Sri Lanka gave way with relative ease in the first Test to hand Pakistan a World Test Championship boost. The series moves to Colombo's Sinhalese Sports Club to conclude.
Sri Lanka vs Pakistan | Second Test | Monday 24 July – Friday 28 July 2023 | Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo | 06:00
Sri Lanka 2/1 | Draw 37/20 | Pakistan 16/10
Sri Lanka couldn’t find a way to back up an excellent century from Dhananjaya de Silva and were ultimately just a few runs short.
The margins were finer than they might appear on the surface, but Sri Lanka still need to step up considerably to get the job done.
Prabath Jayasuriya showed that he can cause trouble for the tourists if he has a few more runs to work with.
Allrounder Ramish Mendis has shown what he can do with the ball, but he would like to notch a few more runs in his next innings for Sri Lanka.
Barely six months into his Test career, Saud Shakeel looks like the real deal for Pakistan after his brilliant double ton in Galle.
Shaheen Afridi joined elite company and will likely still be asked to get through a shift in Colombo.
Nauman Ali does a similar job to Sri Lanka’s Jayasuriya and needs the same base and back up.
Pakistan showed that they bat deep and will take some beating even if they are away from home.
Verdict: Pakistan
Pakistan should claim the series win.
