Pakistan’s Saud Shakeel poses for selfies with Sri Lankan cricket followers on the finish of day three of the primary cricket take a look at match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan in Galle, Sri Lanka, on Tuesday, July 18, 2023.
| Photograph Credit score: AP
Saud Shakeel turned the primary Pakistan batter to make a double hundred in Sri Lanka because the guests took management of the primary take a look at after making 461 on Tuesday.
Behind by 149 runs on the primary innings, Sri Lanka decreased that to 135 when it was 14 for no loss by stumps on day three.
Shakeel was stranded on 208 not out, his second century in two exams, when Pakistan was all out after tea.
In six exams since his debut in December, he has scored a double hundred, 100 and 5 half-centuries. He has a Bradmanesque common of 98.5.
Shakeel was the mainstay of Pakistan’s innings by stitching helpful partnerships with the decrease center order and the tail after the highest order collapsed.
At 101-5, a first-innings lead was the very last thing on Pakistan’s thoughts, however Shakeel added 177 runs with Agha Salman to rescue his facet. The partnership was a document for Pakistan for the sixth wicket towards Sri Lanka, bettering on the 173-run stand between Sarfaraz Ahmed and Asad Shafiq in Dubai in 2017.
“After I went in to bat, I wished to assault,” Shakeel mentioned. “If I had tried to be defensive we might have gotten bowled out for 150. That is the explanation I attacked and was in a position to take the sport deep.
“We have now been working to play this sort of attacking cricket again within the camp at dwelling. The teaching employees backed me. Fairly happy with the hassle.” With an unorthodox batting method, Shakeel used his toes expertly to the spinners, punishing the free balls and forcing the Sri Lankans to unfold the sphere throughout his stand with Salman.
Ramesh Mendis made the breakthrough within the rain-affected morning session when he had Salman stumped for 83.
Batting with the tail, Shakeel modified gears, fairly content material to farm the strike from the tail and the tactic labored.
After lunch, Shakeel prolonged the seventh-wicket stand with Noman Ali to 52 runs. He added a match defining 94 runs with Naseem Shah for the ninth wicket. Naseem’s contribution was simply six runs.
“Once we had been eight wickets down and Naseem Shah joined me, he mentioned that there is a likelihood for me to go for the double hundred,” Shakeel mentioned. “Lot of credit score for him for backing me and never letting me panic.” Sri Lanka was sloppy within the subject as Shakeel was dropped twice, on 93 by Nishan Madushka at leg gully and on 139 by Angelo Mathews at deep midwicket.
The left-handed batsman reached his double hundred slicing Dhananjaya de Silva behind sq., bisecting the fielders for 4.
When final man Abrar Ahmed was dismissed for 10 with the full on 461, Shakeel was unbeaten after a marathon innings lasting for 506 minutes, by which he confronted 361 balls and hit 19 boundaries.
Solely two abroad gamers — West Indies’ Chris Gayle (333) and England’s Joe Root (228) — have greater innings in Galle than Shakeel.
Mendis completed with a five-wicket haul, his fifth in 13 exams, whereas Prabath Jayasuriya claimed three wickets. Total, the Sri Lanka bowlers struggled towards the intelligent batsmanship of Shakeel.
Sri Lanka’s openers confronted 3.four overs with out hassle earlier than unhealthy mild pressured an early finish to play. However they’ve an enormous ask at their fingers on day 4.
“It is an necessary day within the take a look at match,” Sri Lanka coach Chris Silverwood mentioned. “We have now to return out and put our greatest foot ahead.