Corridor of Uncertainty
First Class Captain
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2009
- Runs
- 5,134
- Post of the Week
- 4
Eyes off the ball. Rare for Babar this.
-
Contact the PP Team
Pakistan finish day 4 requiring 120 runs to win, with 7 wickets in hand, Shafique unbeaten on 112
- Thread starter Firebat
- Start date
Eyes off the ball. Rare for Babar this.
Titan24
Senior Test Player
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2016
- Runs
- 25,094
- Post of the Week
- 6
Shows he is human after all
Ofcourse the whole team selection was wrong and even stupid playing three seamers droping a batsman for agha absolute senslesss.no doubt they have fought second innings but i think 126 tp get is too much
This exactly.
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2004
- Runs
- 217,938
Pakistan demonstrated their comeback qualities as well as the ability to play quality spin bowling as they slowly but methodically edged towards achieving their second highest-run chase in Test cricket.
Chasing 342 runs for victory in the first Test on a spinners’ friendly Galle surface, Pakistan were 222 for three at the close of play on the fourth day and needed another 120 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the two-Test series.
22-year-old Abdullah Shafique, playing just his sixth Test match, was leading Pakistan’s charge when he was unconquered on 112. With him was vice-captain Mohammad Rizwan on seven, who had walked into bat six overs before stumps after captain Babar Azam missed the line of the ball and was bowled round his legs after scoring 55.
Babar, who had scored 119 runs in the first innings and became the 19th Pakistan batter to complete 3,000 Test runs when he reached 30, put on 101 runs for the third wicket with Abdullah. Babar’s 104-ball innings was studded with four fours and a six.
Left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya, who had claimed 17 wickets in the three innings before Pakistan’s run-chase, picked up the wickets of Azhar Ali (six) and Babar Azam, but was made to toil on a surface of his liking when he ended the day with figures of 35-6-89-2.
Opener Imam-ul-Haq was unlucky and unfortunate to be stumped off Ramesh Mendis when his foot was fractionally in the air. The left-hander was looking solid and comfortable in his 73-ball 35 as he added 87 runs for the first wicket with Abdullah.
The star of the fourth day’s play was young Abdullah who was a model of concentration and application, and in the process displayed excellent technique and good shot selection against Sri Lanka’s slow bowlers on a deteriorating surface.
Abdullah, a former Pakistan under-19 batter, had faced 289 balls for his 112 not out and struck five fours and a six. The Sialkot-born opener had reached his half-century from 94 balls with four fours, while his second 50 runs came off 114 balls and included a four and a straight six off Jayasuriya.
Since making his debut against Bangladesh in Chattogram, the opener has scores of 52, 73, 25, 44, 136 not out, 13, 96, 81, 27, 13 and 112 not out which not only reflects his consistency but also ability to adjust and adapt to different batting conditions against three different oppositions in Bangladesh, Australia and Sri Lanka.
Interestingly, when Pakistan achieved their highest run-chase of 377 against Sri Lanka in Pallekele 2015, veteran Younis Khan had scored an unbeaten 171, while a young Shan Masood, playing his ninth Test, had scored 125.
Abdullah has a chance to emulate Shan and further enhance his reputation as a world-class batter if he can continue to lead Pakistan from the front and earn Pakistan a come-from-behind victory on a surface that is fully testing the skills, temperament and technique of the batters.
Abdullah will require complete support from the middle and lower middle-order that may not have the same experience as Misbah-ul-Haq’s side from the 2015 Test. But where there is will, there is a way and Abdullah has demonstrated that victory is possible only if each and every delivery is played on its merit and no opportunity is wasted in keeping the scoreboard moving.
Earlier, Sri Lanka resumed their second innings at 329 for nine and were dismissed for 337. Dinesh Chandimal added eight runs to his overnight score of 86 and returned unbeaten on 94. Jayasuriya was the last man out when he fell to Naseem Shah.
