SL vs PAK: Dhananjaya de Silva slams a crucial 82
What's the story
Sri Lanka batter Dhananjaya de Silva continues his bright form in Test cricket. The middle-order batter slammed a crucial 82 off 118 balls in the second innings (1st Test) as SL took a challenging lead over Pakistan. Dhananjaya, along with Ramesh Mendis, took SL from 175/6 to 251. The former, who reached three figures in the first innings, missed another ton by a whisker.
Knock
A valiant knock from Dhananjaya
Dhananjaya faced a tough situation for the second time in the ongoing Test. SL had lost their top four for just 99 runs. The hosts, who still had to cut down the deficit, were powered by Dhananjaya's knock. He added 76 runs with Mendis and took SL past 250. The former smashed a 118-ball 82, a knock laced with 10 fours and 2 sixes.
Stats
Dhananjaya gets past 3,200 Test runs
In March this year, Dhananjaya became the 15th Sri Lankan batter to amass 3,000 runs in Tests. He got the milestone in his 47th Test. The all-rounder now tallies 3,234 runs at 39.92 in Tests. Besides 10 tons, he owns 12 fifties as well. With his off-spin, the 31-year-old has so far scalped 34 Test wickets at 56.35.
Stats
Dhananjaya completes 500 Test runs against Pakistan
Dhananjaya had slammed his third Test century against Pakistan. Notably, most of his centuries in the format have come against this side. During the second innings, the Lankan batter also completed 500 runs against Pakistan in Tests. He now owns 514 runs in five Tests against them at 61.04. Meanwhile, in 2023, the 31-year-old has raced to 419 runs in five Tests at 69.83.