Having posted an imposing total in their first innings, courtesy of Saud Shakeel’s magnificent double century, Pakistan had firmly established their position of strength. The onus was on the Sri Lankan batters to navigate their team out of trouble and erase the deficit in their second innings.
As play resumed on Day 4, Sri Lanka lost the early wickets of Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis within 25 overs, putting them in a precarious situation. Mathews, who had scored a resilient 64 runs off 109 deliveries in the first innings, was once again expected to lead the charge and rescue his team from a potentially dire situation.
However, Mathews’ stay at the crease was short-lived. In the 33rd over, left-arm spinner Noman Ali came round the wicket and bowled a well-directed length ball around the off-stump. Mathews, looking to defend, saw the ball take the edge and fly quickly towards Babar, positioned at slip.
Showing incredible reflexes and lightning-fast reactions, Babar launched himself to his left, stretching his arm out, and plucked the ball out of thin air with one hand. The crowd erupted in applause as they witnessed the magnificence of Babar’s catch. The dismissal left Mathews, who could only manage 7 runs, visibly disappointed, while Pakistan celebrated the crucial breakthrough.
Here is the video:
Babar Azam with another world class catch, you just cannot keep him out of the game#SLvPAK pic.twitter.com/qciI4dWDH1
— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) July 19, 2023
Meanwhile on the fourth day Sri Lanka have taken a lead of 48 runs after 62 overs of play but have lost six wickets in the process. Ramesh Mendis (12 not out) and Dhananjaya de Silva (48 not out) are currently at the crease.
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