Scores in brief:
Sri Lanka 222, 66.1 overs (Dinesh Chandimal 76, Maheesh Theekshana 38; Shaheen Shah Afridi 4-58, Hasan Ali 2-23) and 337, 100 overs (Dinesh Chandimal 94 not out, Kusal Mendis 76, Oshada Fernando 64; Mohammad Nawaz 5-88, Yasir Shah 3-122)
Pakistan 218, 90.5 overs (Babar Azam 119; Prabath Jayasuriya 5-82, Ramesh Mendis 2-18) and 222-3, 85 overs (Abdullah Shafique 112 not out, Babar Azam 55, Imam-ul-Haq 35; Prabath Jayasuriya 2-89)
Chasing 342 runs for victory in the first Test on a spinners’ friendly Galle surface, Pakistan were 222 for three at the close of play on the fourth day and needed another 120 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the two-Test series.
22-year-old Abdullah Shafique, playing just his sixth Test match, was leading Pakistan’s charge when he was unconquered on 112. With him was vice-captain Mohammad Rizwan on seven, who had walked into bat six overs before stumps after captain Babar Azam missed the line of the ball and was bowled round his legs after scoring 55.
Babar, who had scored 119 runs in the first innings and became the 19th Pakistan batter to complete 3,000 Test runs when he reached 30, put on 101 runs for the third wicket with Abdullah. Babar’s 104-ball innings was studded with four fours and a six.
Left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya, who had claimed 17 wickets in the three innings before Pakistan’s run-chase, picked up the wickets of Azhar Ali (six) and Babar Azam, but was made to toil on a surface of his liking when he ended the day with figures of 35-6-89-2.
Opener Imam-ul-Haq was unlucky and unfortunate to be stumped off Ramesh Mendis when his foot was fractionally in the air. The left-hander was looking solid and comfortable in his 73-ball 35 as he added 87 runs for the first wicket with Abdullah.
The star of the fourth day’s play was young Abdullah who was a model of concentration and application, and in the process displayed excellent technique and good shot selection against Sri Lanka’s slow bowlers on a deteriorating surface.
Abdullah, a former Pakistan under-19 batter, had faced 289 balls for his 112 not out and struck five fours and a six. The Sialkot-born opener had reached his half-century from 94 balls with four fours, while his second 50 runs came off 114 balls and included a four and a straight six off Jayasuriya.
Since making his debut against Bangladesh in Chattogram, the opener has scores of 52, 73, 25, 44, 136 not out, 13, 96, 81, 27, 13 and 112 not out which not only reflects his consistency but also ability to adjust and adapt to different batting conditions against three different oppositions in Bangladesh, Australia and Sri Lanka.
Interestingly, when Pakistan achieved their highest run-chase of 377 against Sri Lanka in Pallekele 2015, veteran Younis Khan had scored an unbeaten 171, while a young Shan Masood, playing his ninth Test, had scored 125.
Abdullah has a chance to emulate Shan and further enhance his reputation as a world-class batter if he can continue to lead Pakistan from the front and earn Pakistan a come-from-behind victory on a surface that is fully testing the skills, temperament and technique of the batters.
Abdullah will require complete support from the middle and lower middle-order that may not have the same experience as Misbah-ul-Haq’s side from the 2015 Test. But where there is will, there is a way and Abdullah has demonstrated that victory is possible only if each and every delivery is played on its merit and no opportunity is wasted in keeping the scoreboard moving.
Earlier, Sri Lanka resumed their second innings at 329 for nine and were dismissed for 337. Dinesh Chandimal added eight runs to his overnight score of 86 and returned unbeaten on 94. Jayasuriya was the last man out when he fell to Naseem Shah.
Scores in brief:
Sri Lanka 222, 66.1 overs (Dinesh Chandimal 76, Maheesh Theekshana 38; Shaheen Shah Afridi 4-58, Hasan Ali 2-23) and 337, 100 overs (Dinesh Chandimal 94 not out, Kusal Mendis 76, Oshada Fernando 64; Mohammad Nawaz 5-88, Yasir Shah 3-122)
Pakistan 218, 90.5 overs (Babar Azam 119; Prabath Jayasuriya 5-82, Ramesh Mendis 2-18) and 222-3, 85 overs (Abdullah Shafique 112 not out, Babar Azam 55, Imam-ul-Haq 35; Prabath Jayasuriya 2-89)
To be honest, I expected Pakistan to be all out by this score and yet, they have a good chance to win. Incredible century by Abdullah playing in tough foreign conditions and can be a legendary performance if he can stay there until the end.
Definitely feels like one of Rizwan or Abdullah will need to do that considering how fragile and poor rest of the batting unit is.
