Sri Lanka welcomed Pakistan to play a two-match test series. The series started at the Galle International Stadium on July 16. However, Pakistan won the first test after playing for five days. Pakistan’s batter Abdullah Shafique scored a magnificent hundred in the second innings to win the match.
1st Innings of Sri Lanka
Dimuth Karunaratne, the skipper of Sri Lanka, won the toss and decided to bat first. But Oshada Fernando and Dimuth Karunaratne, the two openers of Sri Lanka, couldn’t make a good start. The Lankan skipper departed the pitch after scoring just one run. After that, Oshada Fernando made a 49 runs partnership with Kusal Mendis.
However, Oshada Fernando departed the pitch in 35 runs, while Kusal Mendis lost his wicket after scoring 21. But the remaining batters couldn’t score enough except Dinesh Chandimal. Before losing the wicket, Chandimal added 76 runs for the team. Depending on his bat, Sri Lanka scored 222 runs in the 1st innings.
1st Innings of Pakistan
Pakistan had a poor start in their first innings. They lost many wickets due to the aggression of the Lankan bowlers. Furthermore, Pakistan lost three wickets in 24 runs only. But Pakistan’s skipper tried to take responsibility. He scored a much-needed century to rescue the team. Before his departure, Babar Azam scored 119 runs for Pakistan.
Unfortunately, the remaining batters failed to score enough. Due to the attacking bowling of Prabath Jayasuriya, Pakistan became all out in 218 runs. Prabath Jayasuriya took five wickets alone.
2nd Innings of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka tried to set a big target for Pakistan. But Lankan captain Dimut Karunaratne failed again to make a big score in the opening partnership. However, Oshada Fernando kept scoring like in the first innings. This time, he picked up the half-century. Moreover, Kusal Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal also picked up half-centuries as well.
However, Kusal Mendis left the pitch after scoring 76, while Dinesh Chandimal remained not out in 94 runs. Anyway, Sri Lanka scored 337 runs in the second innings depending on their bats. As a result, Pakistan needed 341 runs to win the match.
2nd Innings of Pakistan
To chase 341 runs, Pakistan had a flying start in the second innings. They added 87 runs in the opening partnership. Although Imamul Haque departed the pitch after scoring 35 runs, Abdullah Shafique never stopped picking runs. He got a century in this innings.
Opener Abdullah Shafique remained not out in 160 runs. With the skipper Babar Azam, he chased the target to win the match. Babar Azam scored 50 runs before losing the wicket, while Mohammad Rizwan added 40 runs to win the match. As a result, Pakistan chased the target, losing six wickets.
