ISLAMABAD: Led by Pakistani spinner Noman Ali who took seven wickets and Abdullah Shafique whose double ton amassed a massive lead over the hosts, Pakistan demolished Sri Lanka on Thursday at Colombo to win the second Test match and the two-match series 2-0.
Ali finished with career-best figures of 7-70 in his 15th Test to hand Pakistan a victory by an innings and 220 runs, a rare feat for the green shirts who seldom fare well in the longest format of the game.
Last week, Pakistan registered their first victory in Test cricket in a year by beating Sri Lanka by four wickets at Galle. Pakistan's captain Babar Azam expressed joy at the victory but said more work needs to be done.
"Everyone stepped up and showed hunger to win this series," Azam said at the post-match ceremony. "To be honest we haven't ticked all the boxes, but we are working on our batting and fielding."
Pakistani batters displayed aggression during their batting, scoring well over three runs an over at Colombo. Azam acknowledged playing aggressive cricket was part of the plan.
"Being aggressive was part of the plan, it's something we had discussed before coming here," he said. "We wanted to play positive cricket."
The green shirts declared their first innings at 576-5 after playing only two overs in the morning. Sri Lanka were only able to manage 188 runs on the scoreboard against an onslaught led by Ali and pacer Naseem Shah (3/44). Previously, the hosts had scored only 166 during their first innings.
Shafique led the charge in the batting, scoring an impressive 201 runs against a strong Sri Lankan spin attack to hand Pakistan a lead of over 400 runs.
Shah also stood out for Pakistan, troubling the batters with his express pace and reverse swing. After missing out on two close leg-before-wicket calls, Shah was able to wrap up Sri Lanka's innings with two quick wickets in one over.
