Pakistan’s left-arm spinner Noman Ali wreaked havoc with his mesmerizing spin bowling, claiming a magnificent seven-wicket haul in the second innings to propel Pakistan to a resounding innings and 222-run win over Sri Lanka at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground.
The victory not only marked a clean sweep for Pakistan in the two-match Test series but also allowed them to kick off the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 campaign on a triumphant note. Earlier, Pakistan had secured a nail-biting four-wicket win in the first Test in Galle.
Resuming their first innings on day four at the overnight score of 563 for five in 132 overs, Pakistan declared their innings after adding 13 runs in just two overs without losing any wickets. Wicketkeeper-batsman Rizwan, who had remained unbeaten on 37 the previous day, further bolstered the total with a swift 50 off 67 balls, laced with four boundaries and one six. Meanwhile, Salman Ali Agha, after facing six balls in the morning, couldn’t add to his overnight score of 132, which included 15 boundaries and a six.
In their second innings, Sri Lanka faced a daunting deficit of 410 runs and was instantly put under immense pressure by the relentless spin of Noman Ali. The left-arm spinner dismantled the Sri Lankan batting order with sheer brilliance, claiming the first seven wickets to fall. His incredible figures of 7 for 70 in the second innings led to match figures of 14 for 150.
Seamer Naseem Shah complemented Noman’s heroics, bagging the final three wickets with a display of fiery pace and reverse swing. Naseem’s exceptional performance in both innings earned him six wickets in total, finishing with match figures of 9 for 125.
Abdullah Shafique’s outstanding batting display in the first innings didn’t go unnoticed as he was rightfully named the Player of the Match for his magnificent maiden double century.
Scores in Brief (Day 4 of 5):
Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by an innings and 222 runs.
Sri Lanka: 166 all out in 48.4 overs (Dhananjaya de Silva 57, Dinesh Chandimal 34, Ramesh Mendis 27; Abrar Ahmed 4-69, Naseem Shah 3-41, Shaheen Shah Afridi 1-44) and 188 all out in 67.4 overs (Angelo Mathews 63 not out, Dimuth Karunaratne 41, Nishan Madushka 33; Noman Ali 7-70, Naseem Shah 3-44).
Pakistan: 576-5 declared in 132 overs (Abdullah Shafique 201, Salman Ali Agha 132 not out, Saud Shakeel 57, Shan Masood 51, Mohammad Rizwan 50 not out, Babar Azam 39; Asitha Fernando 3-133, Prabath Jayasuriya 2-194).
Player of the Match – Abdullah Shafique (Pakistan)
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