Pakistan thrashed Sri Lanka by four wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the ongoing two-match Test series at the Galle International Stadium, Sri Lanka.

Pakistan restricted the home side to 312 runs in their first innings, with Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Abrar Ahmed taking three wickets each.

Starting batting on day two, the visitors lost their five wickets with just 101 runs on board, but with the help of Saud Shakeel’s 208*, they managed to score 461 runs.

It was the second instance that a team lost its five wickets for 101 runs or a lower score and then managed to reach more than 400 runs at the Galle International Stadium.

The previous instance also happened to be from Pakistan when they scored 417 in their first innings at Galle in 2015 while losing the first five wickets for just 96 runs.

Middle-order batter, Asad Shafiq scored a fighting 131, Sarfaraz Ahmed scored a crucial 96, and Zulfiqar Babar scored a half-century while batting at number 10.

Saud Shakeel was awarded the player of the match for his magnificent maiden double century in the first innings and crucial 30 runs in the second innings.

The second match of the series, which is also part of the ICC Test Championship 2023-25, will be played from July 24 to 28 at the Singhalese Sports Club in Colombo.

Source: Pro Pakistani