Pakistan toured Sri Lanka in 2022 for two Test matches and drew the series 1-1. Sa’adi Thawfeeq’s report appeared in the 2023 edition of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack.

Hot on the heels of the Australians, Pakistan arrived in Sri Lanka for a short series. Mass protests sparked by an economic crisis were still taking place around the country, which meant the Second Test was switched from the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo to Galle, whose ground became the first to stage four Test matches inside a month. On the field, Sri Lanka came from behind to square the series, as they had against Australia.

Pakistan had chased down a target of 342 in the first match, thanks mainly to Abdullah Shafique’s unbeaten 160, but could not overhaul 508 in the second. Sri Lanka’s hero was slow left-armer Prabath Jayasuriya, who continued a meteoric start to his career: after taking 12 wickets on debut against Australia, he added 17. Only Indian leg-spinner Narendra Hirwani has taken more in his first three Tests.

Dinesh Chandimal maintained his purple patch, scoring 271 runs at 90, and just missing out on a century when stranded on 94 in the first Test. For Pakistan, Babar Azam lived up to his reputation, making a superb hundred in the first match and a fighting 81 in the second; he also ended up with 271 runs. Pakistan were without key fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi in the Second Test, after he picked up a knee injury. Although teenage quick Naseem Shah partly made up for his absence, Hassan Ali finished that game wicketless. Pakistan’s spinners suffered in comparison with their hosts: in his comeback series, Yasir Shah’s nine wickets cost 39 each, while slow left-armer Mohammad Nawaz was flattered by his five-for in the first Test.

Bangladesh touring party: *Babar Azam, Abdullah Shafique, Agha Salman, Azhar Ali, Fahim Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Haris Rauf, Hassan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Nauman Ali, Sarfraz Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Yasir Shah. Coach: Saqlain Mushtaq.

First Test at Galle, July 16-20, 2022: Pakistan won by 220 runs

Pakistan 12pts. Toss: Sri Lanka. Test debut: Agha Salman.

Pakistan looked up against it when set 342. The highest successful chase in 36 previous matches here had been Sri Lanka’s 268 against New Zealand in September 2019 – but with Abdullah Shafique dropping anchor for 160 not out, they pulled it off. He wore down the bowlers, batting for 524 minutes and hitting only seven fours (and a six) from 408 balls. “He showed his class and temperament,” said a delighted Babar Azam. But the Sri Lankans had only themselves to blame: Shafique was dropped three times off de Silva. Pakistan’s victory echoed their last Test on the island, in July 2015, when they stormed past a target of 377 at Pallekele.

Such heroics seemed a long way off when the teams traded mediocre first innings, which ended within four runs of each other. Sri Lanka had not made the most of winning the toss, despite Chandimal’s authoritative 76, although the last pair added 45 important runs before the impressive Shaheen Shah Afridi ended the fun with his fourth wicket. Pakistan lost two before the first-day close, and continued to struggle on the second – with the exception of Babar, who knuckled down for more than five hours against the spinners, and completed a classy seventh Test century, dragging his side close to parity from the depths of 85-7. It included his 10,000th run in international cricket. The next-highest score was 19, as Jayasuriya continued his dream start in Tests with five more wickets.

Sri Lanka batted much better second time around, as Oshada Fernando put on 91 with Mendis, before Chandimal took over. Pakistan hit back by dismissing five on the third afternoon; Dickwella’s departure made it 235-7, but the tail helped Chandimal add another 102, which seemed to have made the game safe. They scored at a healthy rate: Pakistan served up too many loose deliveries, but slow left-armer Mohammad Nawaz collected a maiden five-for.

Pakistan’s big chase got off to a confident start. Shafique put on 87 for the first wicket with Imam-ul-Haq and, after Azhar Ali went cheaply, Babar stayed for 39 overs. But the persistent Jayasuriya deceived him shortly before the close, by which time Pakistan had reached 222-3. The final day was an anticlimax for Sri Lankan fans, as Shafique – helped by those dropped catches, when 70, 135 and 151 – took his side home, completing victory with a well-timed drive to the cover boundary. It took his average after six Tests to 80. “The pitch was difficult,” he said, “but as you spent more time, it got easier.”

Player of the Match: Abdullah Shafique.

Second Test at Galle, July 24-28, 2022: Sri Lanka won by 246 runs

Sri Lanka 12pts. Toss: Sri Lanka. Test debut: DN Wellalage.

After the events of the first Test, Pakistan’s batting coach Mohammad Yousuf was apparently unfazed by a target of 508. “We have done it in the past against Australia,” he said, referring to a fourth-innings score of 450 in a narrow defeat at Brisbane in 2016/17. Pakistan started the last day on 89-1, although the weather – which had interfered throughout the game – suggested a draw was likeliest.

Instead, Sri Lanka reprised their come-from-behind effort earlier in the month against Australia. The crucial passage came just before lunch: Pakistan had reached 176-2 with few alarms, but Mohammad Rizwan was bowled by Jayasuriya for 37 (all but one of which came on the leg side). Fawad Alam was then run out after a mix-up with Babar Azam, and Agha Salman superbly caught at short leg by Mendis, off a full-blooded sweep. It was some compensation for Mendis’ unfortunate first-innings dismissal, run out when Salman deflected a Karunaratne straight-drive into the stumps.

Suddenly Pakistan were 188-5 and, hard though Babar scrapped, the game was up. He survived two close lbw appeals, overturning one on review, and was dropped when 78, but fell three runs later. Yasir Shah clonked six fours in 25 balls, but the innings was wrapped up by Jayasuriya, who collected his fourth five-wicket haul in three Tests, and off-spinner Wanigamuni, who finished with match figures of 9-148. “Our plan was to create dot-ball pressure,” said Jayasuriya, who dismissed Babar in both innings. “We knew the wicket would turn at some point.”

Sri Lanka’s first-innings 378 had been a consistent display, featuring half-centuries from Oshada Fernando, the in-form Chandimal and Dickwella. The pick of the bowlers was 19-year-old Naseem Shah, stepping in for Shaheen Shah Afridi, who had a knee injury.

Pakistan were on the back foot from the second ball of their innings, when Asitha Fernando trapped Abdullah Shafique. After that, only Salman, with a three-hour maiden half-century in his second Test, held the spinners up for long as Jayasuriya and Wanigamuni shared eight wickets, and gave Sri Lanka a lead of 147. That they stretched it past 500 was chiefly thanks to Dhananjaya de Silva, who spent much of the game as acting-captain after Karunaratne injured his back, although he defied the pain to make 61 from No.6, passing 6,000 Test runs. De Silva was in sparkling form, hitting 16 fours in his ninth Test century.

Pakistan’s eventual surrender left Jayasuriya with 29 wickets from three Tests. More statistical joy came the way of Mathews, who provided two important innings in his 100th Test. His first, in July 2009, had also been against Pakistan at Galle – and Sri Lanka won that one too.

Player of the Match: DM de Silva.
Player of the Series: NGRP Jayasuriya.

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