0
0
W
0
0
0
= 0
Match Details
PAK vs SL 2nd TEST, SL vs PAK 2023
SL 166(48.4)
188-1067.4
Pakistan won by an innings and 222 runs 🏆
576-5(134.0)
PAK
Commentary
All
Highlights
Overs
W
6s
4s
Inn 1
Inn 2
Inn 3
Inn 4
Milestone
So, that’s all the action from the two-match Test series between Sri Lanka & Pakistan. The visitors were largely dominant throughout the series and they richly deserve this victory. Stay tuned for more cricketing action from around the world. For now, this is Megh Mandaliya, signing off on behalf of my co-commentator Ayan Chatterjee alongside our scorer/analyst Dushyant Madhukar Kumar. Cheers!
Babar Azam collects the trophy from the dignatories and he takes the trophy to his teammates. He and his team will celebrate and that they should as they deserve the win. They pose for the photographs in front of the CHAMPIONS Tag.
Babar Azam (Pakistan Captain): "Very proud to win the series. The credit goes to the boys and the support staff, who have been working really hard in the last 3-4 months. Everyone stepped up and shows a hunger to win the series. We are working on our batting and fielding. I think the pacers and spinners bowlers here were really good. It's not easy to bowl here. Both the pacers were outstanding today and they applied pressure.
This is a team game. Abdullah Shafique was outstanding in the first innings. Agha Salman also played really well. We are looking to go series-by-series right now and we will look to perform well in every series. We have a plan. We discussed playing positive cricket before coming here. But we want to improve by at least 5-10 %. All the credit goes to the boys."
This is a team game. Abdullah Shafique was outstanding in the first innings. Agha Salman also played really well. We are looking to go series-by-series right now and we will look to perform well in every series. We have a plan. We discussed playing positive cricket before coming here. But we want to improve by at least 5-10 %. All the credit goes to the boys."
Dimuth Karunaratne (Sri Lanka Captain): "As I said at Galle, we failed as a batting unit. We won the toss and batted first and to score 166 that was the game and we threw away the wickets and paid the price.
That's the concern. We are getting starts and not getting the 100s. Pakistan did that well and they won the match. I mean they showed us the way.
We have to sit down and talk where we are going wrong and also bowling. Nothing is easy. They batted well and hard and we have to learn from there as to how to improve our game plan.
That's a challenge not having enough Tests. Need to keep training and mentally we need to step up and domestic cricket we have to play to get better.
Not any positives to be honest. I think the way Prabath bowled and Dhananjaya played well was great to see. Other than that, nothing to ride home about."
That's the concern. We are getting starts and not getting the 100s. Pakistan did that well and they won the match. I mean they showed us the way.
We have to sit down and talk where we are going wrong and also bowling. Nothing is easy. They batted well and hard and we have to learn from there as to how to improve our game plan.
That's a challenge not having enough Tests. Need to keep training and mentally we need to step up and domestic cricket we have to play to get better.
Not any positives to be honest. I think the way Prabath bowled and Dhananjaya played well was great to see. Other than that, nothing to ride home about."
Agha Salman (Player of the Series): "Yeah, we were around 100/5 at Galle and I know we needed a partnership there. We did plan. We had a few camps in Lahore and Karachi. We were preparing to play a positive brand of cricket. Doesn't matter where I bat, I just want to play well for my country. I am okay to bat at number 5, 6, or 7. I just try and back myself and try to play with positive intent. So, that helps my strike-rate eventually."
Player of the Series: Agha Salman
Abdullah Shafique (Player of the Match): "First of all thanks to the all mighty that we have won the series and we needed this series win. We haven't won in two years and confidence boosting and happy to be a part of this side and love to contribute. I have played here before and love playing here. I don't know about this stuff but happy to contribute to the team's win and that's what all that matters to me."
Player of the Match: Abdullah Shafique.
4:52 PM: Time for the presentation ceremony.
4:36 PM IST and Local Time | That’s it! Naseem Shah gets the final wicket and the Pakistan fielders are jubilant. A resounding victory for Pakistan and they seal the series 2-0. They emerge victorious by an innings and 222 runs over Sri Lanka in the 2nd Test. They have dominated the hosts in all facets of the game and never allowed them to have the whip hand in the contest. It was another shambolic batting display from Sri Lanka as they are skittled out for 188 in the second innings. This was Pakistan's third-biggest victory in Test cricket and the biggest against Sri Lanka.
