Colombo

Over the last 12-13 months, fans across the world have seen England resort to an ultra-aggressive style of cricket, especially in their batting even during Test matches. This approach goes by the ‘Bazball’ moniker as it was taken up as soon as Brendon McCullum took over as the head coach. While the ongoing Ashes series has kept this cricket style in the headlines, another exciting batting approach seems to be emerging on the international stage. While India showcased their aggressive flair against West Indies, leading to the coinage of "WallBall" in honour of Rahul Dravid's team, Pakistan also decided to go for an attacking approach against Sri Lanka which former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar has branded as ‘PakBall’. 

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What Shoaib Akhtar Said

Shoaib Akhtar seemed to be very impressed with Pakistan's performance. The former pacer wrote, "Is #PakBall becoming a bit of a thing?"

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Also read: 'Wouldn't it be better if ...': Sunil Gavaskar on India's Test squad selection

Sri Lanka vs Pakistan

During the second Test match against Sri Lanka, Pakistan demonstrated their aggressive style as they raced away to 145 runs in just 28.3 overs, maintaining a run rate of over 5 per over. This remarkable performance was driven by Abdullah Shafique and Shan Masood, both of whom smashed half-centuries.

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As a result, Pakistan managed to dominate the opening day in the second Test. They first bundled out Sri Lanka for 166 runs courtesy a four-wicket haul by Abrar Ahmed. From Sri Lanka's side only Dhananjaya de Silva could manage to get past the 50-run mark. Pakistan's batters then took over and ended the day at 145-2. Pakistan currently hold a 1-0 lead in the two-match series in Colombo.

Also read: IND vs WI: Ishan Kishan feels England's Bazball can be executed only on flat pitches! Here's why 

Day 2 of second Test

On the second morning, rain played spoilsport with only 10 overs possible at the SSC cricket ground. Massive downpour wiped out the morning session. There are concerns that the afternoon session might also suffer considerable disruption.

However, before this break, Pakistan capitalised on their advantageous position. Both Abdullah Shafique and Babar Azam looked in good touch and added 33 runs to the overnight score of 145 for 2. Sri Lanka have much catching up to do as Pakistan lead by 12 runs and are dominating this game at present. 

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