The star of the day four was Noman Ali, whose extraordinary bowling performance left the Sri Lankan batters bewildered. Noman’s magical spin and craftiness on the field resulted in a career-best 7/70 in just his 15th Test game. He teased and bewildered the batters, showcasing his mastery in flight, change of pace, turn and bounce. His impeccable performance played a pivotal role in guiding Pakistan to this historic victory, as he dismantled the Sri Lankan batting order in the second innings, claiming seven wickets.
Led by Abdullah Shafique’s brilliant double century and Agha Salman‘s sensational century, Pakistan declared their first innings at a mammoth 5/576 in response to Sri Lanka’s meagre total of 166. The lead was so substantial that Pakistan did not require a second batting turn, thanks to Noman’s devastating spell.
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In the second innings, Sri Lanka started with promise, registering an opening stand of 69 runs, but soon, Noman’s magic took over again. He dismissed Nishan Madushka with his very first ball of the day, setting the tone for the rest of the innings. Although skipper Dimuth Karunaratne and Angelo Mathews put up some resistance, the Sri Lankan batting line-up couldn’t withstand the relentless pressure from Noman and Naseem Shah, who claimed two crucial wickets.
Sri Lanka’s captain, Dimuth Karunaratne and the team management have much to contemplate after this humbling defeat. The home team’s performance fell well below expectations, and they were completely outplayed and outmatched by the clinical Pakistan side.
On the other hand, Pakistan will be jubilant with their brilliant start to the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-2025 campaign, bagging a maximum of 24 points. The visitors showcased their skills and abilities, leaving no doubt about their prowess in Test cricket.
Here’s how Twitter reacted:
THE WINNING CAPTAIN.#PAKvSL | #SLvPAK | #PAKvsSL pic.twitter.com/7qnV14k5dM
— Ehtisham Siddique (@iMShami_) July 27, 2023
VICTORY IT IS!
What a performance by the entire team, special stuff by @Ali17Noman in the second inning@imabd28 and @SalmanAliAgha1 were exceptional with the bat indeed. Congratulations everyone on the inning defeat, that’s what you call a dominating performance
#SLvPAK pic.twitter.com/I4yFXiqiYt
— Fawad Alam (@iamfawadalam25) July 27, 2023
Pakistan have won the Test match by an innings an 222 runs, won the series in Sri Lanka 2-0
Alhamdulillah for Babar Azam and his team. Pakistan Zindabad
— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) July 27, 2023
Man of The Match goes to One And Only Abdullah Shafique for his 201 first Pakistan batter to do it in Sri Lanka. #PAKvSL #SLvPAK #SLvsPAK pic.twitter.com/unS327Z1Xe
— Shaharyar Ejaz(@SharyOfficial) July 27, 2023
𝐏𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞-
𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐫𝐢 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐚
Well played, boys
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) July 27, 2023
Player of the match @imabd28
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) July 27, 2023
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