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Pakistan reach 24/2 at Stumps on Day 1 of the 1st Test after Sri Lanka dismissed for 222

Time to bring in Nawaz at the other end and give pacers a break
 
shah_1 said:
Babar played a tail ender at 7 in the last test match against Aus. Now three pacers on this pitch


Is Babar brainless test captain?
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To me, it looks like there's a lack of trust of his spinners and I don't blame him. Outside of the Bangladesh series, there isn't much good to say about them and Babar is compensating with his over reliance on pacers.
 
I think even Babar can get a 5-fer in Galle. That's how much this ground favors spinners.
 
Hasan Ali comes back into the attack and gets a wicket.

Always seems like he struggles to control with the new ball and does much better with an older one.
 
Hasan Ali is a champion test bowler

He should never play white ball cricket but our best bowler in test cricket
 
Shaheen has the most wickets in Asia, among fast-bowlers since the start of 2020. And Hasan is No.2.

That bodes well for Pakistan.
 
Yasir looking better than he has been in recent years. Bit of that old drift is there.

Anyway, he must deliver big here. These are spin paradises.
 
Marooned said:
Yasir looking better than he has been in recent years. Bit of that old drift is there.

Anyway, he must deliver big here. These are spin paradises.
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Was going to say that. No shortcut to domestic cricket if you want your form and basics back. While he didn’t play red ball cricket, he did play all the matches of Pakistan Cup and performed well. That would have definitely helped him getting his basics back
 
Team Management did well to play 3 pacers. That means they can be used in short sharp bursts while a spinner can be utilized from the other end. This will keep the pacers fresh
 
Babar missing a trick by not bowling Nawaz. Especially when there are two right handers at the crease.
 
There are only 30 minutes to lunch. Bowling two spinners right now would allow Pakistan to bowl more overs to two new batters that are under pressure right now.
 
RedwoodOriginal said:
Babar missing a trick by not bowling Nawaz. Especially when there are two right handers at the crease.
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At the moment looks comfortable rotating pacers from one end while Yasir bowls at the other one. He will surely come into play at some point. I also thought he could have been deployed earlier but, then Hassan came and picked a wicket from that end
 
The two Pakistani bowlers that no one wanted in the team are bowling the best (Hassan and Yasir)
 
Titan24 said:
At the moment looks comfortable rotating pacers from one end while Yasir bowls at the other one. He will surely come into play at some point. I also thought he could have been deployed earlier but, then Hassan came and picked a wicket from that end
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Thing is, ball is turning appreciably. I really like the pacer/spinner strategy but I wonder if more can be gained from putting two spinners on and eeking out another wicket just before lunch.
 
Hasan Ali bowling well. Wasn't he exceptional in test cricket in 2021? He makes you forget that when he does poorly in T20s.
 
Really poor knock from Mathews. Never looked at ease against Yasir or Hasan
 
Shocking shot from Sri Lankas most experienced batsman
 
Mathews gone for a duck. Yasir strikes and gets the veteran
 
Yasir just showing his quality again in sub continental conditions and re endorsing the fact that we desperately need a backup of his quality for such conditions.
 
Very good start from Pakistan.

Matthews was a huge wicket.

Need to keep the pressure on.
 
You've got to be happy with 4 wickets in the first session of a test anytime you get it. Really sets your day up.

I didn't catch the first sessions play- was this Yasir back near his best? That's a game changer for Pakistan if so, in any future series too.
 
From here on, Pakistan should look to restrict them below 200. That's the kind of ruthlessness that is needed to be a top side.
 
wrongun said:
You've got to be happy with 4 wickets in the first session of a test anytime you get it. Really sets your day up.

I didn't catch the first sessions play- was this Yasir back near his best? That's a game changer for Pakistan if so, in any future series too.
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I would say that in Asian conditions he is 80% of the bowler he used to be, which is still pretty good.

The problem that we saw in England in 2020 was that he had neglected his fitness so badly that after bowling 30 overs he was basically done for the Test, and could not continue to bowl accurately.
 
It was a delightful first session to watch, nearly flawless, confident cricket. A reminder how much Pakistan missed Yasir, it brought back some wonderful memories to see a glimpse of his old self. Pakistan won so many tests because of his single-handed efforts. A great spinner like Yasir has been missing lately, and also a solid aggressive batsman, which would nicely round out the team.
 
Junaids said:
I would say that in Asian conditions he is 80% of the bowler he used to be, which is still pretty good.

The problem that we saw in England in 2020 was that he had neglected his fitness so badly that after bowling 30 overs he was basically done for the Test, and could not continue to bowl accurately.
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Hmm, does he look fit & motivated after all his recent controversy?

Edit: just watching now. He looks lean to me.
 
Top bowling. Pak would hope to restrict Srl below 200 and Srl would try hard to go beyond that from the current situation
 
Pretty good bowling performance so far on a wicket that doesn't look too bad to bat on. Pakistan should look to just bat once and bat big. It'll be tough for the batters from day 3 post tea.
 
R mendis can bat. FC average of 40 and a triple hundred under his belt. Also featured in a good partnership with chandimal in last test
 
Naseem needs alot of help from coaches. He looks like a loi bowler at the moment not a test class. Just bowling ball by ball and not setting up the batsman or thinking how he can make him play a particular shot and get him. He just looking to ball one delivery at the moment.
 
Chandimal is the form player, we need to get him out soon and bowl SL out for less than 200. lets hope we dont implode with bat ourselves.
 
Commentary discussions please keep for other threads.
 
Need to get one of these quickly to get into tail
 
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