Tag: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka

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

Pakistan made two changes in the playing lineup as middle-order batter Fawad Alam replaced Azhar Ali while left-arm spinner Nauman Ali has been included in place of injured Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Meanwhile, debutant Dunith Wellalge and seamer Asitha Fernando have replaced Maheesh Theekshana and Kasun Rajitha in Sri Lanka’s playing Xl for the second Test.

It is worth mentioning here that Pakistan beat Sri Lanka in the first Test by four wickets after a historic run-chase to go one up in the series.

PLAYING XIs

Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Oshada Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dinesh Chandimal, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Ramesh Mendis, Asitha Fernando, Prabath Jayasuriya, Dunith Wellalage

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

GALLE: Pakistan all-format captain Babar Azam confirmed left-arm spinner, Nauman Ali, as the replacement of ace pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi, who was ruled out of the second Test against Sri Lanka due to a knee injury.

Babar, in a Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) released video statement, acknowledged Shaheen’s absence will be dearly missed while confirming that the touring side will add another spinner to the Playing XI for the second Test.

“Shaheen is our main bowler who provides us early breakthroughs. Unfortunately, he is not available so we have added another spinner, Nauman Ali and he will be playing tomorrow,” Babar confirmed.

“We will go with two pacers tomorrow and try to continue our match-winning performance,” he maintained.

Babar then went on to comment on the Green Shirts’ historic and record-breaking triumph over Sri Lanka in the first Test while claiming that the team always tries its best to produce such performances.

“As a team, we focus on record-breaking performances. Every player takes his responsibility sincerely and tries to give his hundred percent,” Babar asserted.

“As a unit, we are doing good so far. In the end, there are also some weak areas and we will try to work hard and come up more strongly,” he concluded.

The second Test between Pakistan and the hosts Sri Lanka will be played from July 24 to 28 at the same venue, meanwhile, the Green Shirts have a 1-0 lead in the two-match Test series after their historic win in the first match.

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GALLE: Pakistan head coach Saqlain Mushtaq confirmed the unavailability of the ace pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi for the second Test against Sri Lanka, while also acknowledging that the touring side will miss the left-arm pacer.

Saqlain, while talking to the media here ahead of the second ODI, asserted that the touring bowlers will miss the services of the left-arm pacer as he guides them throughout in the games.

“No doubt, our bowlers will miss Shaheen in the second Test. He is our main bowler and he guides his fellowmen as well. Definitely, the bowlers will miss his presence as he brings in a lot of charisma to the unit,” Saqlain stated.

The national head coach then remained reluctant to the changes for the second Test except for the replacement of injured Afridi, while emphasizing that the final playing XI will be decided after analyzing the pitch.

“We have looked at the pitch but nothing is decided as of yet. Obviously, Shaheen’s replacement is there but apart from this, we will sit and decide before announcing the final XI,” said Saqlain.

“Our players showed great determination, potential and execution of plans to win the last game. From Abdullah Shafique to tail-ender Naseem Shah and then Hassan Ali, Yasir Shah and others, everyone fought hard to achieve a well-deserved victory,” he added.

It is pertinent to mention here that ace pacer Shaheen sustained a gruelling knee injury during the first Test against Sri Lanka, which resulted in his exclusion from the second Test. According to the sources, Nauman Ali will receive a call-up in the playing XI as Shaheen’s replacement.

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GALLE: Various records tumbled during the recently-concluded first Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka as the visitors defeated Sri Lanka by four wickets on the back of an astounding unbeaten 160-run knock of right-handed opener Abdullah Shafique.

As Pakistan displayed sheer dominance over the Sri Lankan bowling attack in the fourth inning; chasing their second-highest ever total in the history of Test cricket. The Green Shirts have registered several records from their incredible victory.

Pakistan's second-highest successful run-chase in Tests ✅

A remarkable win to take a 1️⃣-0️⃣ lead in the series 👏#SLvPAK | #BackTheBoysInGreen pic.twitter.com/n5B4iFJmZf

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) July 20, 2022

 

Pakistan’s successful 342-run chase against Sri Lanka in the first Test is the highest chase by any team at Galle. The previous highest successful fourth-innings chase here was 268 by Sri Lanka versus New Zealand in 2019.

