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SL vs PAK Day 3 Report | Saud Shakeel Shines with Double Century, Gives Sri Lanka a Mountain to Climb

image-lk8b2gdhSaud Shakeel & Agha Salman's 177-run stand brought Pakistan back into the game (Twitter)

The third day of the first Test between Sri Lanka and Pakistan was all about the dominating performance of Saud Shakeel. The southpaw’s magnificent maiden double century helped Pakistan make an inspiring comeback from an improbable position and cement a commanding 149-run lead in the first innings.


How did Day 3 pan out?

The Calculated Green Surge

Pakistan resumed the third day at 221/5 and executed a balanced strategy of controlled aggression against the Sri Lankan bowling attack. The team's approach was characterized by measured acceleration, ensuring that they never strayed into reckless territory.

Shakeel and Agha's Steady Assault

Shakeel, along with Salman Agha, picked up from where they left off, maintaining a steady pressure on the Sri Lankan bowlers. The duo took on the Sri Lankan bowling spearhead, Prabath Jayasuriya, and neutralized the remaining bowling attack with relative ease. Shakeel notched up his century just before the drinks break, while Agha fell to Ramesh Mendis for 83.


Intense Hour of Resistance

In the following hour, Shakeel and Nauman Ali showed flawless defense against the Sri Lankan bowlers, frustrating them with their focused batting. Sri Lanka also struggled with their reviews, squandering the two they had on unsuccessful LBW appeals and missing an opportunity to challenge a decision that would have been given out. By the lunch break, Pakistan surpassed Sri Lanka's total and gained the lead.

Post-Lunch Domination by Pakistan

Pakistan continued their dominance in the second session. Despite losing Ali early in the session and Shaheen Afridi shortly after, Pakistan remained in control. Shakeel, playing his fifth Test, displayed maturity beyond his experience, controlling the game like a seasoned campaigner. He surpassed the 150-run mark, with Naseem Shah providing solid support at the other end. Pakistan finished the afternoon and went into Tea at 389/8.

From Tea to Twilight

The final session saw an addition of another 51 runs between Shakeel and Shah before the latter was finally dismissed. Shakeel soon reached his double century, becoming the first Pakistani to achieve this feat in Sri Lanka. The last batsman, Abrar Ahmed, hit a few hefty strokes before being dismissed, ending Pakistan's innings at 461.

Sri Lanka faced the task of surviving the last 11 overs of the day without loss. They were successful in doing so, ending the day at 14/0 after 3.4 overs as Stumps were called early due to bad light. 

The hosts will resume the fourth day with the challenging task of reducing the deficit and withstanding a robust Pakistani bowling attack while the visitors will be looking to take quick wickets and further consolidate their position on the game.


Brief Scores

Sri Lanka (1st innings): 312-10 (95.2)

Dhananjaya de Silva 122 (214), Angelo Mathews 64 (109)

Abrar Ahmed 3-68 (31.2), Shaheen Afridi 3-86 (24)

Pakistan (1st innings): 461-10 (121.2)

Saud Shakeel 208* (361), Agha Salman 83 (113)

Ramesh Mendis 5-136 (42.2), Prabath Jayasuriya 3-145 (35)

Sri Lanka: (2nd innings): 14/0 (3.4)

Nishan Madushka 8 (12), Dimuth Karunaratne 6 (10)

Shaheen Afridi 0-8 (2), Agha Salman 0-2 (0.4)

Sri Lanka trail by 135 runs