Definitely feels like one of Rizwan or Abdullah will need to do that considering how fragile and poor rest of the batting unit is.
ethan hunt
First Class Captain
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2011
- Runs
- 5,518
Against this attack i wouldnt mind if there was someone like sarfraz still to come in the middle order.
Wonder how Agha plays spin.
Wonder how Agha plays spin.
Bluntly this match will come down to Rizwan. I certainly want Shafique to stay at the crease for the rest of the match, but he's already batted a full day and he's going to need to have a double century in him if we are to have a chance of chasing this total. Rizwan hasn't been very strong lately, but he's got the talent and ability to score a 50 in these conditions. If these two stay at the crease over the final day, I feel certain for a Pakistan victory. A double century for Shafique and a 50 for Rizwan gets us over the line without further risk. I do not trust Agha Salman or the lower middle order to chase this.
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2004
- Runs
- 217,938
Abdullah Shafique's spirited ton put Pakistan on top but Babar Azam's wicket in the final hour has given Sri Lanka a glimmer of hope on day four of the first Test.
Sri Lanka set Pakistan a challenging total
Although Sri Lanka did well to resist in the final session on day three, they could not continue the same on the fourth day. The hosts were able to add just eight runs to their overnight total, with Naseem Shah rattling the off stump of No.11 Prabath Jayasuriya. Unfortunately, that meant that Dinesh Chandimal was left stranded in the 90s. He was the highest scorer in the second innings, finishing on 94* with five fours and two sixes. Sri Lanka set Pakistan a target of 342, a total no side has successfully chased at Galle.
Shafique, Babar keep Pakistan afloat
Abdullah Shafique survived a close lbw review in the fourth over despite the ball projection hitting the leg-stump when the ball-tracker showed it was an umpire's call. His opening partner Imam-ul-Haq also survived an lbw review in the next over. With luck on their side, the openers soon completed a half-century stand, going to lunch at 68/0. Shafique was solid since the beginning, batting with intent and took the attack to the bowlers. Even after Imam got out early in the second session, Shafique continued in the same vein. A brief stand with Azhar Ali (6) followed but Shafique found the perfect partner in Babar Azam.
Babar got off the mark with crunching on-drive, clubbed Jayasuriya for a maximum two overs later and continued to rotate the strike effectively. By tea, the partnership was approaching fifty with 147/2 on board. The duo rapidly scaled milestones, Babar Azam going past 3000 Test runs and eventually getting his 22nd Test half-century. Shafique too followed, completing his second Test hundred with the second-wicket stand crossing 100. The crucial stand was eventually broken when Jayasuriya bowled Babar on 55.
Match set up for final day
With 120 runs needed to win on the final day with seven wickets in hand, the match hangs in balance. Pakistan would have been happier with Babar at the crease, but his wicket towards the end of the day helped Sri Lanka get back in the game. Nevertheless with Shafique still going strong on 112* and Mohammad Rizwan settled on 7* off 12, Pakistan have a good chance to press home their advantage.
The first hour tomorrow will be crucial as the hosts will hunt for early wickets. Hopes will rest on Prabath Jayasuriya, who has already taken three five-wicket hauls in the first three Test innings of his career. Now on 2/89, the left-armer will be raring to prove himself. With the pitch easing up and no real turn on offer, the bowlers' job is not going to be an easy one. However, if they can get a couple of early wickets and expose Pakistan's inexperienced lower-middle order, we could have a riveting finish on our hands.
https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/2682866
Sri Lanka set Pakistan a challenging total
Although Sri Lanka did well to resist in the final session on day three, they could not continue the same on the fourth day. The hosts were able to add just eight runs to their overnight total, with Naseem Shah rattling the off stump of No.11 Prabath Jayasuriya. Unfortunately, that meant that Dinesh Chandimal was left stranded in the 90s. He was the highest scorer in the second innings, finishing on 94* with five fours and two sixes. Sri Lanka set Pakistan a target of 342, a total no side has successfully chased at Galle.
Shafique, Babar keep Pakistan afloat
Abdullah Shafique survived a close lbw review in the fourth over despite the ball projection hitting the leg-stump when the ball-tracker showed it was an umpire's call. His opening partner Imam-ul-Haq also survived an lbw review in the next over. With luck on their side, the openers soon completed a half-century stand, going to lunch at 68/0. Shafique was solid since the beginning, batting with intent and took the attack to the bowlers. Even after Imam got out early in the second session, Shafique continued in the same vein. A brief stand with Azhar Ali (6) followed but Shafique found the perfect partner in Babar Azam.
