Kashif Abdul Razzaq
Dhananjaya de Silva’s outstanding innings of 122 runs concluded -Agha Salman and Saud Shakeel showcased half-centuries in a challenging situation Pakistan encountered difficulties right from the start of their innings Dhananjaya de Silva played a remarkable innings of 122 runs before getting dismissed Agha Salman and Saud Shakeel scored valuable half-centuries under difficult circumstances Pakistan faced hurdles from the beginning of their innings.Dhananjaya de Silva played an impressive innings of 122 runs and was dismissed Following the complete failure of the top-order batsmen, young players Saud Shakeel and Agha Salman rescued the team by achieving their half-centuries on the second day of the Galle Test. However, Pakistan experienced a deficit of 91 runs in response to Sri Lanka’s first innings score of 312 runs.
On the second day of the series’ first Test in Galle, the entire Sri Lankan team was bowled out after scoring 312 runs against Pakistan in their first innings. Pakistan faced challenges right from the beginning of their innings as opener Imam-ul-Haq departed after scoring just 1 run, followed by Abdullah Shafique losing his wicket at 19 runs. Middle-order batsman Shaan Masood contributed 39 runs, while captain Babar Azam scored 13 runs and wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed added 17 runs before getting out. Former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed also achieved the milestone of 3,000 runs during his innings of 17 runs, becoming the first Pakistani wicketkeeper to accomplish this feat.
Prior to this, young opener Abdullah Shafique completed his thousand runs in Test cricket, reaching the milestone on the second day of the Galle Test. Until the tea break, Pakistan had scored 132 runs for the loss of 5 wickets, with Saud Shakeel scoring 22 runs and Agha Salman contributing 19 runs. Rain interrupted the game after tea, but Pakistan’s batsmen displayed responsible performance, avoiding further dismissals. Saud Shakeel and Agha Salman also completed their half-centuries during this period.
When play concluded on the second day of the Galle Test, rain once again caused an interruption. However, Pakistan had reached a score of 221 runs for the loss of 5 wickets, while Sri Lanka faced a deficit of 91 runs compared to their first innings score of 312 runs. Saud Shakeel is currently unbeaten on 69 runs, and Agha Salman remains unbeaten on 61 runs.
Prabath Jayasuriya from Sri Lanka claimed the valuable wickets of three Pakistani batsmen – Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, and Sarfaraz Ahmed. Before the rain, the host team resumed their first innings after losing 6 wickets and scored 242 runs. Romesh Mendis got out after scoring 5 runs, falling victim to Abid Ali, followed by Prabath Jayasuriya’s dismissal at 4 runs by Naseem Shah. Subsequently, Dhananjaya de Silva played an exceptional innings of 122 runs before also getting bowled out by Naseem Shah. The last Sri Lankan batsman, Kasun Rajitha, scored 8 runs before getting out, while Vishwa Fernando remained not out on 21 runs.
From Pakistan’s side, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Abid Ali each took 3 wickets, while Agha Salman claimed one wicket.
At the end of the previous day’s play, Sri Lanka made a remarkable comeback against Pakistan, scoring 242 runs for the loss of 6 wickets, thanks to the responsible batting of Angelo Mathews and Dhananjaya de Silva.
In the first Test match of the series held in Galle, Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat first.
Prior to this, Pakistan played a two-day warm-up match against Sri Lanka Cricket President’s XI, which ended in a draw.
The second and final Test of the series between the two teams will take place in Colombo from 24th to 28th July.
It’s important to note that this series is part of the ICC World Test Championship.
Pakistan’s final eleven for the Galle Test include captain Babar Azam, Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Naseem Shah, Nauman Ali, Abid Ali, and Shaheen Shah Afridi.