first-innings 208* with a crucial 30-run knock.

Shakeel, however, remained unlucky, as he fell caught behind off Ramesh Mendis when his side needed a mere nine to pull off a remarkable victory. He scored a 38-ball 30 with the help of six boundaries.

Jayasuriya then caused yet another stir in the pursuit when he got rid of Pakistan’s wicketkeeper batter Sarfaraz Ahmed, who could score a mere one.

But Imam and Salman Ali Agha (6*) batted sensibly to make sure there were no hiccups in Pakistan’s run chase.

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GALLE: Prabath Jayasuriya struck twice to force a late twist in the ongoing Galle Test as Pakistan slipped to 48/3 at stumps on Day 4 while chasing 131 against Sri Lanka.

Set to chase a modest 131, Pakistan suffered a mini top-order collapse and were 48/3 at the stumps with Babar Azam (6) and Imam-ul-Haq (25) at the crease.

The touring side had a poor start to their run chase as opener Abdullah Shafique was caught behind off Prabath Jayasuriya in the seventh over and could score a mere eight.

Jayasuriya then struck again to cause a stir in the modest run chase when he removed Shan Masood (7) to draw a second success for Sri Lanka.

The hosts found a fortunate breakthrough when night watchman Noman Ali (0) fell victim to suicidal running between the wickets.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam and Imam-ul-Haq then made sure there were no more hiccups as they added an unbeaten 10 runs for the fourth wicket before the conclusion of an enthralling fourth day of the ongoing first Test.

Sri Lanka, resuming their second innings at 210/6, could add 69 runs to the total before Pakistan ran through their lower order after Dhananjaya de Silva’s heroics.

The pair of de Silva and Ramesh Mendi, who stabilized Sri Lanka’s second innings, could not stretch their seventh-wicket partnership as Pakistan got the breakthrough briefly after the Tea break.

Abrar Ahmed bowled a fuller delivery and trapped Mendis plumb in front to expose Sri Lanka’s batting tail.

The right-handed batter fell just eight short of a gutsy half-century. His 42-run knock featured three boundaries and a six.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam brought his ace pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi into the attack after the new ball was taken.

Dhananjaya de Silva looked to counter the move by charging at Afridi with back-to-back boundaries but the latter had the last laugh as he hit back with a caught behind to draw a major success for Pakistan.

De Silva top-scored for Sri Lanka with a 118-ball 82, laced with 10 boundaries and two sixes.

The left-arm pacer then struck again in his next over as he deceived number 10 Prabath Jayasuriya with a slower delivery.

Sri Lanka then eventually got bundled out in the next over when Abrar Ahmed dismissed Kasun Rajitha with a luring delivery outside off.

For Pakistan, Abrar and Noman picked up three wickets each while Agha and Afridi bagged two each.

Sri Lanka were 210/6 at Tea with Dhananjaya de Silva holding his ground firm with a gutsy half-century.

The enthralling session of the penultimate day was majorly dominated by the touring side as they made three strikes including opener Nishan Madushka, who scored a brilliant half-century.

Noman Ali provided a major success to the touring side briefly after the break when he got Madushka caught behind, who scored 52 which featured seven boundaries and a six.

Sri Lanka’s hero with the bat in the first innings Dhananjaya de Silva then walked up to the middle and joined veteran Chandimal in the middle.

Fancying his brilliant record against Pakistan, Sri Lanka’s middle-order batter looked to anchor the innings alongside Chandimal.

The pair added 60 runs to the total before Salman Ali Agha broke the budding stand by removing Chandimal, who scored a gritty 28.

Sri Lanka then endured another setback when Agha struck again for Pakistan, dismissing wicketkeeper batter Sadeera Samarawickrama on a run-a-ball 11.

Agha’s strike left Sri Lanka reeling at 175/6 with a meagre lead of 26 runs but de Silva found subtle support at the other end in the form of Ramesh Mendis.

