Sri Lanka – Pakistan 1st Test Shakeel’s maiden double ton builds big first innings lead for Pakistan

By M. Shamil Amit - Reporting from Galle   
Saud Shakeel made Sri Lanka’s bowlers toil the whole of the third day of the first Test as he frustrated the hosts, cracking an unbeaten double ton and helping Pakistan take a significant first innings lead.
Shakeel scored 208 in 361 balls, inclusive of 19 boundaries as Pakistan dominated proceedings after resuming from their overnight score of 221 for 5, to take a 149-run lead by the time they were bowled out for 461.
Sri Lanka batting the second time faced 3.4 overs and were on 14 for 0 when bad light stopped play.
Shakeel stood tall as he steered his team from a perilous position on day two, benefiting with support from Agha Salman and Naseem Shah with whom he featured in valuable partnerships to take Pakistan out of the woods and to put them in a strong position.
The match got off to a late start, by an hour, due to the wet outfield and the overnight pair of Shakeel and Salman continued from where they left on day two as Pakistan resumed their inning from their overnight score of 221 for 5.

The pair had little threat from the Sri Lanka bowlers and Shakeel in particular was playing with confidence as he went on to reach his century which came off 129 balls that included nine boundaries.
On the other end Salman held on and was making progress slowly.
With the pair having added a further 57 runs to their overnight stand of 120, Salman mistimed a delivery off spinner Ramesh Mendis, which snuck through bat and pad for wicket-keeper Samarawickrama to whip off the bails ending the 177-run stand for the sixth wicket.

That was the only success that the Sri Lanka bowlers achieved before lunch as Shakeel, along with his new partner Norman Ali, saw the side through to lunch break sharing an unbroken stand of 35 runs for the seventh wicket – Pakistan’s score on 313 for 6 to take a one-run lead.
In the post lunch session, the pair posted their 50-run stand before it came to end two runs later with Ali falling victim to spinner Ramesh Mendis.
Shaheen Afridi who came in shared a brisk 16 runs with Shakeel before he became victim of pacie Vishwa Fernando.
Shakeel joined by Naseem Shah further denied the Sri Lanka bowlers success for a considerable period but Shakeel was the one who was accumulating runs who reached his 150 runs in 222 balls which had 14 boundaries and they went into tea on 389 for 8 having added 76 runs for the ninth wicket.
However Shah though accumulating runs slowly, supported his partner and was the main purpose and they continued it after the tea break.

Shakeel in the meantime was in line to get his maiden double ton but not before losing Shah clean bowled who became Ramesh Mendis’ fourth victim having shared a valuable 94 runs for the ninth wicket.
Shakeel later reached maiden double ton which he scored in 352 balls with 19 boundaries.