SL vs PAK, 2nd Test: Naseem, Abrar rattle hosts
Sri Lanka have been bundled out for their lowest first-innings total (166) at Colombo's Sinhalese Sports Club in the ongoing second and final Test against Pakistan. They could not maximize their decision of winning the toss and batting first as Naseem Shah and Abrar Ahmed ran through their batting line-up. While the former dismissed three batters, Ahmed took four wickets. Here are their stats.
A tough outing for SL batters
Naseem took two wickets upfront in the form of Dimuth Karunaratne (17) and Angelo Mathews (9), reducing SL to 36/4. He then got the better of Dinesh Chandimal (34), who stitched an 85-run stand with Dhananjaya de Silva (57). Ahmed was brilliant with the old ball as he dismissed Dhananjaya, Ramesh Mendis (27), Asitha Fernando (8), and Sadeera Samarawickrama (0).
50 Test wickets loading for Naseem
Naseem, who made his Test debut in November 2019 against Australia, has now raced to 48 wickets in 17 games at 35.02. The tally includes a hat-trick. Against Sri Lanka, he has raced to 20 wickets in six Tests at 26.80. His solitary Test fifer has also come against SL. Notably, he claimed three wickets in the preceding Test as well.
Stunning start to Ahmed's career
Ahmed made his Test debut against England last year and claimed a fifer in his maiden appearance. In six Tests now, the leg-spinner has now raced to 38 wickets at an average of 30.18. The tally includes two fifers and a match 10-wicket haul as well. The leggie recorded twin three-wicket hauls in the preceding Test as well.
Lowest score for SL in Colombo
As mentioned, SL recorded their lowest first-innings score at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Tests. Their previous lowest total in this regard was 168 against South Africa back in September 1993. Overall, the Lankan Lions recorded the fourth-lowest first-innings score at this venue. They are behind Bangladesh (89 and 90) and Zimbabwe (141). Notably, Pakistan are 1-0 up in the two-match series.
