Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka in the first test match by 4 wickets

Rock solid Abdullah Shafique wins Galle test for Pakistan with his brilliant unbeaten innings of  160  

Pakistani test opener Abdullah Shafique played innings of his life to win the Galle test against Sri Lanka. Abdullah hit an unbeaten 160 as Pakistan chased down a record target of 342 at Galle to win a tense opening Test by four wickets against Sri Lanka on today. It was his highest test score. Abdullah was declared man of the match for his brilliant knock of 160 runs.

Abdullah hit his second century in test cricket in a style. He built crucial partnerships including a 101-run third-wicket stand with skipper Babar Azam, who made 55 after his 119 in the first innings on a tricky pitch to bat on.

The rain at Galle delayed the Pakistani victory for few minutes but finally Pakistan scored the remaining 11 runs in the last session of day 05. Muhammad Nawaz scored 19 crucial runs to see Pakistan home. Muhammad Nawaz played important role in this win both with ball and bat. Muhammad Nawaz took five wickets in the Sri Lankan second innings.  

Sri Lankan Left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya took a match haul of nine wickets but his efforts were in vain as Pakistan battled past the previous best chase in Galle of 268 by Sri Lanka against New Zealand in 2019.

Jayasuriya, who took 12 wickets on debut in a series-leveling Test win over Australia last week at the same venue, six in each innings, kept up the pressure but Shafique stood firm.

The second Test starts Sunday July 26, also in Galle, after it was moved from Colombo due to the political unrest in Sri Lanka. 

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