SL vs PAK, 2nd Test: Lankan bowlers floor the visitors
Sri Lanka owned Day 2 proceedings against Babar Azam-led Pakistan in the second Test in Galle. Resuming from 315/6, the hosts added 63 runs, courtesy of Niroshan Dickwella (51) and later Ramesh Mendis (35). Naseem Shah and Yasir Shah swept the Lankan tail. Pakistan lost wickets at regular intervals to be left reeling at 191/7 at stumps. They trail by 194 runs.
Dickwella's quick-fire innings got him to his 22nd fifty in the longest format. He hit six fours and a six. However, his hostile show came to an end in the 92nd over, where he pulled one off Naseem only to edge it straight to the keeper. Nonetheless, the middle-order batter had done his job, having smashed 51 off 54 deliveries.
Dunith Wellalage (11) gloved a shorter one off the former to be caught by Babar. Short-ball ploy from Naseem got the better of Dickwella later. A googly from Yasir got Prabath Jayasuriya out LBW. Mendis put up a fight but eventually fell prey to a flipper that hit the off stump. Naseem concluded with figures of 3/58, while Yasir snared 3/83.
Salman Agha had played over 40 FC games before debuting in Tests. He willed his domestic experience to dish out a cracking 62 off 126 deliveries. He battered four fours and a six. Agha's innings was cut short just before Day 2, as he edged Jayasuriya straight to the first slip. He fetched a pivotal 46-run stand alongside Yasir to get Pakistan past 190.
Fawad Alam, who replaced Azhar Ali in the playing XI, scored a decent 24 off 69 deliveries with just one four. With that, the southpaw managed to breach the 1,000-run mark in Tests after 13 years, having debuted back in 2009. He now has 1,010 runs in 19 Tests. He averages a decent 40.40. He has five hundreds and two fifties to his name.
Asitha Fernando bowled out Abdullah Shafique on the very second delivery. An inside edge off Jayasuriya got the better of Babar. Dhananjaya de Silva bested Imam-ul-Haq to claim his only wicket of Day 2. An arm ball from Mendis got Mohammad Rizwan out LBW. He pocketed two more scalps to finish with 3/42. Jayasuriya was spot on with Agha's wicket in the final moments.
