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Pakistan overcame a real scare to win the first test against Sri Lanka by four wickets.

Tourists from Pakistan who did play a majority of the last World Test championships at home, started this campaign by traveling to Sri Lanka.

A potential banana skin awaited Babar’s men. Batting first hosts Sri Lanka slipped to 54-4, but Dhananjaya de Silva (121) and Angelo Matthews (64) put on 131 for the fifth wicket.

Pakistan would have thought this would open the floodgates, but Sadeera Samarawickrama (36) showed some resistance in an attempt to stop the procession of wickets.

The last four wickets fell for 70 and that helped the home side get over to 300. Pakistan in reply, got off to just as bad of a start as Sri Lanka did.

When wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed for 17, lbw by Prabath Jayasuriya, Babar’s men were 101-5.

If the Pakistani camp were worried, they need not be Saud Shakeel (208 not out) and Salman Agha (83), combined to put on 177 for the sixth wicket.

When the latter was out stumped, Shakeel was supported by Nauman Ali (25) and Abarar Ahmed (10 off 12) which helped Saud to a maiden double ton.

As a result of the Pakistani middle-order batsmen’s heroics, his side built a 149 first-innings lead.

Sri Lanka were in periods in this match in a position of strength, but now needed a mammoth effort to stay in the game.

Nishan Madushka (52), Dhananjaya de Silva again with an impressive knock (82) and Ramesh Mendis (40) all made decent contributions, but as a team, Dimuth Karunaratne’s men could only muster 276 all out.

That meant that Pakistan needed just 131 to win the first test. The tourists couldn’t have got their run chase off to a worse start.

Pakistan slipped to 38-3. Babar Azam (24), Saud Shakeel (30) and an unbeaten 50 from Imam Ul-Haq, helped the tourists get over the line, but only just.

The second test starts on 23rd July at Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo (SSC).

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