Abrar Ahmed and Naseem Shah took seven wickets each during their match as Sri Lanka were bowled out to 166 before Tea on the first morning of the second test in the SSC Colombo. Only Dhananjaya de Silva could surpass 50 when Sri Lanka was beaten to their worst first-innings score at this location.
Babar Azam and Naseem Shah celebrate the fall of Angelo Mathews•Jul 24, 2023•AFP/Getty Images
The iconic picture of Sri Lanka’s defeat was seen far away from the action and from the balcony that viewed the dressing room, where Chris Silverwood, the Sri Lankan head coach, was buried between his palms.
This was in response to an incredibly long period during the second session that saw the hosts lose 6 wickets, resulting in an 87-run total just as it appeared they had overcome the wobbles from the initial session.
De Silva and Dinesh Chandimal started the proceedings at the start of the second half, with the former establishing his authority through a lofted Abrar Ahmed on top to score four. The two players who had joined together in the fall of the 4th wicket, with only 36 runs, soon surpassed 50 runs in their partnership and appeared to be heading for more until they stopped at a crossroads.
In a less-than-sharp beginning to the second session, Babar Azam saw Naseem Shah play from the stumps and had catchers placed on one leg to make the mistaken pull.
Chandimal was caught in the trap, and his efforts to bounce off the ball for the pull shot resulted in his demise when a top edge fell into the hands of the on-the-run Imam-ul-Haq at the midwicket’s deep fence. Chandimal was slain for 34 in the middle of an 85-run run stand at the 5th wicket.
The downward spiral of the hosts when Sadeera Samarawickrama was slain in a four-ball snub after slamming into an Abrar delivery before launching it through the inner portion of his bat, his left leg forward, and Abdullah Shafique took a sharp take. This was the third time in the series when Sri Lanka’s batsman was disqualified in this manner.
In the opposite direction, Dhananjaya completed a brisk half-century. He also aimed to launch an additional counter-attack on Pakistan’s spinner.
A slog-swept easily over the mid-wicket to make the six, but a failed second attempt two balls later fell on the shoulders of the fielder. This led to the reaction mentioned above by Sri Lanka’s head coach. Sri Lanka head coach.
It was very little Sri Lankan resistance to come afterwards, and when Ramesh Mendis scored 27 points, the duo of Asitha Fernando were sacked by Abrar, who scored numbers 4 for and 69. Naseem Shah was 3 for 41.
Karunaratne picked the Pakistani bowlers during the first session, which witnessed Sri Lanka reduced to 79/4 following the winning of the toss. Karunaratne showed Sri Lanka’s kindness by calling his teammate, Nishan Madushka, for an unplayable single and then had his partner run out.
Kusal Mendis chased a wide delivery by Shaheen Afridi. He lobbed the ball to cover points before Naseem struck twice and had Angelo Mathews caught behind, and Karunaratne smashed one to his stumps.
Brief scores: Sri Lanka 166 (Dhananjaya de Silva 57; Abrar Ahmed 4-69, Naseem Shah 3-41) vs Pakistan
