PAK VS SL - 1st Test, Sri Lanka tour of Pakistan Test Series, 2019

Sigh, a real bummer! Lot was expected of this historic Test match but the (bad) weather had its major say, consuming almost three days of play and thus, denying a great viewing experience for us and the fans in Pakistan. Both teams had their moments of joy and despair coupled with a bit of luck, and the 'ton-up' experience will be the one to remember for the trio of Dhananjaya de Silva, Abid Ali and Babar Azam. The crowd were in full flow today and I'm sure a few of them would be planning their trip to Karachi next week, to witness the second and final Test of this series of course. That is all we have from this rain-hugged encounter. Until next one, this is Raju Peethala waving goodbye on behalf of Abhinand Raghavendran, MS Ramakrishnan and our scoring master Sreenivas V.

Azhar Ali, Pakistan skipper: We were all happy with the way our batsmen batted today. Everyone tried to apply themselves and congratulations to Abid Ali and Babar on the milestone. I was feeling confident, looked good and got out. It's never good to be in that situation. I got some confidence, hopefully I can build on it in the next game. The good thing about this bowling attack is they look threatening most of the times. They get movement off the seam and in the air as well, but Test cricket demands consistency for a longer period of time and we are working on that. I would like to thank all the crowd who came out to support Test cricket in Pakistan. It's very fascinating to see and it's a special feeling and we had been missing this as a bowler or a batter, we didn't have this kind of backing before. We had to wait for 9-10 years, it's unfortunate but happy moment as well, it started at least.

Dimuth Karunaratne, Sri Lankan skipper: The batters did well and unfortunately couple of days got washed out. We have some positives, want to learn from our mistakes and move on. Lahiru and Kasun bowled really well. We need to look at the positives and see how it goes in Karachi, hopefully it won't rain. I would like to thank all the Pakistan fans, they supported us as well and those are the things you look forward to in cricket. They were really good and humble and we love the Pakistan fans and we hope to get the same support in Karachi as well.

Abid Ali, Man of the Match: Never thought of this, all glory to God. I was tensed but Babar gave me confidence and told me to wait for my time and not force any errors. I want to thank the crowd, coaching staff and all the players. It's a dream come true moment for me and I want to dedicate this special moment to my family and especially my daughter. I was not relaxed, actually my focus was to give hundred percent for the team and stay on the wicket. I'm in that phase where I'm enjoying my cricket. My target was to see off the new ball and I kept short targets for every phase and I got a lot of confidence from players and the coaching staff. Really pleased. Once again, special thanks to all the crowd who have come out in large numbers and supported us.

16:23 Local Time, 11:23 GMT, 16:53 IST: Right then, the lightmetre is out and the players seem to be happy shaking hands. The Test match is done and it, dare I say, is a draw. Both teams will gain 20 points from this game and with that, Pakistan are off the mark in World Test Championship table. Plenty of hugs and pats to the two centurions as they mosey back to the dressing room. All the traditional references aside, today - it appeared as if - was a day for records. Three batters got to hundreds and that was the only takeaway from this rain-marred game. Sri Lanka declared soon after Dhananjaya's milestone and post that, we witnessed a batting masterclass from Babar Azam and Abid Ali. Sri Lankan bowlers, apart from the initial burst, showed no urgency to create inroads and that questionable intent may have been majorly influenced by the final outcome of this game. Hang on for the presentations...

Dhananjaya de Silva to Babar Azam, no run, full and dipping at the toes, nudged with soft hands into the leg-side

Dhananjaya de Silva to Babar Azam, no run, slides onto the pads, Babar Azam opens the bat face and tucks to square leg

Dhananjaya de Silva to Babar Azam, no run, full on middle and leg, Babar Azam gets across and flicks to mid-wicket

Dhananjaya de Silva to Babar Azam, no run, low full toss on the pads, flicked away to the right of mid-wicket

Dhananjaya de Silva to Babar Azam, no run, tossed up around off, Babar Azam prods forward to block

Dhananjaya de Silva to Babar Azam, no run, full on middle and leg, blocked off the front foot

Dhananjaya de Silva to Abid Ali, no ball, 1 run, Dhananjaya oversteps! A flatter delivery has been punched to long-on

Dilruwan Perera to Babar Azam, no run, touch short on off, Babar Azam is happy to show a dead bat

Dilruwan Perera to Babar Azam, no run, quicker on off, Babar Azam leans forward and blocks

Dilruwan Perera to Abid Ali, 1 run, flat and just outside off, knocked down to long-off

Dilruwan Perera to Babar Azam, 1 run, sits back and punches the quicker delivery to long-on

Dilruwan Perera to Babar Azam, no run, fullish on off, blocked off the front foot

Dilruwan Perera to Babar Azam, FOUR, punched through covers and that's it. First Test century in home for Babar Azam and he celebrates the moment by doing a Sajda. Abid Ali was on 59 when Babar walked to the crease and one quick glance at the scoreboard now shall tell you why Babar Azam is right up there with the best. One of the most fluent Test hundreds if ever there was one. Crashed this through the off-side and roared in joy....he instantly knew that was a boundary

Dhananjaya de Silva to Abid Ali, no run, pushed through full outside off, driven down to long-off and Abid Ali says no for the single

Dhananjaya de Silva to Abid Ali, no run, very full on the stumps, jammed back to the bowler