SL VS PAK - 1st Test, Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka, 2023

So, that's it from our side. Pakistan chased down 342 a year back on the same day here in Galle and now, they have notched up another win here. WIill definitely be good memories to cherish! The man who stood out for them was Saud Shakeel, his maiden double century proved to be pivotal in his side's victory. A special mention for Pakistan's fielding. Some of the catches that were taken were outstanding and their ground fielding was sharp too - it's an aspect of their game they have massively improved upon. Sri Lanka were found wanting and would be eager to bounce back hard. Dhananjaya was special with the bat and Jayasuriya was once again lethal with the ball but they would want others to step up. Join us for the second and final Test in Colombo which begins on 24th July. We hope you enjoyed our coverage. Till then, goodye and cheers!

Babar Azam | Pakistan captain: When you win the match, you grow in confidence. All credit to the boys, especially the youngsters. We lost early wickets but the way Saud and Agha played totally changed the game. Agha showed his talent and passion with both bat and ball. As a captain, I am impressed and happy with the performance. It's not easy to bat here but the way Saud played was outstanding.

Dimuth Karunaratne | Sri Lanka captain: Once we won the toss, we knew how their fast bowlers are. We lost early wickets, as top-order batters, we should contribute more, we should have contributed more and taken the responsibility. In patches we bowled really well, sometimes we leaked runs and that cost us. As a group, we have to think about the areas we have to improve on and work harder. (On Dhananjaya de Silva) He takes the responsibility and always does what the team needs. The other guys need to step up and do better.

Saud Shakeel | Player of the Match: Thanks to Almighty for giving me this opportunity. I tried to build a partnership and looked for runs. We have been working on how to play the sweep and reverse sweep and fortunately, it paid off for us. Since I am from Karachi, I am used to playing spin. However, I have also worked hard towards playing it better.

Sri Lanka kept losing wickets at regular intervals in their second innings and that dented them. A rescue act from de Silva and his gritty stand with Ramesh Mendis gave them a glimmer of hope. But, 130 on a Galle surface which held up quite decently, unlike the ones which start turning sharply since Day 3, it was always going to be under-par. Pakistan stuttered a bit in their quest to hunt the measly target but eventually registered a comfortable victory with 4 wickets in hand. Perhaps, a target around 200 would have tested the Pakistani batters as the Sri Lankan spinners did find some grip and turn in the final innings, especially Jayasuriya. Stick around for the presentations...

In reply, Pakistan were also in a spot of bother at 101/5. But, Shakeel was in a different zone altogether and produced a masterclass. He dug in along with Salman Agha and kept the hosts’ bowlers at bay. They mixed caution with aggression to perfection and kept the scoreboard ticking. Agha missed out on a ton but Shakeel carried on and shephered the lower order to perfection. Handy contributions from Noman Ali and Naseem Shah helped Shakeel to go past his maiden Test double ton. In hindsight, the hosts dropped Shakeel twice and that hurt their cause. Pakistan finished with a substantial lead of 149 runs.

11:07 Local Time, 05:37 GMT, 11:07 IST: Quite a convincing victory for Pakistan but they were made to sweat hard to earn it! Needing 131 to chase, Pakistan got off to a nervous start last evening. Sri Lanka picked up three early wickets and it was once again Jayasuriya who was into the thick of things. Pakistan were left with 83 to score on Day 5 and Imam and Babar started off in a positive manner. They lost a few wickets in the process owing to the sharp turn that was on offer but Imam was cool as a cucumber, scored a fifty and took his side to the finishing line along with Agha Salman. Earlier in the game, Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bat on a good-looking Galle surface. It was a certain Shaheen Afridi who returned to Test cricket after a year-long injury layoff and made an instant impact. He dismantled the top-order in his opening burst, also reaching the milestone of 100 Test wickets when he nipped out Nishan Madushka. The hosts lost another quick wicket and were struggling at 54/4. It was on the back of a 131-run stand between Mathews and de Silva that Sri Lanka fought back. The latter scored a brilliant ton and Sri Lanka went on to post 312.

P Jayasuriya to Agha Salman, SIX, that's it! Pakistan notch up a memorable victory and the dressing room is upbeat! Tossed up delivery, Agha Salman comes down the track, gets to the pitch of it, and lifts it downtown for a maximum. Customary handshakes all around and the Pakistani players have beaming smiles on their faces. Pakistan take a 1-0 lead in the 2-match Test series

Agha Salman, right handed bat, comes to the crease

P Jayasuriya to Sarfaraz, out Caught by K Mendis!! Needless from Sarfaraz! Tossed up delivery around off, Sarfaraz kneels down to slog-sweep it but ends up getting a top-edge towards backward square leg. Mendis judges it to perfection and gets low to catch it. Sarfaraz c K Mendis b P Jayasuriya 1(10)

P Jayasuriya to Sarfaraz, THATS OUT!! Caught!!

P Jayasuriya to Sarfaraz, no run, tossed up delivery, Sarfaraz comes down the track and pushes it against the spin to the right of P Jayasuriya

P Jayasuriya to Sarfaraz, no run, Sarfaraz uses his feet and punches it to extra cover

P Jayasuriya to Sarfaraz, no run, tossed up full ball, swept to the right of backward short leg who had anticipated and makes a good reflex stop

Ramesh Mendis to Sarfaraz, leg byes, 1 run, Sri Lanka review for LBW! It was a tossed up ball around off, Sarfaraz came down the track and tried to work it away but was struck on the pads as the ball rolled to the off-side. An appeal followed but the umpire stayed put. Time for the replays. There's no bat involved. Ball Tracking rolls in and reveals that the impact was over the 3-metre mark so the argument was put to bed

DRS!

Ramesh Mendis to Imam, 1 run, fifty for Imam! It has been a good knock from the southpaw and he gets a good round of applause from the dessing room. He steps out again and drives this one to mid-off for a brisk single

Ramesh Mendis to Imam, no run, Imam comes down the track and Ramesh Mendis shortens his length. Imam blocks it

Ramesh Mendis to Imam, no run, on a length on middle, defended solidly off the front foot

Ramesh Mendis to Imam, no run, tossed up ball on leg stump, Imam leans ahead and smothers the turn