On Wednesday, Saud Shakeel achieved a remarkable feat in the second Test against Sri Lanka by becoming the first batter in Test cricket history to score a half-century in each of his first seven Tests. He surpassed famous players like Sunil Gavaskar, Basil Butcher, Saeed Ahmad, and Bert Sutcliffe, who managed this in their first six Tests.
Pakistan was in a good position at 210/3 in response to Sri Lanka’s 166 when Saud Shakeel came to bat. He quickly adapted to the conditions and formed a crucial partnership for Pakistan. He played an impressive innings of 57 runs off 110 deliveries, including six boundaries before getting dismissed by Asitha Fernando.
Saud Shakeel’s record-breaking half-century was part of a significant partnership with Abdullah Shafique, adding 109 runs to the total and helping Pakistan take a lead of 153 runs in their first innings.
On Day 3, despite the dismissal of their captain Babar Azam, Pakistan had a successful opening session, increasing their lead by 107 runs. Rain interrupted the game on Day 2, allowing only 10 overs of play.