The pair had raised 35 runs for the seventh wicket before the officials called for the Tea break.

At the stroke of Lunch, Sri Lanka were still 55 runs behind with opener Nishan Madushka sniffing a gritty half-century.

The home side, resuming at an overnight score of 14/0, could only add 28 runs to their total before sustaining the first blow.

Abrar Ahmed provided the breakthrough to the touring side as he removed Sri Lankan captain Dimuth Karunaratne by luring him into playing a loose shot. He scored 20 off 27, hitting four boundaries.

Madushka then joined forces with wicketkeeper batter Kusal Mendis and stitched a brief partnership for the second wicket.

The pair added 37 runs amid their stand and put Pakistan in dire need of a wicket.

The breakthrough came in the 25th over of the second innings when Noman Ali trapped Mendis lbw to dent Sri Lanka’s march.

The left-arm spinner then gave Pakistan an edge over Sri Lanka when he struck again eight overs later to get rid of experienced Angelo Mathews.

He bowled a good length ball which turned more than Mathews expected and took a fine nick off his bat and past the keeper. Pakistan captain Babar Azam dove to his left and took a one-handed screamer to mark the end of Mathews’s brief knock.

The right-handed batter could score a mere seven in 21 deliveries and hit a boundary.

Mathews’s dismissal gave Pakistan an upper hand over Sri Lanka, who are still 55 runs in the deficit.

Opening batter Madushka was Sri Lanka’s mainstay amid an eventful first session. He was unbeaten on 47 in 106 deliveries, laced up with six boundaries and a six.

Experienced Dinesh Chandimal, who made a modest contribution in the first innings, was not out on one.

Noman Ali led the bowling attack for Pakistan with two wickets, followed by Abrar Ahmed with one.

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GALLE: Left-handed middle-order batter Saud Shakeel on Tuesday, became the first Pakistani batter to score a double century in Tests in Sri Lanka.

Saud Shakeel, who came out to bat when Pakistan were struggling at 101/5 on Day 2 of the ongoing first Test, impressed with his solid nerves and recovered his side with a record-breaking double century.

He has thus far scored 203 off 352 deliveries with the help of 19 boundaries.

With his double century, the left-handed batter became the Pakistani batter with the highest Test score in Sri Lanka, surpassing Mohammad Hafeez, who scored 196 in Colombo.

Amid his magnificent knock, he put on a marathon 177-run partnership with Salman Ali Agha, who also played a key role in his side’s recovery.

The right-handed batter had a disappointing end to his sensible knock as he fell just 17 runs short of his second Test century. His 113-ball 83 featured nine boundaries and a six.

Meanwhile, Saud Shakeel remained in the spotlight with his brave knock and put on vital partnerships with Noman Ali and Naseem Shah.

His brilliance, after recovering Pakistan from a dismal start, put the touring side in command of the Galle Test.

When this story was filed Pakistan were 460/9 in 121 overs with Saud Shakeel (207) and number 11 Abrar Ahmed unbeaten at the crease.

The touring side has gathered a massive 148-run first-innings lead over Sri Lanka with 15 overs left for the stumps.

GALLE: Saud Shakeel scored a record-setting double-century and powered Pakistan to conclude their first innings with a massive 149-run lead over Sri Lanka on Day 3 of the first Test.

Bad light forced an early closure of Day 3 action when Sri Lanka could only bat for 16 deliveries against Pakistan in their second innings and had scored just 14 runs.

Openers Dimuth Karunaratne and Nishan Madushka remained unbeaten at the crease and will now resume their side’s second innings with a 135-run deficit.

Earlier in the closing session, Pakistan were bowled out for a mammoth 461 in their first innings at the back of a record-setting double century by young Saud Shakeel, who remained not out on 208.

Saud achieved the milestone amid his astonishing 94-run partnership with Naseem Shah.

The 94-run stand was majorly dominated by Saud but Pakistan’s number 10 Shah displayed grit with his sensational knock.

