Galle Test fascinatingly poised after 12-wicket opening day
Sri Lanka fought back well, adding 89 runs for the last two wickets and then removing the Pakistan openers cheaply
Prabath Jayasuriya picked up the last of the 12 wickets to fall on the day when he sent back Abdullah Shafique, Sri Lanka vs Pakistan, 1st Test, Galle, 1st day, July 16, 2022
Prabath Jayasuriya picked up the last of the 12 wickets to fall on the day when he sent back Abdullah Shafique • AFP/Getty Images
Stumps Pakistan 24 for 2 (Azhar 3*, Babar 1*, Jayasuriya 1-2) trail Sri Lanka 222 (Chandimal 76, Theekshana 38, Oshada 35, Afridi 4-58, Hasan 2-23, Yasir 2-66) by 198 runs
Sri Lanka dislodged both of Pakistan’s openers in the final hour of play on day one in Galle, as the hosts fought back hard on a day that had largely belonged to the visitors.
Kasun Rajitha got one to nip back in from around the wicket to trap the left-handed Imam-ul-Haq lbw – a delivery that’s fast becoming a hallmark of Rajitha’s bowling – while Prabath Jayasuriya accounted for Abdullah Shafique, who was also dismissed leg before, rapped on the pads by one going on with the arm.
From that point on, Azhar Ali and Babar Azam shut up shop and looked to bat out the rest of the day, though with the wicket starting to show some assistance for the spinners, Sri Lanka would have no doubt been encouraged.
