Babar Azam is one of the most prolific batsmen that the world has witnessed in recent times. The form of Babar is rising to the utmost peak, with the player having his name in the top 10 of all three formats. Recently, the Babar Azam vs Sri Lanka encounter in the first test grabbed the attention of the cricket pundits. While Pakistan started losing hope trying to regain the momentum in the Galle test following a horrible collapse in the first innings, Babar carried the innings until the end to make sure Pakistan stands a chance in the Test match.
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Pakistan vs Sri Lanka series initiated on July 16, with the series holding a great weight in terms of the significance of the World Test Championship points table. Both teams are trying to reach the first two spots to escalate their chances of the Test Championship final. Babar Azam vs Sri Lanka in the first test is the first instance when the cricketing giant was leading the side in Sri Lanka. He walked out in the Galle Test while making a strong decision of dropping Fawad Alam. Babar decided to give chance to the domestic veteran Agha Salman, who has fine stats in first-class cricket in recent times. Another prominent change in the playing eleven was the exclusion of Nauman Ali from the Test side made by the Pakistani Test captain.
Pakistan managed to strike Sri Lanka in most parts of the 1st innings. Sri Lanka collapsed at 133-8 and was looking to get all out under 200 runs. The host made a terrific comeback following the 76 runs knock of Dinesh Chandimal. The tail assisted the Sri Lankan middle-order batsman to reach a respectable total.
The Spectacular Babar Azam vs Sri Lanka Encounter
Pakistan expectedly took time to adjust to the Sri Lankan conditions and looked miserable in its batting part. However, there is one man who stood up whose elegance and class proved why he is the best in the business. The encounter of Babar Azam vs Sri Lanka in the first test reached another level where the veteran batsman had to face the fireballs of Prabath Jayasuriya. Babar stood firm on the ground and did not give any chance to the mysterious spin bowling of the Sri Lankan spinners in the tough conditions.
As Pakistan lost 7 wickets on 85 following the dismissal of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Babar started to stabilize the innings with the support of tail-enders. The leg-spinner Yasir Shah tried his best to assist Babar in the toughest conditions and Pakistan aimed to lead the Sri Lankan target of 222 runs. A total of four spinners tried to disturb Babar but his defense was rock solid against the Sri Lankan spinners. Babar managed to survive 13 overs with the support of Yasir but the wicket of the tailender fell on 112 runs.
Hasan Ali came with a mission of deteriorating the bowling attack of Sri Lanka by hitting the boundaries. He hit two sixes but failed to support Babar in reaching the target of 222 runs. There was little hope from Naseem Shah regarding the support of Babar and he exceeded the expectations. Naseem averages only 6.27 in first-class cricket but performed tremendously showing rock-solid defense against the Sri Lankan spinners. On the other side, Babar was continuously showing his spectacular class.
One of the Best Test Innings
The Babar Azam vs Sri Lanka encounter witnessed Babar hitting beautiful shots in gaps. He became a wall against the mysterious Sri Lankan spinners. Babar completed his 100 at the Galle Test on the toughest of occasions. The innings is regarded as one of the best Test innings in recent times. The best thing about a Babar Azam knock is that every great knock that he plays is better than his previous phenomenal knock. Do you want to find out the odds of Babar Azam hitting the top charts in the World Test Championship? If yes, then you could to the best online cricket sportsbook sites in the UK to know the deal.
Babar Azam vs Sri Lanka in 2nd Innings
The wicket of Babar Azam fell on 119 runs when Theekshana trapped the modern-era great on LBW. The innings of Pakistan ended on 218 runs with Pakistan only short of 4 runs from the Sri Lankan side. Sri Lanka performed magnificently in the third innings and posted a huge total for the Pakistan batting side to chase in the 4th innings. In the huge history of Test cricket in Sri Lanka, there was never a single instance when the target of 342 runs was chased in the 4th innings.
However, Pakistan decided to go at the target in the leadership of the star batsman Babar Azam. Pakistan lost two of their important wickets at 104. There came Babar Azam who was carrying the hopes of a tremendous amount of Pakistani fans. In the toughest of conditions, Babar looked in supreme touch. He kept performing magnificently vs Sri Lanka in the first Test. Last time, Babar Azam had no support from the other end. This time, the youngster Abdullah Shafique was geared up to play a phenomenal role in supporting his captain in a tough chase. The Sri Lankan spinners tried to trap the Pakistani captain multiple times. However, the class of Babar was difficult to beat. Babar made sure to keep ticking the scoreboard as well as play safe shots against the terrific Sri-Lankan bowlers.
The Phenomenal Partnership
Both Abdullah Shafique and Babar Azam built a phenomenal partnership of 101 runs against the Sri Lankan bowling attack and survived for 39 overs. This is a huge and uphill task in the Sri Lankan conditions but Azam has been proving his temperament and class in modern-era cricket. The Pakistan team expected Babar Azam to be there on the crease until the end of the Test match. A wonderful turning delivery of Prabath Jayasuriya got rid of Babar on 204 when Pakistan lost its 3rd wicket. Half of the job was done and the innings of the Pakistani test captain deserved applause.
Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka by four wickets and made history at the Galle Test following the chase of 342 runs in the fourth innings. Babar scored a total of 174 runs vs Sri Lanka in the first test. This is the highest number of runs scored by any batsman on both sides. Babar Azam will look to keep his momentum going in the upcoming Test which could help Pakistan in winning the important Test series against Sri Lanka. If you desire to find out the chances of Pakistan winning this Test series, then you could to go the best online cricket sportsbook sites in the UK to find out the odds.
