Live Match Pakistan v Sri Lanka at Karachi, Dec 19-23, 2019, ICC World Test Championship, 2nd test, Live Score

Pakistan players pose with the Trophy. This is not just a celebration of their win here, but a celebration of Test cricket returning to the country, as many have said before me. That’s all from us, folks. It was great to have your company through this Test match and series. This is Ankur Dhawan, signing off on behalf of Hemant Brar and Venkat Raghav.

Presentation time

Azhar Ali: Definitely needed that performance. Special thanks to Sri Lanka from the bottom of our hearts, they have given us immense happiness by playing in Pakistan. Some special players in this dressing room, it had been a tough year in Test cricket for us, it was an emotional moment returning home to play. So much talent in these youngsters, experience will come with time, they are the best bowlers in Pakistan and we should back them. Special effort from the pacers to have brought us back after 191 allout. The stand between Abid Ali and Shan Masood took the game away from Sri Lanka, can’t emphasize that enough. Runs were long overdue for me, I hope I can carry on from here. Big advantage to be playing at home, we can take confidence from our performances here and take them overseas when we travel.

Dimuth Karunaratene: We dominated the first two days and then they batted very well and put pressure back on us and outplayed us. We couldn’t build pressure with the ball after taking a lead of 80, they were scoring too freely. Oshada, Dhananjaya and Kumara were the takeaways from the series.The security we were given was outstanding and we’d love to come back and play here

Abid Ali is the man of the match and the man of the series: All the hard work at domestic level has been rewarded. A home Test series after ten years, could not have been more proud. I keep working hard, keep believing in myself and remaining positive. Of course there was pressure but we approached it positively with help from the team management and thanks to the crowd that turned up to support us.

Ali Ahad: “Babar for man of the series … His first in test … Please make that happen” Abid Ali, if you ask me

Sulaiman Ijaz: “I guess my comparison to Pak-India 2006, which you published on day 2, wasn’t wishful thinking. (Thanks for publishing btw). First innings parity – CHECK. Team batting third runs up monstrous total in placid conditions – CHECK. Skillful bowling and scoreboard pressure in fourth innings – CHECK. Great win!”

Nabeel: “Last 4 SL wickets fell without adding a single run to total!”

Shan Masood: After Adelaide we were honest with ourselves about our approach to cricket. We said if we want to win Tests we need collective performances and not just individual brilliance and if you see here, four batsmen got hundreds and two bowlers took five-fors. I think it reflected In our game, it was an unknown for us to play at home, started with the last day in Pindi with the massive crowd there, we didn’t start well here but Shaheen’s five-for brought us back and we got past the initial nervousness. Abid and I have played a lot together, it’s pretty easy when you bat with someone familiar. Guys are eager to get back home, we have all been away since the start of the domestic season, it’ll be nice to get to the families for the boys before the Bangladesh series. We’ll enjoy this win, but it’s Test cricket, we can’t take anything for granted.

Waqar: When we played here it was a different ball game because we used to play a home, this was the return of cricket to Pakistan and a very emotional victory. We always had this feeling that it can finish very quickly. I still feel it’s early days for Naseem, the five-for will take him a long way, people who have worked with him at different levels deserve credit, glad with Shaheen’s performance and that Abbas is back. Of course we want to play more Tests at home, guys feel great playing at home. Home is home, playing in front of your own people is a very different feeling, and also shows Pakistan is a safe place to play cricket.

Remarkable turnaround after being bundled out for 191 in the first innings. Pakistan have walloped Sri Lanka by 263 runs and virtually an entire day to spare, stuff fantasy fiction novels are made of when you consider their position on day one and their recent form. On a pitch that turned pretty placid, exemplified by the four centuries in Pakistan’s second innings, the bowlers were relentless, aided by scoreboard pressure and some loose strokes from the visiting batsmen. Maiden five-for Naseem to go with Shaheen Afridi’s five-for in the first. Back to the drawing board for Sri Lanka who had arguably entered the series as marginal favourites, and played like that for the first two days of this Test, before wilting under the weight of runs in the second innings. Pakistan will hope to build on this, with Azhar Ali finally making a hundred and registering his first Test win as captain. But Abid Ali, with two centuries, the one here laying the cornerstone for this win, was their incontestable takeaway from the series. Pakistan climb to No.3 on the WTC points table .

Naseem’s chance to get a maiden Test five-for

packed cordon and two short legs

Niroshan Dickwella: I got beaten two deliveries and thought that’s not the way to play here and that I need to attack. I am hundred percent confident playing the reverse sweep, it’s like how someone plays a cover drive, it is my strength. Pakistan have got the basics right with the ball, and they have done it repeatedly, and we couldn’t do that with the ball.

Yasir Zeb: “How the semi finals will be played in this test championship? Or the top two teams will paly the final automatically? ” Yup, top two play the final

“Imran Khan is prime minister. Wasim Akram is on half the TV ads. But who now has the heart of Pakistan?” Andrew Fidel Fernando will have your heart after you read this.

Syed: “After this win (if they do as you never know with the unpredictable Pak) where will Pak stand on the points table? ” They will overtake New Zealand, for the moment at least. Here’s the table as things stand.

Ali: “Good morning. When Naseem Shah got wicket on the first delivery of final over yesterday why Pakistan didn’t had privilege of asking for another half an hour ? Srilanka’s tail was exposed ? Please answer that ” That’s only after 8 or 9 wickets, not 7. Besides, the light could not have been good enough. Also, they were already into the extra half an hour to complete the stipulated overs in the day.

9.30am: Hello and welcome to the final day of the Test and the series. I am Ankur Dhawan and if the match lasts longer than an hour, I’ll be joined by Hemant Brar to bring you all the action. After fortunes fluctuated for the first two days of the Test, Pakistan seized control on the third and have since tightened their grip. They now stand on the brink of a Test win at home, with only Oshada Fernando, the Sri Lanka opener, standing in their way, unbeaten on 102, his maiden Test century. Naseem Shah, meanwhile, has a maiden Test five-for in sight.

Sri Lanka live to fight another day, only just. And that’s thanks largely to Oshada Fernando who fought valiantly, showing solid defence combined with attractive strokeplay, to finish unbeaten on 102, his maiden Test hundred. He was ably supported by Niroshan Dickwella, who enjoyed a bit of luck but fell to a reverse sweep that wasn’t on in the dying stages of the final session for 65. His wicket has seemingly opened the floodgates as Pakistan have removed Dilruwan Perera off what turned out to be the last ball of the day from Naseem Shah. Naseem was the pick of the bowlers with three, the other two seamers picked up a wicket each and Yasir Shah and Haris Sohail also chipped in with one wicket each. Pakistan are just three wickets away from taking this Test and the series. That’s all from us today, folks. Hope you enjoyed our coverage and hope to see tomorrow.

Shaheen Afridi