Pakistan - Sri Lanka Test series 2022

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Shaheen Shah Afridi led an inspired attack to bowl out Sri Lanka for 222 but the hosts hit back with two wickets before stumps on the opening day of the first Test on Saturday.

The tourists reached 24 for two at the close of play in Galle after losing their openers Imamul Haq and Abdullah Shafique.

Azhar Ali, on three, and skipper Babar Azam, on one, were batting at the close of play with Pakistan still trailing by 198 runs.

Fast bowler Kasun Rajitha trapped Haq leg before wicket for two and Prabath Jayasuriya took down Shafique for 13 with his left-arm spin on a day dominated by the bowlers.

Left-arm fast bowler Afridi stood out with figures of 4-58 but Dinesh Chandimal’s attacking 76 and a late cameo of 36 by Maheesh Theekshana gave the hosts a fighting total on a pitch expected to aid spinners.

“That’s the beauty of Test cricket, sometimes tailenders and sometimes lower-order batsmen look like proper batsmen,” Afridi told reporters.

“We [had] to get them out under 150-160, but the last few batsmen played well. Chandimal played well.”

The hosts were tottering at 133-8 but added 89 runs for the final two wickets, including a 44-run stand by Theekshana and Chandimal, who hit 10 fours and one six.

Afridi wrapped up the innings with the wicket of Theekshana in the final session of play.

“They bowled really well,” said Chandimal. “What we need to do is to get the positives from this innings and take it to the next innings.”

Chandimal, a former captain, said early wickets will decide the course of the match on Sunday’s day two and a lead of about 40 can make the hosts gain more ground.

Yasir Shah’s comeback​

Afridi struck in the third over of the day to send back skipper Dimuth Karunaratne for one, and leg-spinner Yasir Shah soon combined with the quick bowlers to have Sri Lanka in trouble after they elected to bat.

Oshada Fernando and Kusal Mendis attempted to rebuild the innings in a 49-run partnership but Yasir, who is making a comeback to the team after a thumb injury that kept him out since August last year, broke through.

Yasir got Mendis caught behind for 21 and Fernando soon followed his partner back to the pavilion in the next over when pace bowler Hasan Ali cut short the opener’s stay on 35.

Angelo Mathews then fell for a 15-ball duck as Yasir got the former captain caught at mid-on.

“He’s a very good bowler,” said Chandimal. “We had a plan for him. We are not going to give him too much respect either.”

Afridi struck twice after lunch and fellow quick Naseem Shah and left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz took a wicket each.

Chandimal smashed 19-year-old Naseem for three straight boundaries to bring up his fifty and offer some cheer to the weekend crowd.

Chandimal, who made an unbeaten 206 in Sri Lanka’s series-levelling Test win over Australia earlier this week, finally fell to a good catch by Yasir at the cover with Ali taking his second wicket.

But Theekshana played a defiant knock in just his second Test and put on 45 runs for the last wicket with Rajitha, unbeaten on 12.

 

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STUMPS
1st Test, Galle, July 16 - 20, 2022,

SL
222 & 337

PAK
(85 overs, T:342) 218 & 222/3

Day 4 - Pakistan need 120 runs.

Current RR: 2.61
• Last 10 overs (RR): 23/1 (2.30)

BATTERS	R	B	4s	6s	SR
Mohammad Rizwan* (rhb)	7	12	0	0	58.33
Abdullah Shafique (rhb)	112	289	5	1	38.75

 

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RESULT
1st Test, Galle, July 16 - 20, 2022,

Sri Lanka
222 & 337

Pakistan
(T:342) 218 & 344/6

Pakistan won by 4 wickets

 

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Shafique's epic 160* leads Pakistan to fourth-innings glory​

Prabath Jayasuriya picked up four wickets but found little support from Sri Lanka's other bowlers

Andrew Fidel Fernando

Pakistan 218 (Babar 119, Jayasuriya 5-82) and 344 for 6 (Shafique 160*, Babar 55, Jayasuriya 4-135) beat Sri Lanka 222 (Chandimal 76, Shaheen 4-58) and 337 (Chandimal 94*, Kusal Mendis 76, Oshada 64, Nawaz 3-88) by four wickets

A tense final morning, in which Pakistan had 120 to get with seven wickets in hand, began with the closest call. Mohammad Rizwan, coming forward to a Prabath Jayasuriya delivery, saw the ball slip between bat and pad before passing within a couple of centimetres of the off bail.

There were plenty of other moments to fray Pakistani nerves. In the third over, Abdullah Shafique was hit on the back leg by Jayasuriya, raising a voracious lbw appeal. Sri Lanka reviewed the not-out decision, but the ball was shown to be climbing over the stumps. Several overs later, once Pakistan had whittled the requirement down to double figures, another Jayasuriya ball that passed Rizwan's outside edge prompted another big appeal, and another burned review.

