Babar frustrates Sri Lanka despite Jayasuriya five-wicket haul

Prabath Jayasuriya’s impressive start to Test cricket continued with the left-arm spinner taking his third consecutive five-wicket haul, but a seventh Test century for Babar Azam denied Sri Lanka a significant lead in the first Test in Galle. 

Pakistan were bowled out for 218, just four runs shy of Sri Lanka’s first innings score, with the hosts having added a further 36 to their account losing one second innings wicket by stumps on day two yesterday. 

That lead could have and should have been more substantial, but for Sri Lanka’s inability to break a record tenth-wicket partnership between Azam and Naseem Shah which spanned over a third of the day’s play, and left the hosts frustrated through much of the afternoon. 

The 70-run partnership was the highest ever for the tenth-wicket at the Galle stadium, and second longest final-wicket stand for Pakistan in terms of balls faced, at 185. 

Unsurprisingly, Azam absorbed a majority of those deliveries, defending patiently and rotating the strike just enough to limit Sri Lanka’s opportunities to bowl at Naseem – an approach particularly evident during the early stages of their time together at the crease, Azam taking just nine runs, all in singles, in 13 overs. 

That passivity was momentarily broken when he hit three consecutive fours off Kasun Rajitha in the following over – his first boundaries in 77 deliveries – adding a six and four shortly before tea, taking Pakistan to 194 for 9, and moving himself onto 95, at the break. 

It took only three balls after tea for Azam to reach his century, with a boundary through mid on and then a single, taking another six and a four off Jayasuriya before succumbing to Maheesh Theekshana for 119. 

Earlier, Jayasuriya was justly rewarded for his consistency and accuracy, becoming the first Sri Lankan bowler to take three five-wicket hauls in his first two Tests, bowling a mammoth unbroken 31 over spell – including the four overs he bowled at the tail end of the first day – from the fort end. 

This left him with figures of 5 for 69, to go with the pair of six-fers in his debut Test against Australia last week, for a match haul of 12 for 177, the best returns for a Sri Lankan in their first Test.

A dropped catch off the first ball of the day didn’t prove too costly for Sri Lanka, with Jayasuriya making the breakthrough two balls later, trapping Azhar Ali LBW attempting to sweep the left-arm spinner.  

A partnership of 40 between Azam and Mohammed Rizwan followed, with the Pakistan wicketkeeper scoring three boundaries, but his 35-ball innings was ended when he deflected a ball sliding down the legside from Ramesh Mendis, for Niroshan Dickwella to take a sharp catch.

Debutant Agha Salman was then also adjudged out LBW, missing a delivery that went with the arm from Jayasuriya, with reviews confirming the dismissal on umpire’s call. 

Jayasuriya then found himself on a hat-trick removing Mohammed Nawaz and Shahin Shah Afridi off successive deliveries, but Yasir Shah survived the next ball, going on to establish a 27-run partnership with Azam. 

Theekshana broke that partnership when Yasir caught at slips after lunch, before Hasan added 36 runs for the ninth wicket with his captain.