Webdesk: Saud Shakeel, a left-handed hitter, hit an aggressive century against Sri Lanka on Tuesday. This helped Pakistan take the lead on the second day of the first Test, played at Galle International Stadium.
Shakeel got 150 runs with 14 fours and a strike rate of over 67, while Agha Salman was out at 83 when Ramesh Mendis got him out.
After 84 overs, the visitors were 365-8, 50 runs ahead of Sri Lanka’s first innings score. The day got off to a late start in Galle because of rain and a wet outfield.
Shakeel, playing in his sixth Test, hit a boundary and ran three runs to reach his second Test century during a 177-run stand with Salman.
Pakistan was in a bad spot at 101-5 on day two when they went up against the Sri Lankan spinners led by left-armer Prabath Jayasuriya. On Monday, Jayasuriya rattled the guests by taking three wickets in the top order, including the captain Babar Azam.
Both Shakeel and Salman got runs quickly and hit boundaries often. But after Salman left, the run rate went down.
