Pakistan and Sri Lanka played out a draw in the weather-affected opening Test at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Friday. The hosts declared their second innings at 284 for eight, building a strong 272-run overall lead before both sides agreed to end the contest.
Experienced left-hander Saud Shakeel came agonisingly close to a century, scoring a patient 97 off 210 balls with seven boundaries. Lahiru Kumara finally dismissed him with a clean delivery just three runs short of the landmark. Razaullah remained not out at the other end when the declaration came.
Pakistan began the fifth day at 57 for one with a slender 45-run lead. Early setbacks followed as Azan Awais and Mohammad Taha fell cheaply. Babar Azam and Shakeel then steadied the innings with a useful 50-run stand before Milan Rathnayake removed Babar for 34 and Salman Ali Agha for 13, leaving the hosts at 125 for five.
Shakeel continued to anchor the innings and later shared a valuable 92-run partnership with Ghazi Ghori. The stand took Pakistan’s lead past 200 before Ghori was dismissed for 35. Arafat Minhas added 16 in a 44-run association with Shakeel, pushing the total beyond 250. Dhananjaya de Silva eventually broke that partnership.
Earlier in the match, Sri Lanka had secured a narrow 12-run first-innings lead. After Pakistan declared at 434 for nine, the visitors recovered from 65 for three through strong contributions. Kamindu Mendis scored 58, while Dhananjaya de Silva (167) and captain Kusal Mendis (119) added a massive 249-run partnership.
Pakistan fought back brilliantly on the fourth morning. Debutant Saqib Khan produced a sensational spell of seven for 130, removing both centurions and three lower-order batters to bowl Sri Lanka out for 446. Mohammad Abbas and Razaullah supported him with the remaining wickets.
In Pakistan’s first innings, five batters registered half-centuries. Saud Shakeel top-scored with 93, while debutants Tayyab Arif (57), Arafat Minhas (52) and Mohammad Taha (51) all made solid contributions. Captain Babar Azam also scored a brisk 50.
Despite the competitive passages of play, persistent weather interruptions prevented a decisive result. Both teams settled for a hard-fought draw after Pakistan’s second-innings declaration.
