Saud Shakeel turned into the primary Pakistan batter to make a double hundred in Sri Lanka because the guests took keep an eye on of the primary take a look at after making 461 on Tuesday.
In the back of via 149 runs at the first innings, Sri Lanka diminished that to 135 when it was once 14 for no loss via stumps on day 3.
Shakeel was once stranded on 208 no longer out, his 2nd century in two checks, when Pakistan was once all out after tea.
In six checks since his debut in December, he has scored a double hundred, 100 and 5 half-centuries. He has a Bradmanesque moderate of 98.5. Shakeel was once the mainstay of Pakistan’s innings via sewing precious partnerships with the decrease center order and the tail after the highest order collapsed.
At 101-5, a first-innings lead was once the very last thing on Pakistan’s thoughts, however Shakeel added 177 runs with Agha Salman to rescue his aspect. The partnership was once a file for Pakistan for the 6th wicket in opposition to Sri Lanka, bettering at the 173-run stand between Sarfaraz Ahmed and Asad Shafiq in Dubai in 2017.
“Once I went in to bat, I sought after to assault,” Shakeel mentioned. “If I had attempted to be defensive we might have were given bowled out for 150. That’s the explanation I attacked and was once ready to take the sport deep.
“We have now been operating to play this type of attacking cricket again within the camp at house. The training personnel sponsored me. Beautiful proud of the hassle.” With an unorthodox batting method, Shakeel used his toes expertly to the spinners, punishing the unfastened balls and forcing the Sri Lankans to unfold the sphere all through his stand with Salman.
Ramesh Mendis made the step forward within the rain-affected morning consultation when he had Salman stumped for 83. Batting with the tail, Shakeel modified gears, rather content material to farm the strike from the tail and the strategy labored.
After lunch, Shakeel prolonged the seventh-wicket stand with Noman Ali to 52 runs. He added a fit defining 94 runs with Naseem Shah for the 9th wicket. Naseem’s contribution was once simply six runs.
“After we have been 8 wickets down and Naseem Shah joined me, he mentioned that there’s a possibility for me to head for the double hundred,” Shakeel mentioned. “Lot of credit score for him for backing me and no longer letting me panic.” Sri Lanka was once sloppy within the box as Shakeel was once dropped two times, on 93 via Nishan Madushka at leg gully and on 139 via Angelo Mathews at deep midwicket.
The left-handed batsman reached his double hundred reducing Dhananjaya de Silva in the back of sq., bisecting the fielders for 4.
When ultimate guy Abrar Ahmed was once pushed aside for 10 with the entire on 461, Shakeel was once unbeaten after a marathon innings lasting for 506 mins, through which he confronted 361 balls and hit 19 obstacles.
Simplest two out of the country avid gamers — West Indies’ Chris Gayle (333) and England’s Joe Root (228) — have upper innings in Galle than Shakeel.
Mendis completed with a five-wicket haul, his 5th in 13 checks, whilst Prabath Jayasuriya claimed 3 wickets. General, the Sri Lanka bowlers struggled in opposition to the suave batsmanship of Shakeel.
Sri Lanka’s openers confronted 3.4 overs with out hassle ahead of unhealthy mild pressured an early finish to play. However they’ve an enormous ask at their palms on day 4. “It’s a very powerful day within the take a look at fit,” Sri Lanka trainer Chris Silverwood mentioned. “We need to pop out and put our absolute best foot ahead.
“We have now no longer been our absolute best with the ball. Nice to peer Ramesh take 5 wickets. However as a unit we can have carried out higher. We posed superb questions the day gone by. We neglected a couple of key probabilities as neatly and that proved to be pricey.”