Galle, 23 July 2022: After surmounting the insurmountable, Pakistan on Saturday completed their preparations for the second and final Test against Sri Lanka, which begins tomorrow at the Galle International Cricket Stadium. The Babar Azam-led side are high on confidence entering this contest after rewriting the history books earlier in the week when they chased down 342 to post the highest successful run chase at Galle. It was also only the third instance of a side chasing down the score of over 100 at this venue, which goes on to underscore the magnitude of the task achieved by the Pakistan batters on a challenging and demanding spin-conducive surface.
“The morale is quite high in the camp as posting a good win gives you a lot of confidence,” Babar told PCB Digital on the eve of the second Test. “We had complete rest of one day and relaxed our bodies after spending five days in the field. It is very important to look after your body and look after your mental health. You stay on the toes for five days and your mind is constantly working under pressure during a match. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to look after yourself. A lot of credit goes to Cliffe [Deacon, team physiotherapist] for how he looks after us.
“We had a good session yesterday and are looking forward to the next Test. It was an intense competition with highs and lows so we are feeling good after winning it.”
The first Test was a perfect advert for Test cricket with the match swinging like a pendulum. Pakistan, at the back of Shaheen Afridi’s four-fer, were able to restrict Sri Lanka to 222. A splendid century from Pakistan captain Babar brought Pakistan within touching distance of Sri Lanka’s first innings total after the visitors slipped to seven for 85. Left-arm orthodox Mohammad Nawaz, making a comeback after six years, recorded his maiden international five-fer and was duly supported by another spinner making a comeback, Yasir Shah, who snared three wickets, before a monumental 160 not out from Abdullah Shafique led Pakistan to history on the final day.
This feat, according to Babar, was possible because “our hard work and belief” and each individual’s eagerness to play his role in helping the side cross the line. “We are chasing scores at different venues that people often think are not achievable, but we have the faith. We are looking to make records when we take the field and it is our hard work and belief that is making it happen. We are united and players are stepping up and looking for opportunities to deliver for the team. We look for solutions for the challenges we encounter through partnerships or through our bowling plans. We plan for every situation. Of course, we are sportspeople and mistakes do happen, but we learn from them, and make sure we do not repeat them.”
The win has put Pakistan on the third spot in the nine-team ICC World Test Championship points table and with a win percentage of over 54, Pakistan, who are to play five Tests at home later in the year, have a serious chance of making it to the second edition’s final. Pakistan are eager to grab this opportunity and consolidate their chances for the coveted final berth.
Pakistan will take the field without their premier fast bowler Shaheen Afridi after he was ruled out of the second Test because of a knee injury sustained on the fourth day of the first Test. With the Galle surface providing assistance to spin bowlers, Pakistan have included Nauman Ali in the XI and have decided to go with two fast bowlers. Confirming the combination, Babar said, “We will, definitely, miss Shaheen because of the way he bowls. He bowls with aggression and gets us wickets upfront that helps the team. It is unfortunate that he is not in the side, but considering the conditions, we have included a spinner, Nauman Ali, and will go with two fast bowlers in tomorrow’s match.”
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