'Ye to historic moment hai' - Fans react as Pakistan wins first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle by 4 wickets

In the first Test of the Sri Lanka tour, Pakistan beat the hosts by four wickets. In their comprehensive victory, batter Saud Shakeel shined.

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Rohit Kumar
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Pakistan Cricket Team

Pakistan Cricket Team (Source: Twitter)

In the first Test of the Sri Lanka tour, Pakistan beat the hosts by four wickets. In their comprehensive victory, Pakistan batter Saud Shakeel shined with the bat. Shakeel hammered a match-winning century in adverse conditions in the first innings to take his team to the winning side.

On the fifth day of the match, Pakistan needed a modest target of 83 runs for victory. Despite the expectations of challenging conditions for the batters due to spin, the visitors displayed great determination and footwork to tackle it. Imam-ul-Haq's composed half-century paved the way for a comfortable victory, and Saud Shakeel's quick cameo further expedited the process.

Earlier in the match, Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat first. However, their batting performance was not up to par. Apart from Dhananjaya de Silva's century and Angelo Mathews' half-century, not a single batter looked comfortable. On the other hand, Pakistan showcased a splendid team effort, with Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Abrar Ahmed claiming three wickets each in the first innings, causing significant damage to Sri Lanka's batting lineup. With their efforts, Sri Lanka posted a decent total of 312/10 in the first inning.

Saud Shakeel's double century proved to be a game-changer

In response, Pakistan faced some early troubles as Prabhat Jayasuriya, Rajitha, and R Mendis took five wickets. Their amazing bowling performance pushed the visitors way back in the game as they were crumbling at 101/5. However, middle-order batter Saed Shakeel came up with a different mindset. Shakeel fought against the odds and scored a magnificent double-century. He, along with Agha Salman, added 177 runs for the sixth wicket stand. This partnership proved to be a game-changer for the visitors.

However, in the second innings, Sri Lanka fought well but failed to put up a fighting total. Pakistan needed just 133 runs to win the game. Despite some early breakthroughs, the hosts failed to capitalise on the opportunity. Notably, this is Pakistan's first Test victory in the last year, as they failed to win games against England and Australia at home.

Here is how fans reacted to Pakistan's victory:

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