Talking points from day four of Pakistan-Sri Lanka Karachi Test

Pakistan are on the brink of a memorable win at the National Stadium of Karachi that will see them claim a 1-0 series victory over touring Sri Lanka.

The hosts
were up against it during the opening two days but completely asserted their
dominance over the weekend. Azhar Ali’s men became only the second side in Test
history that had four centurions in the top four as they matched India’s feat
from 2007 against Bangladesh.

Here are
some talking points from day four as the hosts all but ended the game as a
contest:

1. Relief for Azhar Ali: The 34-year-old has been around for a long time and made his debut nearly a decade ago in 2010, but 2019 was his worst year in Test cricket before he amended that with a superb century. Azhar’s knock may seem almost common place since it was sandwiched by three other centurions but the skipper had more pressure on his shoulders than the other three players. This was Azhar’s first half-century in 14 innings and there were many who were questioning his spot in the side. The captain needs to step up more often but there is hope that runs will flow from his bat once again.
2. Babar Azam caps incredible 2019: Babar Azam’s unbeaten century capped a wonderful year for the 25-year-old as he continues to grow in authority as a batsman. The right-hander is not only Pakistan’s best batsman by far but has shown he deserves to be mentioned alongside the best in the entire world. Only India’s star duo of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli scored more runs than the Pakistan, while he is alongside the Australian duo of Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne as one of only three batsmen to score more than 1000 international runs without being dismissed for a duck. Babar has averaged 68.44 in Tests, 60.66 in ODIs and 41.55 in T20Is. What is even more impressive is how quickly he has been scoring recently, with his strike-rates standing at 72.3 in Tests, 92.3 in ODIs and 136.99 in T20Is. Only in ODIs has he ever scored at a better rate when he kept a strike-rate of 95.21 in 2016.
3. Oshada Fernando continues to cement his spot at the top: The Sri Lanka opener made his debut earlier in the year but has already made himself almost indispensable as he scored his maiden Test century. Fernando’s unbeaten 102 means his Test average is now over 50 even he gets out without troubling the scorers tomorrow. The right-hander made just four runs in the first innings — only number eleven Lahiru Kumara made less — but bounced back superbly in the second innings despite seeing almost everyone struggle at the other end. Fernando was provided some support by Niroshan Dickwella as the two put on a century stand together but only two other batsmen even got into double figures. The match would already be over without the 27-year-old’s defiance.

Article source: https://www.samaa.tv/sports/2019/12/talking-points-from-day-four-of-pakistan-sri-lanka-karachi-test/