As led by Babar Azam, Pakistan won the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle by chasing a record score.
On Wednesday, Pakistan stunned Sri Lanka in the opening Test with a dramatic victory thanks in large part to extraordinary innings by Abdullah Shafique, who scored 160 runs to help his team set a new record in its pursuit of 342. Pakistan took a commanding 1-0 lead in the two-match series after the opener concluded his long performance with the winning runs in the final session on day five. Prabath Jayasuriya, a left-arm spinner, grabbed nine wickets in the match, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the tourists from setting a new record for the highest successful chase in Galle, which they set against New Zealand in 2019.
At the end of the game, Babar Azam and company celebrated their victory. They got together by a seaside shore and shared cake.
A video of Pakistan’s jubilation following a victory over Sri Lanka
Shafique, only 22 years old, performed magnificently by scoring his second Test century. He put together important partnerships, such as a 101-run third-wicket stand with captain Babar Azam, who scored 55 runs after scoring 119 in the first innings on a difficult track for batting.
“We know how to play spin, so we believed,” Azam said after the nail-biting victory. “I was simply trying to get a partnership going with Abdullah Shafique while we were at the crease. He’s proved himself to be an upstanding citizen.”
The match’s MVP, Shafique, had this to say afterward “It was challenging, but I got used to it over time. The greatness of Babar is universally acknowledged. He has taught us a lot. I had a good time sharing the middle with him in a game of baseball.”
After a brief rain delay interrupted their push, the unbeaten Shafique teamed with Mohammad Nawaz, 19 not out, to take the visitors home. Before starting the third and final session, the teams took a break for tea.
Shafique was able to reach a new Test best of 136 not out despite being fortunate enough to be the beneficiary of three dropped catches (on 70, 135, and 151).
There was some concern for Pakistan after Jayasuriya got debutant, Salman Ali Agha, out for 12 right before lunch on day four. Azam had been sent back earlier in the day.
Hasan Ali, who had been moved up to bat and asked to knock off the last runs, was out for five in the second over of the second session.
Jayasuriya, bowling on his own, kept up the pressure, but Shafique held firm. Last week, in the same stadium, Jayasuriya grabbed 12 wickets on debut in a series-leveling Test triumph against Australia, six in each innings.
After the break, Pakistan were 222-3, and Sri Lanka quickly used up both of their reviews, with Jayasuriya involved in both.
Mohammad Rizwan started off the day with a boundary off Ramesh Mendis and continued his aggressive purpose with singles and twos before he was lbw to Jayasuriya for 40 runs.
“Unfortunately for Prabath, we were unable to provide him with end-to-end support while in possession of the ball. We had to give him more help,” skipper Dimuth Karunaratne said of his top spinner, who toiled for 95.2 overs in the two innings combined. Rizwan, a wicketkeeper-batsman who had a successful time with the English county Sussex and was brought in for the two-game series, was out after being given a review.
When he was left without a partner at the end of Sri Lanka’s second innings total of 337, Dinesh Chandimal continued his blistering form with an unbeaten 94.
After Pakistan’s first innings collapsed to 85-7 on day two, Azam batted patiently with the lower order to help bring his team back into the game.
The second Test, originally scheduled to take place in Colombo but moved to Galle because of the political instability there, begins on Sunday.
