In an ongoing thrilling series between two Asian teams, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat first on a dry pitch. This match also marks the return of Pakistan pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi to the Test arena, who coincidentally played his last test match last year on the same date (16/07/2023) and at the same venue (Galle, Sri Lanka).
Sri Lanka didn’t get the start right, as Shaheen Shah Afridi made his comeback in style by taking 3 wickets at the beginning of the match. Lanka’s dressing room would be feeling the heat, but it’s Sri Lanka’s old guns Angelo Mathews and Dhananjaya de Silva who got Sri Lanka back into the match.
Top Performer Of The Day
Shaheen Shah Afridi, who is making his comeback in Test cricket after a prolonged injury, got off to a smart start in the morning as he took 3 upfront wickets in just 8 overs. He secured the first wicket of Nishan Madushka and, by dismissing him, achieved the milestone of 100 wickets in Test cricket. After that, he claimed the second and third victims in the form of Kusal Mendis and Dimuth Karunaratne.
After weathering 4 breakthroughs in the morning session itself, Sri Lanka’s middle order stepped up and made a shining recovery, thanks to the contributions of Angelo Mathews and Dhananjaya de Silva. Angelo Mathews, who came to the crease in the 6th over, showed great resilience and constructed his innings brilliantly. He reached his 39th half-century in Tests and ended his innings with a score of 64 off the ball of Pakistan’s leggie bowler, Abrar Ahmed.
Dhananjaya de Silva, who joins the party with Mathews, also scored big runs on Galle’s crease. He ends the day’s play not out with a score of 94 and will be eyeing his 10th Test hundred. His innings include 10 fours and 3 sixes.
Match Is Evenly Poised At The End Of Day 1
Pakistan had a great opportunity to restrict the hosts to a very low score, but they allowed Sri Lanka to recover from a critical situation. Sri Lanka were 54-4 in the morning session, but by the end of the day’s play, they had reached 242-6, showcasing an excellent recovery. Pakistan’s bowlers delivered some “hit me balls,” and as a result, they were punished.
However, on the other side, Sri Lanka would be relaxed after this recovery. Moreover, the big plus point for them is that they have to bowl in the last innings on this spinning track. But Pakistan has a tight and strong batting line-up that is familiar with such conditions. Sri Lanka is into their tail now and will be aiming to get some more score on day 2 before being all out.
What To Expect On Day 2
To expect something, one should first anticipate clear skies on Day 2, as the weather prediction is not that great. However, from the hosts’ perspective, they would aim to score at least 300 from here, or maybe even 300+20/30 runs, considering the vital wicket of DD Silva is still at the crease.
Pakistan’s first aim would be to get the key wicket of DD Silva and restrict him from causing much more damage on the scoreboard. Additionally, they would be focusing on dismissing the tail of the hosts as soon as possible. Moreover, much depends on the batting of Pakistan, especially Imam and Babar, who can play big innings on this type of pitch. An exciting day of test cricket awaits, fingers crossed for a non-rainy day.