During the second Test of a two-match series held at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo, Jayasuriya managed to trap Babar leg-before in the first hour of the third day
27 July, 2023
PHOTO: AFP
Babar Azam, in a post-series press conference on Thursday, opened up about his struggles against the formidable Sri Lankan spinner, Prabath Jayasuriya, who has proven to be a persistent challenge for the Pakistani captain.
During the second Test of a two-match series held at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo, Jayasuriya managed to trap Babar leg-before in the first hour of the third day. Employing a crafty tactic of bowling from around the wicket, Jayasuriya made the ball spin away from Babar repeatedly before finally delivering an arm ball that held its line and trapped him lbw.
Despite Babar's attempt to challenge the umpire's decision through a review, it proved futile, and he was forced to return to the pavilion after scoring 39 runs.
Babar shared a lighthearted moment in the press conference, stating, "If he bowls 50 overs in the entire match, then I am bound to make a mistake at some point," acknowledging the challenge Jayasuriya presents as a bowler.
"He is one of Sri Lanka’s best bowlers. I have indeed been dismissed by him quite a lot of times and I have worked on it as well. I also scored runs in the last innings. I am only one who got out to him. But our batters played him really well and dominated him. We have won as a team. If I am struggling, then others have stepped up, which is a positive sign for me as a captain," he added.
This remarkable streak began during last year's series when Pakistan played two Test matches at Galle. In the first Test match, Jayasuriya bowled Babar in the second innings and later trapped him leg-before in the second innings as well.
During the ongoing series, in the first Test match at Galle and subsequently at SSC, Jayasuriya managed to get Babar out three more times. Babar was caught-behind and then dismissed leg-before in the first Test match, and he faced the same fate of being trapped leg-before again at the SSC. It's worth noting that in every Test match both Jayasuriya and Babar have played together, Jayasuriya has succeeded in dismissing Babar at least once.
