On day five of the second Test, Sri Lanka’s spinner Prabath Jayasuriya claimed two wickets to assist Sri Lanka edge closer to victory as Pakistan’s skipper Babar Azam remained undefeated at the crease.
At the stroke of lunch in Galle, Jayasuriya dismissed Agha Salman for four, putting Pakistan in a very impossible position of needing to score 320 runs to win or surviving the remaining two sessions for a draw and a 1-0 series victory.
After losing four wickets in the morning, the tourists were 188 for five, with Azam on 76. At 89, Pakistan picked back up where they left off.
Adding only three runs to his overnight total of 46, left-handed batsman Imam-ul-Haq was caught behind off the first ball of the day by off-spinner Ramesh Mendis.
Mohammad Rizwan’s innings on 35 was ended by Jayasuriya’s left-arm spin, the only wicket he took on day four. They sent Fawad Alam out for a single.
Due to terrible light on days three and four, the hosts’ attempts to bowl out the opposition and tie the two-Test series are running out of time in the port city.
Despite the umpire’s initial lbw decision against Azam against Jayasuriya, the batsman was able to overturn the decision through a review.
After starting the day on 26, he batted confidently despite needing treatment for lower back pain. Since Dimuth Karunaratne is out with a lower back strain, Dhananjaya de Silva, who scored 109 in Sri Lanka’s 380-8 declared second innings, has stepped up to captain the team.
Mahnur is MS(development Studies)Student at NUST University, completed BS Hons in Eng Literature. Content Writer, Policy analyst, Climate Change specialist, Teacher, HR Recruiter.
