Saud Shakeel played a knock of 57 runs© AFP
Pakistan are enjoying their dominance over Sri Lanka in the ongoing second Test in Colombo. At stumps on Day 3, the visitors have posted a score of 563/5 and have taken a lead by 397 runs. The main contributions were made by Abdullah Shafique, who smashed 201 runs, and Salman Ali Agha, who scored his second Test century. Apart from them, another player who delivered a brilliant performance was Saud Shakeel, who played a knock 57 runs and created a new world record in the longest format of the game.
The 27-year-old batter, who has played only seven matches so far, brought up his sixth Test half-century. Apart from this, he has smashed a century and a double hundred and became the first batter in history to his fifty-plus scores in each of his first seven Tests.
Shakeel has surpassed the likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Basil Butcher, Saeed Ahmad and Bert Sutcliffe, who scored fifty or more runs in each of their first six matches.
Talking about the match, opener Abdullah Shafique’s maiden double century and an unbeaten 132 by Agha Salman put Pakistan in the box seat Wednesday on day three of the second Test against Sri Lanka.
The tourists reached 563-5 at stumps, leading Sri Lanka by 397 runs in their first innings at Colombo’s Sinhalese Sports Club. Salman and concussion substitute Mohammad Rizwan, on 37, were batting in an unbeaten stand of 95 after Shafique’s departure on 201.
Salman played attacking cricket to reinforce Pakistan’s new aggressive style in this series and reached his second Test ton with a boundary. Shafique led the mammoth reply in response to Sri Lanka’s 166 as he put on three century stands including a 124-run sixth-wicket partnership with Salman.
(With AFP Inputs)
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