Shah scored mere six runs and faced a whopping 78 deliveries to pave the way for Saud to achieve the landmark, which eventually came after the former’s unlucky dismissal.

Following his dismissal, Pakistan’s number 11 Abrar Ahmed slogged a couple of boundaries before Ramesh Mendis got rid of him to complete his five-wicket haul. He scored 10 off 12 deliveries.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s star with the bat, Saud remained unbeaten with his swashbuckling knock. His 361-ball 208 featured 19 boundaries.

Mendis led the bowling attack for Sri Lanka with a five-for, followed by Prabath Jayasuriya’s three while Kasun Rajitha and Vishwa Fernando made one scalp each.

At Tea on Day 3, Pakistan were 389/8 with Saud Shakeel still firm at the crease with Naseem Shah, who scored an unbeaten one from 39 deliveries.

Pakistan dominated the second session of Day 3 despite losing two wickets as the touring side enhanced their first-innings lead to 77, which stood at one at Lunch.

Pakistan’s first-inning hero Saud Shakeel remained the touring side’s mainstay on the third day as well and kept Sri Lankan bowlers under control with a calculated knock.

The left-handed batter surpassed his highest Test score and went on to register his maiden 150 in the format. He is currently unbeaten on 161, laced with 15 boundaries.

Sri Lanka appeared determined in the opening minutes of the second session as the hosts got rid of Noman Ali (25) and Shaheen Shah Afridi (9) in quick successions but Naseem Shah displayed grit to cut their comeback short.

He held his end firm with great defence while Shakeel ticked the scoreboard at the other.

At the stroke of Lunch, Pakistan were 313/6 with Saud Shakeel unbeaten on 119 while Noman Ali stood firm with a valuable 13.

Resuming at an overnight score of 221/5, Shakeel and Salman Ali Agha stretched their gutsy partnership to put their side in command.

The pair added 57 runs more to their sixth-wicket partnership before Ramesh Mendis provided a much-needed breakthrough to Sri Lanka when he got rid of Agha in the same over Shakeel had amassed his century.

The right-handed batter had a disappointing end to his sensible knock as he fell just 17 runs short of his second Test century. His 113-ball 83 featured nine boundaries and a six.

Meanwhile, Shakeel stood his ground firm and kept ticking the scoreboard with valuable support from Noman Ali.

The pair of Shakeel and Ali added vital 35 runs to the total which took Pakistan out of the deficit and into the lead.

At the Lunch on Day 3, the touring side had acquired a one-run lead and will be eyeing to add more to it.

Notably, persistent rain forced an early end to the Day 2 action after Saud Shakeel and Salman Ali Agha’s half-centuries recovered Pakistan to 221/5.

The touring side was in heaps of trouble, having slipped to 101/5 when Shakeel and Agha launched an astounding recovery.

The touring side had a dismal start to their innings as they lost their in-form opener Imam-ul-Haq (1) with just three runs on the scoreboard.

After a brief 44-run partnership between Abdullah Shafique (19) and Shan Masood, Sri Lanka launched a spin attack with Prabath Jayasuriya and Ramesh Mendis bowling in pair.

Jayasuriya removed Shafique to end the budding partnership before Mendis soon hit back to remove Masood, who was scoring at a brisk rate.

The left-handed batter scored a quick 39 off 30 deliveries, hitting five boundaries and a six.

Pakistan then sustained a massive blow when Sri Lanka’s Prabath Jayasuriya removed skipper Babar Azam to better his superior record against the right-handed batter.

Babar Azam could score 13 off 16 deliveries with the help of two boundaries.

Coming out to bat at number six was Sarfaraz Ahmed when Pakistan were reeling at 73/4, fresh from the blow of their captain Babar Azam’s dismissal.

He put on a brief partnership with Saud Shakeel and added 28 runs to the total before Prabath Jayasuriya cut his knock short by trapping him in his legs.

The wicketkeeper batter could score 17 off 15 deliveries with the help of three boundaries.

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