When he was on 128, Shafique thought a ball that erupted from a length and beat the keeper had gone towards the boundary, and began to take off for a run, before hastily turning back. Had Dhananjaya de Silva, who had caught that ball at slip, connected with his shy at the stumps, Shafique would have been out.

And then there was the rain. A large black cloud parked itself over the stadium when Pakistan had about 25 to get. Not willing to let his almost 400-ball innings end in a rain-affected draw, Shafique came down the pitch and tried to launch Dhananjaya de Silva over deep midwicket, and only ended up skying it to Kasun Rajitha, who came in a few metres off the boundary and dropped it.

But through all this, though three wickets fell, and though Pakistan had to scrap for the last 40 runs, Shafique's continued presence meant that they always had the chase in hand. He largely batted on day five much like he had the previous day - watchfully, strategically, and with a staunch refusal to give away his wicket.

In the early parts of the day, he had let Rizwan spur Pakistan forward with his sweeps, and a couple of breezy cover drives. During their partnership of 71, which put Pakistan within 65 runs of victory, Shafique made only 23 runs, and struck just the solitary boundary. Rizwan made 40, and was eventually out lbw to a Jayasuriya slider.

With the lower-middle-order batters, Shafique was no different, sticking with the strategy of waiting out the good balls, and creating single options, occasionally by coming down the track, or by going deep into his crease.

When debutant Agha Salman and Hasan Ali - who had been promoted to hit some big shots - were out in quick succession with 41 still to get, Shafique was still resolute. Only in that final stand with Mohammad Nawaz (of the ones he was involved in, on day five), did Shafique outscore his partner, passing 150 for the first time in his career, with 25 still to get.

The final obstacle in Pakistan's way was the rain. With 11 required, the dark cloud that had forced a hurried shot out of Shafique unleashed a torrent. But the heavy rain lasted only minutes, and it soon became clear that play would resume, which it did following a delay of about 90 minutes. Shafique fittingly hit the winning runs, a slap through the covers to take him to 160 not out off 406.

Of Sri Lanka's attack, Jayasuriya seemed for large parts of the day to be the only bowler capable of taking wickets, with Ramesh Mendis unable to exert consistent pressure, while Maheesh Theekshana was milked for runs as well. Dhananjaya de Silva assisted Jayasuriya the best with some quiet overs.

If last week's innings win against Australia had made Sri Lanka confident in their spin attack, this chastening defeat has been a reality check. This remains an inexperienced group. Jayasuriya was the best of them again, taking 4 for 135 from 56.2 overs. Ramesh Mendis and Dhananjaya claimed a wicket apiece.

Shafique's epic 160* leads Pakistan to fourth-innings glory

Prabath Jayasuriya picked up four wickets but found little support from Sri Lanka's other bowlers

www.espncricinfo.com

 

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STUMPS
2nd Test, Galle, July 24 - 28, 2022,

Sri Lanka
378

Pakistan

(69.4 overs) 191/7

Day 2 - Pakistan trail by 187 runs.

Current RR: 2.74
• Last 10 overs (RR):... 20/1 (2.00)

 

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Bad light stops play with Pakistan chasing 508 in second Test against Sri Lanka​

AFP
July 27, 2022

Pakistan’s Babar Azam plays a shot during the fourth day of play of the second cricket Test match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan at the Galle International Cricket Stadium in Galle on Wednesday. — AFP
Bad light stopped play in the second Test in Galle with Pakistan on 89-1 in their mammoth chase of 508 against Sri Lanka on Wednesday.

Left-handed opener Imamul Haq, on 46, and skipper Babar Azam, on 26, were at the crease with more than 90 minutes and 26 overs of play left in the final session on day four.

Spinner Prabath Jayasuriya sent back first-match hero Abdullah Shafique for 16 with debutant Dunith Wellalage taking a good running catch at mid-off.
Dhananjaya de Silva hit 109 before Sri Lanka declared their second innings on 360-8 in the second session.

Tourists Pakistan, who won the first match of the two-Test series, face an almost impossible task if they are to make it 2-0.

They need to bat out over three sessions for a draw.

The West Indies hold the record for the highest-ever successful Test chase, 418 against Australia in 2003 at Antigua.

Sri Lanka had declared their second innings on 360-8 in the second session after resuming on 176-5.

De Silva made 109 before being run out at the non-striker’s end and skipper Dimuth Karunaratne called his batsmen back to the pavilion.

De Silva put on a key stand of 126 with overnight partner Karunaratne, a left-handed batsman who battled back pain during his knock of 61.

Beginning the day on 27, De Silva reached his ninth Test hundred with a cracking boundary off Mohammad Nawaz and raised his bat to the applauding dressing room.

Karunaratne fell in the first session after he escaped two close calls, which were unsuccessfully reviewed by Pakistan, off Nauman Ali’s left-arm spin.
Nauman finally got Karunaratne, caught at short leg, where Shafique took a sharp reflex catch.

Karunaratne, who had back spasms and did not field in the Pakistan innings, got help from the physio during his two hours and 45 minutes at the crease as he went past 6,000 Test runs.