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<div>Sri Lanka would have felt they were on track for victory at the end of day three of the first Test, until Abdullah Shafique and Co wiped out victory in the final two days. But even Sri Lanka realized that their performance was far from complete. If you bat first in Galle, you need to score “350 to 400 runs” to control the game, Dhananjaya de Silva had said after the game. They had made 222.</div>
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<div>Then, in the second innings, only Prabath Jayasuriya looked like a wicket-taking threat to the majority of Pakistan’s 127.2 overs at the crease, and Sri Lanka lost a game that seemed in the bag.</div>
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<p>It wasn’t quite a perfect Test for Pakistan either, but in Shafique they now have a Test batter that currently yields bigger numbers than even Babar Azam. Their weakness, like Sri Lanka’s, is the bowling attack, which is a strange thing to say about a Pakistani side.</p>
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<div>Their seamen are excellent in fields that offer them something, but in Galle no significant backward swing has been observed over three running tests. Other than Mohammad Nawaz, their spinners weren’t particularly consistent in the second innings either.</div>
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<p>As always, the problem with these teams is that they don’t play remotely as expected from one game to the next. On the surface, it seems Pakistan should continue the momentum of a monumental pursuit and put significant pressure on the hosts.</p>
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<p>But series between these teams often surprises. Perhaps in this – and this would be the biggest surprise of all, given the way the first test went – both teams will take all their chances.</p>
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<p>(Last five games, most recent first)</p>
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<p>Sri Lanka LWLWD<br />Pakistan WLDDW</p>
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<div>Angelo Mathews will play its 100th Test. It’s been quite a career. He’s been beating all day trying to save a Test away from home. He has hit many big innings in the company of the tail, most memorable being 160 at Headingley which helped turn a difficult situation into a win. He’s also had a public fight with a coach, and many minor humiliations, and has been sidelined for months due to leg injuries, but he was also part of some of Sri Lanka’s biggest Test wins.</div>
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<p>He is now only selected for Tests, meaning this may be his last international until March next year. A large contribution would be the perfect way to celebrate the occasion.</p>
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<div>Abdullah Shafique, only 22 years old, has an average of 80 and a great fourth inning is on his name. There are plenty of batters out there who have test careers of 12 years with no innings as impressive as the 160 no outs he just played in Galle. Shafique did it in his 11th innings. The most impressive thing about the knock was that it wasn’t a guess.</div>
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<p>Supporting his defense, he saw out 408 balls, even though he was occasionally — but not madly — lucky enough to survive. And in partnerships with batters who have played a lot more cricket than him, Shafique seemed to be the more experienced player.</p>
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<p>It’s Galle, so it will run. And it’s July, so at some point the weather will intrude. It has been nine years since the draw was held at this location, so a result is always likely.</p>
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<div>Sri Lanka has Pathum Nissanka back in the squad, but as Oshada Fernando has scored points, he can keep his position. Meanwhile, the injured Maheesh Theekshana has been ruled out. So Dunith Wellalage, the left-arm spin bowling all-rounder, is likely to make his debut.</div>
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<p>Sri Lanka (possibly): 1 Oshada Fernando, 2 Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Angelo Mathews, 5 Dhananjaya de Silva, 6 Dinesh Chandimal, 7 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 8 Ramesh Mendis, 9 Dunith Wellalage, 10 Prabath Jayasuriya , 11 Asitha Fernando</p>
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<div>Pakistan may bring in left arm spinner Nauman Ali for Shaheen Shah Afridi, who is out with a knee injury. In the first Test they seemed to have too many gears at times, given the condition of the pitch. Afridi had taken four wickets in the first innings of that match, but Pakistan could go with a better combination this time.</div>
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<p>Pakistan (possibly): 1 Abdullah Shafique, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Babar Azam (capt), 5 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 6 Agha Salman, 7 Mohammad Nawaz, 8 Nauman Ali, 9 Hasan Ali, 10 Yasir Shah, 11 Naseem Shah</p>
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Sri Lanka would have felt they were on track for victory at the end of day three of the first Test, until Abdullah Shafique and Co wiped out victory in the final two days. But even Sri Lanka realized that their performance was far from complete. If you bat first in Galle, you need to score “350 to 400 runs” to control the game, Dhananjaya de Silva had said after the game. They had made 222.
Then, in the second innings, only Prabath Jayasuriya looked like a wicket-taking threat to the majority of Pakistan’s 127.2 overs at the crease, and Sri Lanka lost a game that seemed in the bag.
It wasn’t quite a perfect Test for Pakistan either, but in Shafique they now have a Test batter that currently yields bigger numbers than even Babar Azam. Their weakness, like Sri Lanka’s, is the bowling attack, which is a strange thing to say about a Pakistani side.
Their seamen are excellent in fields that offer them something, but in Galle no significant backward swing has been observed over three running tests. Other than Mohammad Nawaz, their spinners weren’t particularly consistent in the second innings either.
As always, the problem with these teams is that they don’t play remotely as expected from one game to the next. On the surface, it seems Pakistan should continue the momentum of a monumental pursuit and put significant pressure on the hosts.
But series between these teams often surprises. Perhaps in this – and this would be the biggest surprise of all, given the way the first test went – both teams will take all their chances.
(Last five games, most recent first)
Sri Lanka LWLWD Pakistan WLDDW
Angelo Mathews will play its 100th Test. It’s been quite a career. He’s been beating all day trying to save a Test away from home. He has hit many big innings in the company of the tail, most memorable being 160 at Headingley which helped turn a difficult situation into a win. He’s also had a public fight with a coach, and many minor humiliations, and has been sidelined for months due to leg injuries, but he was also part of some of Sri Lanka’s biggest Test wins.
He is now only selected for Tests, meaning this may be his last international until March next year. A large contribution would be the perfect way to celebrate the occasion.
Abdullah Shafique, only 22 years old, has an average of 80 and a great fourth inning is on his name. There are plenty of batters out there who have test careers of 12 years with no innings as impressive as the 160 no outs he just played in Galle. Shafique did it in his 11th innings. The most impressive thing about the knock was that it wasn’t a guess.
Supporting his defense, he saw out 408 balls, even though he was occasionally — but not madly — lucky enough to survive. And in partnerships with batters who have played a lot more cricket than him, Shafique seemed to be the more experienced player.
It’s Galle, so it will run. And it’s July, so at some point the weather will intrude. It has been nine years since the draw was held at this location, so a result is always likely.
Sri Lanka has Pathum Nissanka back in the squad, but as Oshada Fernando has scored points, he can keep his position. Meanwhile, the injured Maheesh Theekshana has been ruled out. So Dunith Wellalage, the left-arm spin bowling all-rounder, is likely to make his debut.
Pakistan may bring in left arm spinner Nauman Ali for Shaheen Shah Afridi, who is out with a knee injury. In the first Test they seemed to have too many gears at times, given the condition of the pitch. Afridi had taken four wickets in the first innings of that match, but Pakistan could go with a better combination this time.
Pakistan (possibly): 1 Abdullah Shafique, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Babar Azam (capt), 5 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 6 Agha Salman, 7 Mohammad Nawaz, 8 Nauman Ali, 9 Hasan Ali, 10 Yasir Shah, 11 Naseem Shah