Boys after conquering the Galle fort – the highest ever chase at Sri Lanka’s most successful Test venue. pic.twitter.com/O3853sQ58o

— Mazher Arshad (@MazherArshad) July 20, 2022

Pakistan’s hero of the Galle Test Abdullah, who displayed brilliance with his outstanding knock of 160* and guided the touring side to a historic victory also tumbled various records, as the right-handed batter become the first Pakistan batter to score a century at Galle in the fourth inning.

Only three batters, before today, had scored a century in fourth innings at Galle. Abdullah is the first Pakistan batter to do so. And, also, he now has the most runs in first six Tests for Pakistan.

Setting some wild batting standards! #Believe and #BackTheBoysInGreen pic.twitter.com/CQYXmpTBq1

— Ahsan Iftikhar Nagi (@ahsannagi) July 19, 2022

The 22-year-old opener has also scored the most Test runs for Pakistan after six matches, having scored 685 runs at an average of 76.11, leaving behind the legendary batter Javed Miandad, who scored 652.

Abdullah Shafique is some elite company. #SLvPak pic.twitter.com/1IGDGhwtqD

— Mazher Arshad (@MazherArshad) July 20, 2022

 

Furthermore, following his gritty knock of 160*, Abdullah has also become the first batter in Test history to bat over 500 minutes in a successful run chase as his match-winning knock saw him staying at the crease for a mammoth 524 runs.

Abdullah Shafique is the first batsman in Test history to bat 500+ minutes in a successful chase. He stayed on the wicket for 524 mins. #SLvPak

— Mazher Arshad (@MazherArshad) July 20, 2022

 

Whereas, Abdullah’s 160 is also the third-highest individual score by a Pakistan batter in the fourth inning of a Test.

Besides Abdullah, Pakistan captain Babar Azam touched another milestone completing 10,000 international runs across all formats to become the fastest Asian batter to reach the landmark.

🚨 MILESTONE ALERT 🚨

Babar Azam completes 10000 runs in international cricket 🇵🇰🏏

He becomes the fastest Asian batter to achieve the milestone 🔥#BabarAzam𓃵 #SLvPAK #CricketTwitter #Pakistan pic.twitter.com/4c3q6hvS4V

— Sportskeeda (@Sportskeeda) July 17, 2022

 

On the opening day of the Galle Test, the Pakistan captain also became the fifth-fastest batter to mark 10,000 runs in international cricket in the record 228 innings, surpassing India’s Virat Kohli and Australia’s Steve Smith as both took 232 innings to achieve the feat.

The right-handed batter is also the quickest Pakistan batter to the 10,000 runs mark, leaving behind legendary batter Miandad, who achieved the milestone in 248 innings.

👑 @babarazam258 on 🔝

Phenomenal consistency across formats 💪#SLvPAK | #BackTheBoysInGreen pic.twitter.com/oWVrS0rjh4

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) July 17, 2022

 

READ: Pakistan climb to third spot in Test Championship after Galle Test win

DUBAI: Pakistan have jumped to the third spot in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) standings following their remarkable four-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the first Test against Sri Lanka, here on Wednesday.

According to International Cricket Council’s (ICC) latest released WTC standings, Pakistan improved its position in the table to bolster its chances of appearing in the next year’s World Test Championship final between the top two teams in the standings.

The recent reshuffle in the WTC standings after Pakistan’s historic victory also witnessed India climbing one spot to fourth with West Indies rising to the fifth as Sri Lanka slipped to the sixth position from third.

Meanwhile, South Africa continue to top the standings followed by Australia sitting in the second spot.

Pakistan have triumphed against Sri Lanka on the final day after they chased down a mammoth 342-run target in the final inning with opener Abdullah Shafique leading the charge for his side with a sensational knock of 160 not-out.

READ: 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

GALLE: Pakistan’s fourth-inning centurion Abdullah Shafique, who bolstered the touring side to close in on the 342-run target has set his sights on leading the Green Shirts to victory in the first Test against Sri Lanka.

Abdullah, in a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)’s released statement on the conclusion of the fourth day of the ongoing Test, expressed satisfaction with his magnificent knock, while at the same time claiming that he is aware that the job is not done yet.

“First and foremost, I want to express my gratitude to the Almighty as I was able to score second Test hundred for Pakistan. We are currently in a very comfortable position, so I will do everything in my power to ensure that we pursue the total tomorrow,” Abdullah stated.

“The job is not done yet but the strive will be to maintain our focus tomorrow and chase the remaining total. The target is to not get easy in any phase and I am hopeful the result will be in our favour,” he added.

