Imam-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s opening batsman, scored an unbeaten 50 to lead his team to victory against Sri Lanka in the first Test on Thursday by four wickets as they successfully chased down 131.
Pakistan beat Sri Lanka: Before achieving their goal in the first session, the tourists, who began the final day on 48-3, lost three more wickets. Prabath Jayasuriya bowled out their captain Babar Azam for 24.
After scoring an unbroken 208 in Pakistan’s first innings, Saud Shakeel scored a quick 30 with Haq, who had begun the day on 25, while playing left-handed.
The hosts had a slim chance as left-arm spinner Jayasuriya grabbed four wickets, including two in the twilight of day four, but Haq held tight.
Before being caught lbw by Jayasuriya after a 28-ball stay, Azam came out firing, hitting a boundary off the first ball of the day.
Shakeel took on the bowlers as well, but Ramesh Mendis, an off-spinner, caught him in the back.
Before Jayasuriya grabbed another wicket and Agha Salman came out to hit the game-winning six, Haq scored his eighth Test fifty.
In Pakistan’s 461 all out and a useful first-innings lead of 149 in the rain-affected game, Shakeel stood out for scoring his first Test double century.
Despite Dhananjaya de Silva’s tenacious 82, Pakistani spinners Noman Ali and Abrar Ahmed contributed three wickets each on Wednesday to bowl out Sri Lanka for 279 runs.
De Silva scored 122 points in Sri Lanka’s first innings of 312, but Pakistan quickly gained the upper hand.
“At the same location a year prior, a knee-injury sidelined Pakistan’s star paceman Shaheen Shah Afridi, but he picked up five wickets in a single match.”
Monday marks the opening of the second game of the two-Test series in Colombo.