SL vs PAK 1st Test Results

10:09 AM IST Babar Azam, the captain of Pakistan says their bowlers did well to put pressure on them. Adds that they were thinking of just creating partnerships and he applauds the tail-enders who built crucial stands with him in the first innings. On being asked whether the Galle wicket surprised him, Babar says that Pakistan were aware that the wicket will offer a lot of spin and the batters were accordingly prepared to graft it out. Applauds Abdullah Shafique for his innings and says, as a youngster, he has a good temperament and is showing a lot of class.

10:07 AM IST Dimuth Karunaratne, the skipper of Sri Lanka, says they should have put up a big score in the first innings, as he has been stressing for the past few days, especially in Galle. He feels the bowler's bowled well in the first innings but in the second innings, they were not able to support Prabath Jayasuriya from the other end. Adds that Pakistan were batting well and Babar Azam was well supported by the tail. As a bowling unit, they should have bowled much better. On being asked about Jayasuriya probably being in doubt for the next Test given the amount of overs he bowled in this match, Karunaratne shrugs it off, saying that Jayasuriya is experienced enough in first-class cricket, to be used to bowling a lot of overs and adds that he has done really well in Test cricket so far. On being reminded about Sri Lanka's bounceback ability and the next Test being Angelo Mathews' 100th, Dimuth marvels at the fact that it is certainly not easy to play 100 Tests and wows the veteran's contribution and perseverance. Regarding the game, he looks forward to that game to enable his team correcting the mistakes made in this Test and coming back stronger

9:59 AM IST Pakistan began the session looking to knock off the runs quickly and Hasan Ali perished early in that attempt. Mohammad Nawaz came to support Abdullah Shafique and together they kept chipping away at the target. Shafique offered a way back for Sri Lanka when he top edged a slog sweep towards deep square leg, but Kasun Rajitha made a complete mess of the catch. If that had been taken, Pakistan may have had a pretty nervy chase towards the end but that was not the case. In the end, they got there with 4 wickets to spare and made this record chase seem pretty easy.

9:56 AM IST Sri Lanka will be absolutely disappointed with their bowling effort. They seem to be depending too much on Prabath Jayasuriya to help them achieve victory and despite his 9-wicket haul in this game, he ends up on the losing side. There was hardly any support from the other bowlers and the fielders seemed to be adding to their woes. Two dropped catches of Abdullah Shafique may have come late in his innings but his wicket would have definitely sent some ripples in the Pakistan camp. If they have to consistently challenge at the highest level, they need to improve their fielding, catching, and wicket-keeping. They will look to pick themselves up from this defeat and make a strong comeback in the series.

9:44 AM IST That is it from this interesting Test match. Pakistan go 1-0 up but Sri Lanka know they were very close to making an impact. They do have a chance to level the series as these two meet again here in Galle on 24th July at 10 am IST (4.30 am GMT). Do join us for the build up, well in advance. Till then, goodbye and cheers!

9:43 AM IST Abdullah Shafique is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for his exceptional match winning innings. He thanks God and says he is happy that he was able to contribute towards achieving the record run chase. Admits that it was difficult out there but by applying himself in this innings, he has gained good experience for the future. Says that when the spinners bowl with a new ball, there is pace for them on offer and they need to just stick around. However, once the ball gets old it gets easier to score runs. Praises Babar Azam by saying he is one of the best batters in the world and there is a lot to learn from him and he is grateful for the opportunity to play alongside him.