Staff Reporter
Karachi
Pakistan celebrated the return of Test cricket for the first time in over 10 years with a convincing 263-run win over Sri Lanka in the second Test in Karachi on Monday, taking the series 1-0.
It took just 14 minutes and 16 ball for Pakistan to wrap up the win on the fifth morning as they took Sri Lanka’s last three wickets without any addition to their overnight 212.
Fast bowler Naseem Shah on Monday became the youngest fast bowler to take a five-wicket haul in an innings of a Test. Shah, aged 16 year and 311 days, surpassed his countryman Mohammad Amir to become the youngest ever fast bowler.
Amir had claimed a fiver against Australia at the age of 17 years 257 days in 2009 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Shah picked up the wickets of Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Dilruwan Perera, Lasith Embduldeniya and Vishwa Fernando to finish with 5/31 in 12.5 overs.
The young fast bowler, however, missed by few days to become the overall youngest ever bowler with any style of bowling to claim a five wickets in an innings of a Test.
The players of Pakistan Cricket team visited the Sri Lankan dressing room at the conclusion of Karachi Test to thank them for visiting Pakistan to play the Test series. An official of team Pakistan confirmed to Geo.tv that players went to Sri Lankan dressing room with a gesture of saying thanks to them.
Pakistan had declared their second innings on Sunday at 555, giving the hosts a daunting task to chase 476 runs after recovering from an 80-run first innings trail. Pakistan’s first four batsmen had hammered tons in the second innings that included superb knocks from Abid Ali (174), Shan Masood (135), skipper Azhar Ali (118) and Babar Azam (unbeaten 100). It is only the second time in a Test innings that all the top four batsmen had scored centuries.
Sri Lankan batsmen, who on the last day of the match, resumed their innings from their overnight total of 212/7 remained unable to add to their score on the 14-minute and 16-ball stay at the crease. Naseem Shah, who was pick of the bowlers on Sunday after claiming three wickets, once again looked in full rhythm, bowling at perfect line and length to add two more scalps to his tally to finish with five for 3 in his 12.5 overs.
Yasir Shah took two wickets, while Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Abbas and Haris Sohail captured one wicket apiece. Naseem’s feat made him the youngest pacer and overall second youngest bowler to pick up five-wicket haul in an innings of a Test match. His accomplishment came at an age of 16 years and 307 days. Pakistan’s slow left-arm bowler, Nasim-ul-Ghani is at the top of the list of youngest bowlers to take five wickets in a Test innings. He was 16 years and 303 days when he took five wickets for 116 against West Indies at Georgetown in 1958.
The win, which is also Pakistan’s first series triumph against Sri Lanka at home since 1992 saw them occupying third slot in the World Test Championship table. They accumulated 80 points in the series, 60 from Karachi’s win and 20 from the drawn Test at Rawalpindi. India with 360 points are at the top, while Australia with 216 points are at number two position—APP
