Pakistan creates record at Galle
The Pakistan Cricket Team chased down the highest ever fourth innings total at Galle during the first Test match against hosts Sri Lanka that concluded before the tea break on 20th July 2022.
Sri Lankan captain Dimuth Karauante won the toss and decided
to bat first. It was not an ideal start for the hosts as the captain fell cheaply
to Shaheen Shah Afridi. Oshada Fernando and Kusal Mendis steadied the ship for the
Lankan team before Yasir Shah got rid of Mendis with a lovely catch by Rizwan.
Fernando and Mendis added 49 runs for the 2nd wicket.
Pakistani bowlers kept tight lines and lengths reducing Lanka
to 80 for 4 at lunch. After the lunch break, the visitors made life tough for
the hosts with strikes at regular intervals. Dinesh Chandimal produced magic
hitting boundaries with ease and completing fifty off 83 balls. He then launched
an attack on the Pakistani bowlers. Thanks to a superb diving catch by Yasir Shah,
Chandimal was dismissed for a superb 76. Chandimal and Theekshana added 44 runs
for the 9th wicket. Theekshana looked with ease along with Rajitha
keeping the pressure on Pakistan bowlers. Shaheen Shah Afridi eventually
dismissed Theekshana ending 45 runs partnership for the final wicket to bowl out
Sri Lanka for 222.
In reply, Pakistan got off to a shaky start losing 2 early
wickets of Abdullah Shafique and Imam UL Haq.
The second day started badly for Pakistan as they lost wickets
regularly with the Lankan spinners spinning a web to reduce visitors to 85 for
7. Babar Azam looked in decent touch putting pressure on the hosts bowlers as
Yasir Shah and Hasan Ali gave good support to the captain. Hasan and Babar
added 36 runs for the 9th wicket. Babar Azam looked class apart while
Naseem Shah played with a cautious approach.
Babar Azam completed his century off 216 balls and was the
last batsman to be dismissed for 119. Babar and Naseem Shah added 70 runs for
the final wicket. Naseem Shah faced 52 deliveries and gave great support to
Babar Azam that reducing the lead to just 4 runs.
Dimuth Karauante and Fernando looked in decent touch putting
pressure on the Pakistani bowlers. Nawaz got the breakthrough by dismissing the Lankan
captain. The Sri Lankan openers added 33 runs laying a strong foundation for a
huge total. Sri Lanka ended the 2nd day at 36 for 1.
Fernando and Mendis showed intent right from the word go
against Pakistan bowlers changing the momentum of the game after the wicket of nightwatchman
Kasun Rajitha. Mohammad Nawaz troubled the Lankan batsmen with sharp turn and
bounce. Fernando and Mendis added 91 runs for the 3rd wicket.
A lovely catch by Babar Azam led down to the wicket of Fernando.
Mathews and Chandimal added 32 runs for the 4th wicket. Sri Lanka
scored at a quick pace but also kept losing wickets. Dinesh Chandimal did the job
for Lanka again keeping the pressure on Pakistan bowlers. Ramesh Mendis and Chandimal
added 32 runs for the 8th wicket. Theeskhana played with solid
defense along with Chandimal frustrating Pakistan bowlers. Chandimal and Theekshana
added 51 runs for the 9th wicket. Sri Lanka ended the 3rd
day at 329 for 9.
Chandimal remained unbeaten on 94 as Sri Lanka scored 337
runs in the second innings. Chasing down a record total of 342 runs to win, Imam
and Shafique survived a few anxious moments against Jayasuriya before Pakistan's openers
kept solid.
Dickwella produced an alert stumping to get rid of Imam. Imam
and Shafique added 87 runs for the opening wicket. Soon after, Azhar Ali fell
cheaply leaving Pakistan in some trouble. Babar Azam and Shafique kept Lankan
bowlers struggling to keep the scoreboard ticking. Jayasuriya produced the
magic by bowling Babar Azam around the legs. Babar and Shafique added 101 runs
for the 3rd wicket. Pakistan ended the 4th day at 222 for
3.
Mohammad Rizwan and Shafique played according to the merit
of ball keeping scoreboard ticking. Jayasuriya did the damage once more getting
rid of Rizwan. Rizwan and Shafique added 71 runs for the 4th wicket.
Right before the lunch break, Salman Agha was dismissed cheaply. Hasan Ali was
promoted to number 7 but that experiment failed.
Shafique played with solid defense and kept the scoreboard
ticking along with Mohammad Nawaz. Rajitha dropped a simple chance to dismiss
Shafique. With 11 runs required, the rain arrived. After a short while, Shafique
finished off the match helping Pakistan a record run chase at Galle.
The previous best at Galle was 268 by Lanka against New
Zealand in 2019. Shafique and Nawaz added unbeaten 41 runs for the 7th
wicket.
Pakistan 218 in 90.5 overs ( Babar Azam 119, Jayasuriya
5/82, Ramesh Mendis 2/18) and 344 for 6 in 127.2 overs ( Abdullah Shafique
160*, Babar Azam 55, Jayasuriya 4/135) beat Sri Lanka 222 in 66.1 overs ( Dinesh
Chandimal 76, Theekshana 38, Shaheen Shah Afridi 4/58) and 337 in 100 overs ( Chandimal
94*, Mendis 76, Nawaz 5/88, Yasir Shah 3/122) by 4 wickets.
For his marathon 160 off 408 balls, Shafique was named the
man of the match. Pakistan takes a 1-0 lead in the series. The second Test
match will be played on 24th July at the same ground. With this win, Pakistan moved to 3rd in the latest ICC Test Championship points table.
Abdullah Shafique 160* led Pakistan to a famous win against Lanka in the first Test
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