Mohammad Rizwan and Agha Salman resumed the play for Pakistan on Day 4 and played with positive intent. Rizwan, who was 37* overnight, cut loose and brought out a cluster of sweeps against Prabath Jayasuriya in the second over of the day. Rizwan aggregated his 8th half-century in Test cricket and the 100-run partnership between the duo was also completed in the process. Both the right-handers aided Pakistan to register a formidable lead of 410 before Babar Azam declared the innings after batting for just two overs on Day 4.
Dimuth Karunaratne was resilient and negated the new ball well by rotating the strike. Nishan Madushka, on the other hand, looked tentative and was beaten on the outside edge on many occasions before the right-hander went into a counterattacking mode and adjusted to the conditions. The left-right opening pair was dictating the play splendidly but Noman Ali broke the 69-run opening stand with a dream delivery to uproot Madushka 33(72). It was an impressive session for Sri Lanka nonetheless as they added 81 runs to their tally.
Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis recommenced the play in the afternoon session but they failed to carry the momentum forward. Noman Ali started to grip the ball and wreaked havoc as the Sri Lankan innings went haywire. Imam-ul-Haq took a blinder at short leg off Noman to dismiss the Sri Lankan skipper for 41(61). Kusal Mendis was looking well-organized before the right-hander threw his wicket away attempting a lofted drive. Naseem Shah also discovered some reverse-swing and flustered the Sri Lankan batters.
The runs were hard to get by on a much drier surface and the hosts kept gifting wickets to their opposition. Dinesh Chandimal threw his wicket away at 1(11) while attempting a pre-meditated paddle sweep. Angelo Mathews and Dhananjaya de Silva did some repair work and survived 81 deliveries but Noman Ali once again had the last laugh as Dhananjaya 10(38) holed out in the deep. That was also the fifth wicket for the left-arm spinner. Sadeera Samarawickrama 5(11) was the next batter to walk back as Sri Lanka lost as many as 5 wickets in the afternoon session.
Mathews was trapped lbw in the first over of the last session but the decision was overturned after a successful review from the right-hander. Ramesh Mendis joined forces with the experienced campaigner and offered some respite. The Pakistan bowlers toiled hard to break that partnership. As many as three reviews were taken in the 62nd over, but none of them went in Pakistan’s favour. Ramesh and Mathews added 36 runs for the 7th wicket and just when the visitors were starting to look discomposed, Ramesh 16(42) decided to step out of the crease and gift another wicket to the visitors.
Mathews 63*(127) kept pegging away and notched up his 40th half-century in Test cricket but always lacked support from the other end. Naseem Shah (3/44) bowled tight lines with good pace and ripped through the tail. Noman Ali was the standout performer with the ball in the second innings. The left-arm spinner mixed his pace well and finish with exceptional figures of 7/70 in 23 overs.
So, a historic victory for Pakistan at Sinhalese Sports Club and they've started their World Test Championship 2025 campaign on a blistering note. Sri Lanka will have to go back to the drawing board once again and re-assess their strategies. Stick around for the post-match presentation!
This is Sri Lanka's heaviest defeat at home. This is Pakistan's biggest win over Sri Lanka and third biggest overall. This is also their fifth series win in Sri Lanka and they are the first visiting team to win 5 series in Sri Lanka.
67.4 N Shah to D Madushanka
W WICKET! That's it. Full and straight angling in straight, Madushanka looks to work it away and gets beaten on the edge here. The ball goes through to clatter the stumps. Pace on the ball does it as Naseem gets his 3rd and polishes off the tail. Madushanka departs for a duck as this innings is over for 188 in 67.4 overs.
67.3 N Shah to D Madushanka
0 Nails the yorker at the toes, Madushanka looks to work it away and gets pinged on the pads. A mild appeal but this was doing too much.
67.2 N Shah to D Madushanka
0 Good length angling in here, Madushanka looks to defend and wears it on the pads. Appeal is turned down as this looked to be going down the leg side.
4:31 PM IST and Local Time | Time for the final Drinks break of Day 4. Pakistan are absolutely cruising towards a victory here. Naseem Shah is bowling with good pace and is in a hurry to wrap up the proceedings. Sri Lanka needs something miraculous to survive this day from this stage. Dilshan Madushanka is the last batter in for Sri Lanka.
Commentary