Sri Lanka fielding coach Naveed Nawaz admitted their poor performance in fielding has let his side down in the ongoing first Test against Pakistan in Galle. He said that had they taken their chances they could’ve bundled out the opposition for 300 runs. 

The first match of the series between Sri Lanka and Pakistan has moved on to an enthralling finishing day tomorrow (20th July). The game hangs evenly poised with both the teams having a fair bit of chance to win the game and kick the new edition of the ICC World Test Championship on high. 

Going into the 5th Day, Pakistan need to 87 runs to win whereas Sri Lanka are 7 wickets away from the win. It’s fair to say that the hosts would’ve been in a stronger position than this but their poor fielding has paved the way for a close finish. 

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Sri Lanka posted a decent first-innings total of 312 runs and after that, with the ball they had left Pakistan tottering at 101/5. However, after that Saud Shakeel went on to smash a double century and along with Agha Salman (83) helped Pakistan take a first-innings lead. 

Sri Lanka dropped Shakeel twice and were quite sloppy in the field. On the other hand, Pakistan’s terrific fielding performance has put them in the driver’s position, and thanks to that they subjected themselves to chase only 131 runs. 

Naveed Nawaz said that it has been a disappointing performance from them in the fielding department and had they taken crucial chances the context of the game could’ve been different. Speaking to reporters, he said: 

“I think fielding is the reason why we’re in this situation in this Test. We dropped too many catches. We would have got them out for 300 in the first innings if we’d held our catches. 

“In the second innings a couple of half-chances went Pakistan’s way and they held on to it. That also had an impact on us. Fielding’s crucial and has always been crucial. It’s been disappointing, the standard of fielding we’ve displayed.” 

Also Read: SL vs PAK: Watch- Babar Azam Leaves Himself Stunned After Pulling Off Outrageous One-Handed Catch

Sri Lanka vs Pakistan: “We had camps before we came here, and our main focus was our fielding” – says Agha Salman 

Pakistan’s Agha Salman reflected on the fielding performance of his side and said that in the pre-camp ahead of the series, their main focus was on fielding. He explained: 

“We had camps before we came here, and our main focus was our fielding. We prepared really well for it, and that’s paying off now. Catches win matches is something we’ve heard since I was a child. When you take these kinds of catches, it will make a difference in the game,” he concluded. 

Also Read: SL vs PAK: Watch: Babar Azam And Co. Burst Into Laughter After Abrar Ahmed Pushes Sri Lanka Wicketkeeper To Avoid Getting Run Out

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