Saud Shakeel puts down a sitter in PAK vs SL 1st Test | PC- Screengrab
Pakistan are ahead of Sri Lanka in the ongoing Rawalpindi Test, although the fielding standards have been as usual for the hosts.
Saud Shakeel, who missed out on a century, dropped a sitter in the corridor, giving the former Lankan skipper Dhananjaya de Silva a breather.
Saud Shakeel puts down Dhananjaya de Silva off Razaullah
During the 39th over of the Sri Lankan innings, as Razaullah came in for his second over of the day, Dhananjaya de Silva went poking at an overpitched delivery.
Alas, for the batter, the ball nipped away at the last moment, kissing the outside edge of his blade. It rushed towards Saud Shakeel, at the first slip, who was found too casual, resulting in an easy dropped chance.
Watch- Saud Shakeel put down a sitter, de Silva survives off Razaullah
If Shakeel had held on to the catch, the Sri Lankans would have been reduced to 139/4. However, the casual fielding effort let them add a few more runs before Kamindu Mendis was dismissed.
Dhananjaya de Silva, the saving grace for Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi Test
Moreover, Dhananjaya de Silva, who was then on 38, has batted like a dream for Sri Lanka in the first session of Day 3 since getting a lifeline by Saud Shakeel.
The former captain is racing towards his 14th Test century, and his first since hanging up his captaincy boots.
Meanwhile, no batter, apart from DDS, has looked to convert his start into a big knock in this innings for Sri Lanka. Lahiru Udara started off on a fiery note, but went packing on 42. So was the case with Kamindu Mendis, who departed after adding 58 runs to the scoreboard.
The visiting team would want an extended partnership between de Silva and skipper Kusal Mendis. Sri Lanka are 221/4 at lunch, but their job is just halfway done at Rawalpindi.
Earlier in the Test, Saud Shakeel scored a riveting 93, while Babar Azam scored a rapid half-century. Meanwhile, three Pakistan debutants scripted history, slamming their respective fifties, and the team declared at 434/9.
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