The right-handed batter then went on to reveal the team’s strategy to go for the total and claimed that they divided the target into small partitions, session by session to move closer to it by the end of the day.

“The master plan was to go for the chase, but we made small targets session by session to come closer to it,” he revealed.

The opening batter, who remained unbeaten with a magnificent 122, also opined on his crucial 101-run partnership with Pakistan captain Babar Azam and claimed that the latter’s presence gives him a lot of confidence.

“Babar is a wonderful batter and I have always learned from him. It was helpful to have him at the other end. He was guiding me throughout,” Abdullah shared.

“His wicket put more responsibility on me. I tried to not lose a wicket and help my team finish the day on a high note. Now, my target is to win this match for my team tomorrow,” he maintained.

Abdullah then heaped praises on Sri Lanka’s left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya and claimed that the team’s strategy was to go after him and stop him from stifling the touring batters.

“We chose to pursue Jayasuriya, a fantastic bowler who was extremely challenging to face on this pitch, and develop scoring options against him so that he wouldn’t feel like he was succeeding,” he concluded.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan need a further 120 runs on the final day to seal victory in the ongoing first Test against Sri Lanka. Centurion Abdullah (122*) and Mohammad Rizwan (7*) will resume the proceedings for the touring side at 222/3.

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GALLE: Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah has sparked the ball of the century debate with his magical delivery to right-handed Sri Lankan batter Kusal Mendis on the third day of the ongoing first Test, here on Monday.

Veteran leg-spinner Yasir, who made his return to international cricket after a gap of almost one year, took the internet by storm with his magical delivery to right-handed batter Mendis.

Mendis, who was set on the crease, having scored 76 runs, fell victim to Yasir in the 56th over as the latter bowled an astounding delivery to put an end to his valiant inning.

The leg-spinner pitched the ball outside the leg-stump which spun sharply and castled the right-handed batter’s off-stump.

Following his magical delivery, a new debate about the ball of the century has erupted, with both Pakistan Cricket and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) sharing footage of Yasir castling Mendis with a beauty.

“Just 22 years in, but do you think this will be the ball of the century?” Pakistan Cricket wrote while sharing Yasir’s magical delivery.

Just 22 years in, but do you think this will be the ball of the century❓ 🤔#SLvPAK pic.twitter.com/6hlg0M88pl

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) July 18, 2022

 

The Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), on the other hand, asked the netizens whether the delivery could be in contention for the ball of the century, while also claiming it reminded the viewers of Shane Warne’s ‘Ball of the Century’.

“Ball of the Century candidate? Yasir Shah stunned Kusal Mendis with a stunning delivery which reminded the viewers of Shane Warne’s ‘Ball of the Century’,” SLC wrote on Twitter.

Ball of the Century candidate❓

Yasir Shah stunned Kusal Mendis with a stunning delivery which reminded the viewers of Shane Warne’s ‘Ball of the Century’.#SLvPAK pic.twitter.com/uMPcua7M5E

— Sri Lanka Cricket 🇱🇰 (@OfficialSLC) July 18, 2022

 

Besides the two cricket boards, several cricket fans have also taken to Twitter and praised the magical delivery, while some were quick to term it the ‘Ball of the Century’.

Ball of Century #YasirShah https://t.co/LH6aJME7VO

— Waseem Dahar (@waseem_dahar94) July 18, 2022

https://twitter.com/thtpakistaniguy/status/1549050878174212096

A user, on the other hand, termed Yasir’s magical delivery ‘Ball of the Year’, while claiming that the 36-year-old is still the best leg-spinner in red-ball cricket.

https://twitter.com/ArslanTahir/status/1549098791751630851

It is pertinent to mention here that Sri Lanka have attained command of the ongoing first Test as the hosts finished at 329/9 on the third day with a combined lead of 333 runs against the Green Shirts.

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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.

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KARACHI: Following the ongoing political unrest in Sri Lanka, the second Test of the two-match series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, has been shifted to Galle, reports suggested.

The second Test of the series, which was originally slated to be played in Colombo, has now been moved to Galle as conditions in the capital city deteriorated as a result of nationwide anti-government protests on account of the island’s economic crisis.

Details indicate that Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) granted Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC’s) request to stay in Galle and hold the second Test match there as well. The second Test is set to kick off on July 24.

It is pertinent to mention here that Sri Lanka played a two-match Test series against Australia prior to the ongoing series against Pakistan, which was also played at Galle.

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