Pakistan beat Sri Lanka in Karachi Test, win series at home after 13 years
Pakistan beat Sri Lanka in Karachi Test by 263 runs, win series at home after 13 years.
KARACHI (Dunya News) – Pakistan have on Monday defeated Sri Lanka in the second and final Test match by 263 runs at the National Stadium Karachi and won the two-match series 1-0. The hosts have emerged victorious in a Test series at home after 13 years.
The visitors, who resumed their innings at 212-7 on day five, could not add a single run to their score and were 212 all out. Pakistan had set a target of 476 runs. The hosts took just 14 minutes and 16 balls to grab the Islanders’ three wickets.
Skipper Azhar Ali with Trophy
Naseem Shah’s record
16-year-old Naseem had the best figures of 5-31. He, at 16 years and 307 days, befittingly became the second youngest bowler to take five wickets in a Test innings after another Pakistani Nasim-ul-Ghani, left-arm spinner, who had achieved the feat in 1958 aged 16 years and 303 days against West Indies.
Naseem Shah was only six when international cricket was suspended in Pakistan following an attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in 2009.
Pakistan were forced to play all their home matches at the neutral venues of United Arab Emirates, before improved security allowed them to host various limited over series in the last four years.
The final day began in a dramatic manner when Naseem Shah dismissed Lasit Embuldeniya off the very first ball, catching his gloves on the way to wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan.
Abid Ali wins Man of the Match, Man of the Series Awards
Yasir Shah picked up the key scalp of centurion Oshada Fernando (102) from the other end. He sent two batsmen to the pavilion in the match. Oshada s 180-ball knock had 13 boundaries. Mohammad Abbas, Shaheen Afridi and Haris Sohail dismissed one batsman apiece.
Naseem wrapped up the match by trapping Vishwa Fernando with the fifth ball of the next over, triggering jubliation among the Pakistan players who all played their first Test series at home.
The victory has pushed Pakistan to third place in the ICC World Test Championship 2019-21 standings with 80 points. The first match in Rawalpindi had marked the return of Test cricket in Pakistan after over ten years but unfortunately ended in a draw due to bad weather.
Scores
Pakistan: 191 and 555/3d
Sri Lanka: 271 and 212
Result: Pakistan won by 263 runs
Man of the match: Abid Ali
Man of the series: Abid Ali
with inputs from AFP
