On the fifth day of the first Test against Sri Lanka at the Galle International Stadium, Pakistan started batting with teenage batsman Abdullah Shafique at the crease to lead an effort to chase down a 342 run mark.
Pakistan's drive was being led by 22-year-old Abdullah Shafique, who was playing only his sixth Test match, when he was unbeaten on 112. Vice-captain Mohammad Rizwan was standing next him on 7, having come into bat six overs prior to stumps when skipper Babar Azam misjudged the ball's line and was bowled around the legs after scoring 55.
When he reached 30, Babar, who had made 119 runs in the first innings and had became the 19th Pakistani player to achieve 3,000 Test runs, added 101 runs for the third wicket with Abdullah. In his 104-ball innings, Babar hit four fours and a six.
While picking up the wickets of Azhar Ali (six) and Babar Azam, left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya, who had taken 17 wickets in the three innings before to Pakistan's run-chase, was forced to toil on a surface he preferred when he finished the day with statistics of 35-6-89-2.
Imam-ul-Haq, the opener, was unfortunate and unlucky to have his foot briefly in the air when he was stumped by Ramesh Mendis. The left-hander shared 87 runs for the first wicket with Abdullah during his 73-ball 35 while seeming stable and at ease.
The middle and lower middle-order, which might not have the same experience as Misbah-ul-side Haq's from the 2015 Test, will need to give Abdullah his full backing. However, where there is a will, there is a method, and Abdullah has shown that success is only achievable if every delivery is played on its own merit and no chance is lost to keep the scoreboard moving.
Prior to being bowled for 337, Sri Lanka started their second innings with a score of 329 for nine. Dinesh Chandimal returned undefeated on 94 after adding eight runs to his overnight total of 86. When Naseem Shah defeated Jayasuriya, he was the last man standing.
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