Watch: Babar, Shaheen can’t keep calm as Pakistan’s no.11 gets ball stuck in pad, drags keeper away to avoid run out
Pakistan posted a strong 461 on the board in the first innings of the opening Test against Sri Lanka, taking a 149-run lead over the hosts in Galle. Saud Shakeel played an incredible knock for the visitors, as he remained unbeaten on 208 off 361 deliveries. More importantly, he forged important partnerships with the tailenders; Shakeel added 94 runs alongside Naseem Shah (6 off 78 balls) for the ninth wicket, and added another valuable 21 runs for the final wicket with Abrar Ahmed (10).
Babar Azam (L) and Shaheen Afridi (R) react as ball gets stuck in Abrar’s pad, with the latter avoiding a run out (Twitter)
However, a rather hilarious incident took place during the final-wicket partnership when Abrar almost survived being run out during the 120th over of the innings. Failing to adjust in time against a sharp turner onto his body from Ramesh Mendis, Abrar gloves the ball to his pads and the ball gets stuck between his knee and the flap. The keeper, Sadeera Samarawickrama, attempts to snatch the ball and run the batter out but Abrar drags him way outside the crease, eventually dropping the ball down.
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The batter, then, rushes back into the crease in time, saving himself a run out. The whole incident left the Sri Lankan fielders standing nearby in splits, while the Pakistan players including captain Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi, who were sitting in the dressing room, also burst into laughter.
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The partnership lasted nine more deliveries following the incident before Mendis eventually dismissed Abrar on 10. Pakistan had been in a spot of bother with the side losing half of its batters at a paltry score of 101. While Babar Azam (13) and Shan Masood (39) failed to make a mark, Sarfaraz Ahmed, who made a blistering comeback into Test side earlier this year, could only score 17.
Saud Shakeel, then, forged a brilliant 177-run partnership with Agha Salman (83) before taking over as aggressor for the remainder of the innings. His unbeaten 201-run knock included 19 fours, as he scored at a strike rate of 57.62.
Shakeel made his Test debut last year against England in Rawalpindi, and already had a century and five fifties in 10 innings prior to the first Test against Sri Lanka.
