In the second Test against Sri Lanka, Saud Shakeel made history by becoming the first player in Test cricket to score a half-century in each of his first seven Tests. He achieved this milestone on Wednesday, surpassing renowned players like Sunil Gavaskar, Basil Butcher, Saeed Ahmad, and Bert Sutcliffe, who accomplished it in their first six Tests.
Batting at number four, Saud Shakeel contributed significantly to Pakistan’s strong position at 210/3 in response to Sri Lanka’s 166. He played an impressive innings of 57 runs off 110 balls, including six boundaries, before being dismissed by Asitha Fernando.
Shakeel’s record-breaking fifty was part of a crucial partnership with Abdullah Shafique, adding 109 runs to Pakistan’s total and helping them take a lead of 153 runs in their first innings.
Despite the dismissal of their captain Babar Azam on Day 3, Pakistan had a successful opening session, increasing their lead by 107 runs. However, rain interrupted the game on Day 2, allowing only 10 overs of play.