Naseem Shah takes five as Pakistan clinch series
Sri Lanka lost their remaining three wickets without adding a run on the fifth morning
Sri Lanka lost their remaining three wickets without adding a run on the fifth morning
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Scorer: M Venkat Raghav | Commentator: Ankur Dhawan
Pakistan players pose with the Trophy. This is not just a celebration of their win here, but a celebration of Test cricket returning to the country, as many have said before me. That's all from us, folks. It was great to have your company through this Test match and series. This is Ankur Dhawan, signing off on behalf of Hemant Brar and Venkat Raghav.
Presentation time
Azhar Ali: Definitely needed that performance. Special thanks to Sri Lanka from the bottom of our hearts, they have given us immense happiness by playing in Pakistan. Some special players in this dressing room, it had been a tough year in Test cricket for us, it was an emotional moment returning home to play. So much talent in these youngsters, experience will come with time, they are the best bowlers in Pakistan and we should back them. Special effort from the pacers to have brought us back after 191 allout. The stand between Abid Ali and Shan Masood took the game away from Sri Lanka, can't emphasize that enough. Runs were long overdue for me, I hope I can carry on from here. Big advantage to be playing at home, we can take confidence from our performances here and take them overseas when we travel.
Dimuth Karunaratene: We dominated the first two days and then they batted very well and put pressure back on us and outplayed us. We couldn't build pressure with the ball after taking a lead of 80, they were scoring too freely. Oshada, Dhananjaya and Kumara were the takeaways from the series.The security we were given was outstanding and we'd love to come back and play here
Abid Ali is the man of the match and the man of the series: All the hard work at domestic level has been rewarded. A home Test series after ten years, could not have been more proud. I keep working hard, keep believing in myself and remaining positive. Of course there was pressure but we approached it positively with help from the team management and thanks to the crowd that turned up to support us.
Ali Ahad: "Babar for man of the series ... His first in test ... Please make that happen" Abid Ali, if you ask me
Sulaiman Ijaz: "I guess my comparison to Pak-India 2006, which you published on day 2, wasn't wishful thinking. (Thanks for publishing btw). First innings parity - CHECK. Team batting third runs up monstrous total in placid conditions - CHECK. Skillful bowling and scoreboard pressure in fourth innings - CHECK. Great win!"
Nabeel: "Last 4 SL wickets fell without adding a single run to total!"
Shan Masood: After Adelaide we were honest with ourselves about our approach to cricket. We said if we want to win Tests we need collective performances and not just individual brilliance and if you see here, four batsmen got hundreds and two bowlers took five-fors. I think it reflected In our game, it was an unknown for us to play at home, started with the last day in Pindi with the massive crowd there, we didn't start well here but Shaheen's five-for brought us back and we got past the initial nervousness. Abid and I have played a lot together, it's pretty easy when you bat with someone familiar. Guys are eager to get back home, we have all been away since the start of the domestic season, it'll be nice to get to the families for the boys before the Bangladesh series. We'll enjoy this win, but it's Test cricket, we can't take anything for granted.
Waqar: When we played here it was a different ball game because we used to play a home, this was the return of cricket to Pakistan and a very emotional victory. We always had this feeling that it can finish very quickly. I still feel it's early days for Naseem, the five-for will take him a long way, people who have worked with him at different levels deserve credit, glad with Shaheen's performance and that Abbas is back. Of course we want to play more Tests at home, guys feel great playing at home. Home is home, playing in front of your own people is a very different feeling, and also shows Pakistan is a safe place to play cricket.
Remarkable turnaround after being bundled out for 191 in the first innings. Pakistan have walloped Sri Lanka by 263 runs and virtually an entire day to spare, stuff fantasy fiction novels are made of when you consider their position on day one and their recent form. On a pitch that turned pretty placid, exemplified by the four centuries in Pakistan's second innings, the bowlers were relentless, aided by scoreboard pressure and some loose strokes from the visiting batsmen. Maiden five-for Naseem to go with Shaheen Afridi's five-for in the first. Back to the drawing board for Sri Lanka who had arguably entered the series as marginal favourites, and played like that for the first two days of this Test, before wilting under the weight of runs in the second innings. Pakistan will hope to build on this, with Azhar Ali finally making a hundred and registering his first Test win as captain. But Abid Ali, with two centuries, the one here laying the cornerstone for this win, was their incontestable takeaway from the series. Pakistan climb to No.3 on the WTC points table .
MVT Fernando lbw b Naseem Shah 0 (14m 9b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00
Naseem's chance to get a maiden Test five-for
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Sri Lanka lost their remaining three wickets without adding a run on the fifth morning
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