Pakistan v Sri Lanka, 1st Test - Who Said What

When the Sri Lanka team bundled out for a paltry 138 in the second innings, nobody gave them a sniff in the first Test against Pakistan. However, a dramatic turn of events saw the Pakistani batting suffer an even worse collapse in their second innings. A six-wicket haul from Rangana Herath saw Pakistan crumble to 114 in the second innings and thereby losing the game by 21 runs.

It was a crazy final day of cricket since as many as 16 wickets fell on the day. Earlier in the game, the track seemed to be a batting belter with both teams notching up totals in excess of 400 in their respective first innings. The pitch offered some serious turn on the final day and that saw the match yield the result at the very last moment.

Sri Lanka skipper Dinesh Chandimal was very pleased with the win. He remarked that the win is very memorable for them. He conceded that the team had put in a lot of efforts going in to the match. Chandimal credited the likes of Niroshan Dickwella and Karunaratne for their batting performances. Lastly, he hailed Rangana Herath as the legend of the team.

Dinesh Chandimal said:

“We are over the moon. We have waited for this win and it has finally come. Credit to the guys, they’ve worked really hard before the match. The management and selectors gave us a lot of confidence too. It’s difficult, especially in this heat. Credit goes to people like Dickwella and Karunaratne. Dickwella was unbelievable in the second innings, he got us to the 140 mark.

We knew once we got that much, we have our legend (Herath) here. We knew if there were a couple of early wickets, we would do well. Credit to the bowlers who put their heart and soul. It took me a long time (to make runs), but that is how you play on this pitch and I’m happy.”

Pakistani skipper Sarfraz Ahmed was clearly disappointed with the way his team fell apart like ten pins in the second innings. He rued the fact that team lost after having done so well to recover from a poor position in the first innings. He feels that the pressure of the final day of a Test match got to the team.

Analysing the causes for the defeat, Sarfraz Ahmed said:

“This is part of the game but I’m very disappointed because we had recovered really well in this game. We should have won this. We have a few issues, especially in the fifth day when we come under pressure. Some things have to change, we needed a partnership and didn’t get one. Haris Sohail played really well. It’s not easy to come back like he did. We’ll try and bounce back in the next game. Our batsmen played well but they didn’t play long innings. If we do that, we’ll do well.”

For his match-winning spell in the second innings, Rangana Herath was awarded the Player of the match. He bowled a magnificent spell that guided Sri Lanka to the narrow win. Herath scalped 6/43 in the 21.4 overs that he bowled in the innings.

Player of the Match, Rangana Herath said:

” I have no idea (why he takes wickets against Pakistan). I’ve played nearly 20 tests, maybe that’s why. Actually I am ageing and when you get old, you feel soreness. I was so happy with the remarkable achievement (400 wickets). All credit should go to the people behind me, from my parents to the team and the supporting staff. There was some assistance from the surface. There was something for the spinners.”