"Conditions suited the Sri Lankan team" - Skipper Babar Azam on Pakistan's 246-run loss in 2nd Test vs Sri Lanka
Speaking after Pakistan's 246-run loss to Sri Lanka in the second Test on Thursday (July 28), skipper Babar Azam mentioned how the spin-friendly conditions at Galle suited the Sri Lankan team.
Azam stated that the Sri Lankan spinners dominated the proceedings on the track and lauded Prabath Jayasuriya for his impressive bowling performance.
The left-arm spinner picked up a stunning fifer in the final innings to guide his side to a famous win to level the two-match series 1-1.
Babar Azam explained:
"The conditions suited the Sri Lankan team and their bowlers dominated the game. Credit to Prabath Jayasuriya for the way he bowled and tilted the game in the favour of his side."
Pakistan had to chase down a massive target of 508 in the fourth innings of the Test. However, the visitors were bundled out for 261.
Azam pointed out how the visitors weren't able to build partnerships during the run-chase and opined that it ultimately cost them the game.
"Our batting wasn't up to the mark. We needed to build some partnerships to put pressure on the opposition. But that didn't happen. There were very small partnerships.
"But we managed to put Sri Lanka on the backfoot with my partnership with Mohammad Rizwan. But when you lose a wicket, you're again under pressure."
🗣️ Pakistan captain @babarazam258 gives his assessment of the team's performance in the second Test
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Notably, Babar Azam was the top performer with the bat for the visitors in the final innings. The right-hander scored 81 runs off 146 balls. However, he didn't get enough support from the rest of the Pakistani batters.
"We did miss Shaheen Afridi" - Babar Azam on the team playing the 2nd Test without their star pacer
Pakistan's fast bowling spearhead Shaheen Afridi was ruled out of the final Sri Lanka Test due to a knee injury. Babar Azam suggested that while the side did miss the speedster, the team's other bowlers did a fine job in his absence.
He highlighted how their spinners made a significant impact in the Test, especially in the first innings. Azam added:
"While we did miss Shaheen Afridi, our two pacers did well in the game. Even our spinners did a fine job with the ball and dominated in the 1st innings."
Points table of WTC 2021-23:-
1. South Africa - 71.43%
2. Australia - 70%
3. Sri Lanka - 53.33%
4. India - 52.08%
5. Pakistan - 51.85%
Following their loss to Sri Lanka, Pakistan have now slipped below India in the World Test Championship (WTC) points table. They have dropped to fifth position and have a point percentage of 51.85.