Twitter Reactions: Noman Ali leads Pakistan to historic win in Colombo

In a brilliant display of dominance, Pakistan cruised to a remarkable victory on the fourth day of the second Test against Sri Lanka at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. The visitors clinched an emphatic win by an innings and 222 runs, sweeping the two-match series in style.

The hero of the day was Noman Ali, whose sensational bowling performance left the Sri Lankan batters in complete disarray. Noman's spellbinding spin and guile accounted for an impressive seven wickets. He was teasing and bewildering the batters with every delivery – be it flight, change of pace, turn, or bounce. His impeccable performance led Pakistan to this historic victory as he took seven wickets in the second inning.

Earlier, the match started on a rough note for Sri Lanka as Nishan Madhushka was run-out in the 4th over of the first day, setting the tone for their struggles as the team was bowled out for a paltry 166 in the first innings. In contrast, Pakistan made merry, with Abdullah Shafique smashing a maiden double hundred and Agha Salman notching a scintillating century as Sri Lankan bowlers failed to find any rhythm.

The second innings didn't fare much better for Sri Lanka, as they collapsed again for 188 runs. Noman Ali proved to be the nemesis for the hosts, single-handedly dismantling their batting order and leaving them in complete disarray. At one stage, there were even murmurs of a potential ten-wicket haul for Noman, but it was not to be as Naseem Shah chipped in to wrap up the tail with the last three wickets to his name.

Sri Lanka's captain, Dimuth Karunaratne, and the team management will undoubtedly have much to ponder after this humiliating defeat. The home team's performance fell well below expectations, and they were completely outplayed and outmatched by the clinical Pakistan side. On the other hand, the visitors will be elated with their brilliant start to the World Test Championship 2025 campaign, bagging a maximum of 24 points. 

Here's how Twitter reacted as Pakistan won the series on Day 4:

VICTORY IT IS!😍

What a performance by the entire team, special stuff by @Ali17Noman in the second inning🤩 @imabd28 and @SalmanAliAgha1 were exceptional with the bat indeed. Congratulations everyone on the inning defeat, that’s what you call a dominating performance🇵🇰#SLvPAK pic.twitter.com/I4yFXiqiYt

— Fawad Alam (@iamfawadalam25) July 27, 2023

Alhumdullilah what a victory Pakistan. Noman Ali turning the game way from SL and obviously Naseem Shah making entire fast bowling community proud. What amazing control over the ball and reversing it all around, simply brilliant. Not to forget the massive effort of the batters! pic.twitter.com/N8gD2y2NTU

— Rumman Raees (@rummanraees15) July 27, 2023

Great win Pakistan. Man of the series : Pakistan Fielding ! Never seen them catch better.

— Ramiz Raja (@iramizraja) July 27, 2023

Just the perfect start to Pakistan's #WTC25 campaign 👌

The visitors sweep the Test series 2-0 with a dominating innings win 👊 #SLvPAK | 📝: https://t.co/yxPtc79Qel pic.twitter.com/8hqLJRe9Nv

— ICC (@ICC) July 27, 2023

𝐏𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞 2️⃣-0️⃣ 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐫𝐢 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐚 🙌

Well played, boys 👏#SLvPAK pic.twitter.com/PdDIAy76Uy

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) July 27, 2023

Pakistan have won the Test match by an innings an 222 runs, won the series in Sri Lanka 2-0 🇵🇰💚

Alhamdulillah for Babar Azam and his team. Pakistan Zindabad ❤️ #SLvPAK pic.twitter.com/yEkkTbXd8D

— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) July 27, 2023

Stand up for the Champions🔥❤️.#PAKvSL | #SLvPAK | #PAKvsSL pic.twitter.com/5I82rhCC8z

— Ehtisham Siddique (@iMShami_) July 27, 2023

- Pakistan have handed Sri Lanka their heaviest defeat on home soil, the fortress is breached
- This is Pakistan's biggest away win in Test history
- Pakistan now hold the record of most Test series wins in Sri Lanka (5)

This is #ThePakistanWay under Babar Azam ❤️ #SLvPAK pic.twitter.com/DltlS3KaGI

— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) July 27, 2023

Naseem Shah Takes his third Wicket. Pakistan Wins The Match by an inning and 222 runs and Won the Series 2-0. First Series win after 2021. Well Done, Captain Babar Azam and His Parchi’s to win the series🔥♥️. #PAKvSL #SLvPAK #SLvsPAK #BabarAzam pic.twitter.com/yJ96rqDTq0

— Shaharyar Ejaz 🏏 (@SharyOfficial) July 27, 2023

CONGRATULATIONS PAKISTAN 🇵🇰
A splendid whitewash By Pakistan Over Sri Lanka👏🏼👏🏼 Stunning bowling display by Nauman Ali, Abrar, and Naseem Shah as well.Amazing Batting by saud shakeel, Abdullah, and Salman Ali Agha.👏🏼✨#PAKvsSL #TestCricket #Pakistan @TheRealPCB pic.twitter.com/XF9ML3kwBk

— Saeed Ajmal (@REALsaeedajmal) July 27, 2023