Batter Saud Shakeel set a world record in the second Test against Sri Lanka on Wednesday by becoming the first player in Test history to score 50+ runs in each of his first seven matches.
Before Shakeel, India’s Sunil Gavaskar, Pakistan’s Saeed Ahmed, West Indies’ Basil Butcher and New Zealand’s Bert Sutcliffe scored half-centuries in each of the first six Tests of their career.
Last week, the left-hander hit his maiden double century in Tests and became the first Pakistani batsman to achieve the feat on Sri Lankan soil.
During the third day of the second Test on Wednesday, Sri Lanka’s Asitha Fernando cut short Shakeel’s knock on 57 in the afternoon session to take his wicket tally to three.
The fast bowler came around the wicket to trap the left-handed Shakeel lbw and end a 109-run partnership with Abdullah Shafique.
However, Shafique’s maiden double century and an unbeaten 132 by Agha Salman put Pakistan in the box seat. The tourists subsequently reached 563-5 at stumps, leading Sri Lanka by 397 runs in their first innings at Colombo’s Sinhalese Sports Club.—AFP
