Mohammad Rizwan steps in as concussion substitute for Sarfaraz Ahmed

COLOMBO: Mohammad Rizwan has replaced Sarfaraz Ahmed as a concussion substitute in the current second Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka at the Singhalese Sports Club.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Wednesday that the decision came following Ahmed, who scored 22 runs before getting injured, was hit on the head by a bouncer from Asitha Fernando during the afternoon fixture.

The PCB reports said that the authority’s medical panel kept the player under observation.

Meanwhile, the match referee David Boon accepted the team management’s request for the concussion substitution.

Mohammad Rizwan will now be allowed to bat in this innings and will serve as a substitute wicketkeeper-batter. Prior to 2023, he had been Pakistan’s first-choice Test wicketkeeper for several years, keeping Sarfaraz out of the XI.

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On the day four of second Test, Pakistan reached 273-3 at lunch, extending their lead to 107 against Sri Lanka. Abdullah Shafique struck his fourth Test century and remained undrafted on 137. He was partnered by Saud Shakeel, who was on 32, in a solid partnership of 63 runs.

Resuming the day at 178-2, Shafique showed resilience in response to the host’s first innings total of 166. He notched two consecutive boundaries off fast bowler Fernando to bring up his century and garnered acclaim from the co-players.

Captain Babar Azam, on the other hand, was dismissed by leg before wicket (lbw) at 39 by Prabath Jayasuriya’s left-arm spin. Jayasuriya’s spell remained consistent throughout the session claiming figures of 1-95.

Shafique stood steady with left-handed Shakeel, who made his maiden Test double century in Pakistan’s two-match series opener.