The first trial did not end after Sri Lankan lawmakers elected six-time Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as president
The first trial did not end after Sri Lankan lawmakers elected six-time Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as president
Abdullah Shafiq scored an unbeaten 160 to lead Pakistan to a record run chase and a four-wicket win in a series-opening cricket Test on 20 July, which went ahead despite one. Political and economic crisis in Sri Lanka,
His 408-ball knock included six fours and a six in an innings, though he got some respite.
Shafiq was lucky to survive the lbw appeal when he was on four. He was dropped for 135 when Dhananjay de Silva missed a return catch and again closed with a Pakistan win at 151.
A post-lunch rain delay on Day 5 slowed Pakistan’s winning streak and needed 11 runs, but it was really only a matter of time.
The previous most successful run chase in Galle was Sri Lanka’s 268 against New Zealand in 2019.
Along with overnight batsman Mohammad Rizwan, Shafiq added 71 runs for the fourth wicket to help Pakistan move towards a winning target of 342.
Rizwan eventually fell for 40 when Prabhat Jayasuriya dismissed him lbw, leaving Pakistan less than 70 runs with six wickets in hand.
Sri Lanka also took the wicket of Agha Salman (12) in the last over before lunch when Jayasuriya caught him from behind.
At the end of the first Test, the lack of bounce in the wicket helped the batsmen. Sri Lanka didn’t help with spreading the ground to prevent boundaries and its defensive mindset only helped Pakistan’s batsmen take singles.
As the trial was underway, a protest was organized in Galle a few hundred meters from the stadium against the rising cost of living and corruption. Mass protests are taking place in the capital Colombo and cricket officials were forced to move the second Test to Galle with the start of Sunday, originally scheduled for Colombo.
The first trial ended shortly after Sri Lanka’s lawmakers elected six-time Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as president, averting the risk that the vote would have angered the public at the South Asian country’s dire economic, humanitarian and political crisis. will re-ignite the turmoil between
The vote means that Mr Wickremesinghe, prime minister and acting president, will replace former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and end his term ending in 2024, after Mr Rajapaksa resigned earlier this month after leaving the country.