GALLE, Sri Lanka — Abdullah Shafique hit an
epic 160 to anchor
Pakistan’s record chase of 342 at Galle as the tourists won
a thrilling opening Test against Sri Lanka on Wednesday.
اضافة اعلان
The opener capped his marathon display with the
winning runs in the final session on day five, jumping for joy and pumping his
fist as Pakistan triumphed by four wickets for a 1–0 lead in the two-match
series.
Left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya took a match
haul of nine wickets but his efforts were in vain as the visitors battled past
the previous best chase in Galle of 268 by
Sri Lanka against New Zealand in
2019.
The 22-year-old Shafique excelled with his second
Test ton. He built crucial partnerships including a 101-run third-wicket stand
with skipper Babar Azam, who made 55 after his 119 in the first innings on a
tricky pitch to bat on.
“We know how to play spin so we believed,” Azam said
after the tense win. “When I was batting with Abdullah Shafique we were just
trying to build a partnership. He has shown his class.”
Shafique, who was named man of the match, said: “It
was difficult but with time it was easier. Babar is one of the best in the
world. We have learnt so much from him. I enjoyed batting with him in the
middle.”
The unbeaten Shafique finally combined with Mohammad
Nawaz, 19 not out, to take the visitors home after a brief rain interruption
halted their charge. The teams had taken early tea before returning for the
third session of play.
Shafique survived three dropped catches, on 70, 135,
and 151, but deserved his luck and played the anchor’s role to perfection as he
surpassed his previous Test best of 136 not out.
Pakistan had a few anxious moments after Jayasuriya,
who sent back talisman Azam before the close on day four, struck at the stroke
of lunch to get debutant Salman Ali Agha out for 12.
Hasan Ali fell for five in the second over of the
second session after being promoted up the order to hit out the remaining runs.
Lone man Jayasuriya
Jayasuriya, who took 12
wickets on debut in a series-leveling Test win over Australia last week at the
same venue, six in each innings, kept up the pressure but Shafique stood firm.
Pakistan resumed the day on 222–3 and Sri Lanka soon
used up their remaining two umpire reviews, with Jayasuriya involved in both
calls.
Mohammad Rizwan opened his day’s account with a
boundary off Ramesh Mendis and kept up his positive intent by taking singles
and twos, before he fell lbw to Jayasuriya for 40.
“With the ball we could not support Prabath from the
other end. We had to give him more support,” skipper Dimuth Karunaratne said of
his lead spinner, who toiled for 95.2 overs in the two innings combined.
A review did not save Rizwan, a wicketkeeper-batsman
who has come into the two-match series after a successful stint with English
county Sussex.
Dinesh Chandimal
kept up his blazing form in an unbeaten 94 — his second successive half-century
— when he ran out of partners in Sri Lanka’s second-innings total of 337.
In a match of tail-end fightbacks, Azam hit a
defiant century in Pakistan’s first innings and batted patiently with the lower
order after the visitors slipped to 85–7 on day two.
The second Test starts Sunday, also in Galle, after it was
moved from Colombo due to the political unrest in Sri Lanka.
Read more Sports
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
