Here’s how the World Test Championship Points Table stands after SL vs PAK 1st Test

After Sri Lanka took an upper hand at the end of their second innings of the opening Test, with a lead of 341 runs, Pakistan batters gave them a terrific response by putting out a sensational performance. Till the third day, Sri Lanka were in a commanding position due to their lead, but Pakistan bounced back stronger on the fourth day and dominated throughout till the end of the Test, thereby winning it by four wickets.

Speaking of how the first Test match panned out, visitors Pakistan bundled out hosts Sri Lanka for 222 runs in the first innings as the batting lineup came crashing down on the first day. Pakistan bowlers had a memorable outing on the first day as they finished the visitors’ innings quickly and after a successful show, they put their side to start their campaign with the bat.

Openers Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq had to walk off early as top-order batter Azhar Ali and skipper Babar Azam carried the game on the second day. While Azhar perished scoring mere three runs, Babar Azam held the game tight. He scored a magnificent century and single-handedly took his team close to Sri Lanka’s total, thereby reducing the deficit.

But the hosts managed to end Pakistan’s innings at 218 and took over with the bat to start off the second innings. Oshada Fernando, Kusal Mendis, and Dinesh Chandimal played impressive knocks as Sri Lanka ended up scoring 337 runs in the second innings on the fourth day and posted a target of 342 runs for the visitors. Chandimal fell short of just six runs from bagging a century as he stood unbeaten for a 139-ball 94*.

Abdullah Shafique’s unbeaten century knock guided Pakistan to a win

Shafique (160* off 408) was the standout player for Pakistan as he bagged a century and remained unbeaten throughout the final innings after surviving a couple of scares. Skipper Babar Azam yet again played a crucial role by maintaining his place on the field and scoring a half-century. Overall, almost every batter assisted Shafique really well. With great grit and composure, Pakistan bagged a four-wicket victory in the first Test of the two-match series.

As for the hosts, Prabath Jayasuriya was clinical as he bagged a four-wicket haul. One of the highlights of the Test was the lower-order batters giving their best in the first innings for their respective sides. The Sri Lankan side sailed from 133/8 to 222/10 as even after Chandimal’s dismissal midway, whereas Pakistan’s lower-order moved from 112/8 at a point in time, to 218/10 with skipper Babar Azam doing most of the fireworks and the lower order assisting him in the best way possible.

Meanwhile, let us take a look at the WTC points table after Sri Lanka vs Pakistan:

Coming to the World Test Championship points table, South Africa dominate the rankings and hold the top position with 71.43 percentage points. Australia are ranked second with a bare minimum gap, having 70 percentage points. Pakistan have leaped forward to the third position, and Sri Lanka, who were previously placed there have slipped to the sixth place. As a result, India have moved to the fourth position and West Indies have taken the fifth position. England, New Zealand, and Bangladesh are placed in the seventh, eighth, and ninth spots respectively.