Shafique the star in Pak’s win with record chase

ICCGalleAbdullah Shafique starred with a sensational 160* as he guided Pakistan to a record victory over Sri Lanka at the Galle International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.Pakistan resumed Day 5 on 222/3, requiring 120 runs to record the highest successful run chase (in Tests) at the Galle International Stadium while Sri Lanka needed seven wickets. The first half an hour of action was filled with a few close calls, beautiful bowling and the hosts losing both of their remaining reviews. First, a slider from Prabath Jayasuriya struck centurion Abdullah Shafique on the back-pad, with umpire Kumar Dharmasena signalling the bowler about the height. However, with the game at a crucial stage and Shafique’s prized wicket at stake, Sri Lanka went for the review. Shafique survived the LBW scare after the replays showed the ball had bounced over and was missing the wickets. A few overs later, Jayasuriya once again bowled a beauty – drifting the ball in and using the bounce to spin it away. Mohammad Rizwan attempted a forward defence and the ball looked very close to the bat. Sri Lanka players appealed, sounding positive for a caught-behind dismissal but the umpire was unperturbed. Sri Lanka used their last review, but the UltraEdge showed a flatline with no sign of the ball coming in contact with the bat. Rizwan survived; Sri Lanka were left stranded with no reviews. The previous highest successful fourth-innings chase in Galle was 268 by Sri Lanka versus New Zealand in 2019. This was the first time a team completed a target of over 300 at the venue. Shafique found a reliable partner in Rizwan as they both batted with caution, taking their side close to victory. In the first hour, they added 48 runs, with only 72 more needed. Jayasuriya finally claimed a wicket when he had Rizwan trapped in front. Pakistan reviewed the decision but it went Sri Lanka’s way, with Rizwan walking back for a solid 74-ball 40. The spinner struck on the stroke of lunch with Agha Salman’s scalp as Pakistan finished the morning session on 298/5. The visitors lost another wicket shortly after the break, with Hasan Ali getting caught in the deep.But victory was on the cards for Pakistan, and Shafique with his sensational 160* – his highest innings score in Tests – made sure to bat through till the end to help his side seal a record chase. With the knock, Shafique climbed to No.4 on the all-time list of most runs scored after six Test matches. His 720 runs puts him behind Sunil Gavaskar (912), Sir Don Bradman (862) and George Headley (730).Sri Lanka (1st innings) 222 Pakistan (1st innings) 218 Sri Lanka (2nd innings) 337Pakistan (2nd innings; Overnight 222-3)A. Shafique not out 160Imam-ul-Haq st Dickwella b R. Mendis 35A. Ali c de Silva b Jayasuriya 6B. Azam b Jayasuriya 55M. Rizwan lbw b Jayasuriya 40S. Ali Agha c Dickwella b Jayasuriya 12H. Ali c Theekshana b de Silva 5M. Nawaz not out 19ExtrascTypeface:> (b5, lb7) 12Total: (For 6 wickets, 127.2 overs) 344Yet to bat: Y. Shah, S. Afridi, N. ShahFall of Wickets: 1-87 (Imam-ul-Haq), 2-104 (A. Ali), 3-205 (Azam), 4-276 (Rizwan), 5-298 (Agha), 6-303 (Hasan).Bowling: Rajitha 9-2-18-0, Jayasuriya 56.2-10-135-4, R. Mendis 33-0-102-1, Theekshana 14-2-44-0, de Silva 15-1-33-1.Toss: Sri LankaResult: Pakistan won by four wicketsSeries: Pakistan lead the two-match series 1-0.