The first Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka ended in a draw at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Friday, leaving the two-match series level at 0-0. Rain and bad light took time out of a match in which neither side could force a result.
Pakistan debutant Saqib Khan was named Player of the Match for his 7-130, which Samaa reported as the fourth-best figures by a Pakistan bowler on Test debut. Among his victims were both Sri Lankan centurions.
How the match unfolded
- Pakistan 1st innings: 434-9 declared. Five batters passed fifty: Saud Shakeel (93), Tayyab Arif (57), Arafat Minhas (52), Mohammad Taha (51) and captain Babar Azam (50).
- Sri Lanka 1st innings: 446 all out. Dhananjaya de Silva made 167 and Kusal Mendis 119, sharing a partnership of 249, with Kamindu Mendis adding 58. That gave Sri Lanka a narrow first-innings lead of 12.
- Pakistan 2nd innings: 284-8 when the match ended.
Shakeel misses out twice
Saud Shakeel was the standout batter of the match with 190 runs, but finished agonisingly short of a century in both innings. After 93 in the first innings, he made 97 from 210 balls on the final day before being bowled by Lahiru Kumara, after which the players shook hands on the draw, according to ThePapare.
Pakistan had made a shaky start to day five, losing overnight batters Azan Awais and Mohammad Taha in the first five deliveries. Babar Azam made 34 after being dropped on 22, while Milan Rathnayake finished with 3-47 for Sri Lanka.
What’s next
The second and final Test runs from 17 to 21 November. It has been moved from Lahore to Rawalpindi because of smog in Lahore.
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