Babar got off the mark with crunching on-drive, clubbed Jayasuriya for a maximum two overs later and continued to rotate the strike effectively. By tea, the partnership was approaching fifty with 147/2 on board. The duo rapidly scaled milestones, Babar Azam going past 3000 Test runs and eventually getting his 22nd Test half-century. Shafique too followed, completing his second Test hundred with the second-wicket stand crossing 100. The crucial stand was eventually broken when Jayasuriya bowled Babar on 55.
Match set up for final day
With 120 runs needed to win on the final day with seven wickets in hand, the match hangs in balance. Pakistan would have been happier with Babar at the crease, but his wicket towards the end of the day helped Sri Lanka get back in the game. Nevertheless with Shafique still going strong on 112* and Mohammad Rizwan settled on 7* off 12, Pakistan have a good chance to press home their advantage.
The first hour tomorrow will be crucial as the hosts will hunt for early wickets. Hopes will rest on Prabath Jayasuriya, who has already taken three five-wicket hauls in the first three Test innings of his career. Now on 2/89, the left-armer will be raring to prove himself. With the pitch easing up and no real turn on offer, the bowlers' job is not going to be an easy one. However, if they can get a couple of early wickets and expose Pakistan's inexperienced lower-middle order, we could have a riveting finish on our hands.
https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/2682866
Just read this wild stat that only 3 batters have ever scored a century at Galle in the 4th innings.
I just hope Pakistan don't collapse like they did in 2009 vs Sri Lanka in Galle. Began the day needing only 87 runs with 8 wickets in hand and lost by 50 runs. That team had spin specialists in Younis, Yousuf, Misbah, Malik and still got absolutely wrecked in the 4th innings.
Would be an epic chase if Pakistan are able to pull it off and let's hope they can.
I just hope Pakistan don't collapse like they did in 2009 vs Sri Lanka in Galle. Began the day needing only 87 runs with 8 wickets in hand and lost by 50 runs. That team had spin specialists in Younis, Yousuf, Misbah, Malik and still got absolutely wrecked in the 4th innings.
Would be an epic chase if Pakistan are able to pull it off and let's hope they can.
Still have nightmares about that Test plus a few other 4th inns meltdowns vs SRL.
Job not done yet.
cricketAXEpert
First Class Player
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2013
- Runs
- 2,726
Abdullah Shafique is a great find. He looks like the next Babar Azam. Now we have 2 genuine Batsmen of class.
Definitely a stupid selection hopefully it doesn't bite us In the neck.
I disagree I would say the ball wasn't dead it was a fair dismissal but not in the spirit of the game.
Exactly people judge quickly and don't understand the requirements in tests.not even experienced cricketers can play an Innings like this.
I would totaly drop him in odi and t20s however in tests he's stil good enough as a squad player/xi
AZulfi
Local Club Captain
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2011
- Runs
- 2,444
- Post of the Week
- 1
Although Pak batted well today, the game is 50-50 imo. Few quick wickets tomorrow morning could turn the game in Srilanka's favour. A lot depends on Abdullah (batted well once again in the 4th innings to follow his 96 vs Aus in Karachi) and Rizwan.
Test batting looks thin on paper (Abdullah, Imam, Babar and Rizwan). One or two are bound to fail in an innings. So need to play one more specialist batsman at least. Don't have much faith in the rest of the batters. Azhar Ali needs to quit the game now. He didn't do anything of note in the recent series vs Aus either.
Test batting looks thin on paper (Abdullah, Imam, Babar and Rizwan). One or two are bound to fail in an innings. So need to play one more specialist batsman at least. Don't have much faith in the rest of the batters. Azhar Ali needs to quit the game now. He didn't do anything of note in the recent series vs Aus either.
Last edited:
boomboomcheema
First Class Star
- Joined
- Aug 18, 2011
- Runs
- 3,825
Apparently it's raining right now at night in Galle and forecast is for thunderstorms throughout the day. Don't know how overnight rain will impact the wicket in the morning and how many overs will be available for Pakistan to chase the target.
Is there a chance of washout ?
In sri lanka generally when it rains it rains all day, it is not like England.
