RAWALPINDI: Pakistan strengthened their grip on the opening Test against Sri Lanka as debutant paceman Saqib Khan struck twice to leave the visitors struggling at 114-3 at stumps on the second day on Tuesday, still trailing by 320 runs.
Pakistan, who resumed at 281-5, declared their first innings at 434-9 after middle-order batter Saud Shakeel fell seven runs short of a century and debutant Arafat Minhas struck a valuable half-century at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
Sri Lanka’s response got off to a disastrous start as Mohammad Abbas and Saqib made early inroads, reducing the visitors to 65-3 before Kamindu Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva offered some resistance with an unbeaten 49-run partnership.
Kamindu was batting on 40 and De Silva on 22 when bad light brought an early end to proceedings, 25 minutes before the scheduled close.
The visitors had been hoping to exploit the conditions after Pakistan’s declaration but found the home side’s pace attack considerably more disciplined than their own.
Abbas provided the initial breakthrough in the third over, having Pasindu Sooriyabandara caught behind for a duck with a delivery that moved away just enough to take the outside edge.
Saqib, making his Test debut, then produced an impressive delivery to dismiss experienced batter Dinesh Chandimal for one in his second over.
Bowling from wide of the crease, he angled the ball towards the batter before getting it to straighten and induce a leading edge.
Lahiru Udara briefly counter-attacked, striking boundaries to take Sri Lanka forward, but his aggressive approach eventually brought about his downfall. After being dropped at gully, the opener edged a loose drive outside off stump to the wicket-keeper, giving Saqib his second wicket.
Udara made 42, leaving Sri Lanka in trouble at 65-3.
Kamindu and De Silva subsequently showed greater application, negotiating the Pakistan attack and finding occasional boundaries to prevent further damage.
Their partnership offered a measure of relief for the visitors, although they will need a considerably bigger contribution on the third morning to reduce the substantial deficit.
Earlier, Pakistan’s innings revolved around Saud, who resumed unbeaten on 57 and looked set for his fifth Test century before falling to Asitha Fernando for 93.
The left-hander added 96 runs for the sixth wicket with wicket-keeper Ghazi Ghori, who continued his impressive debut with a confident 48. The pair ensured Pakistan maintained a healthy scoring rate while resisting Sri Lanka’s efforts to break through with the second new ball.
Saud, who struck nine boundaries in his 199-ball innings, was eventually dismissed attempting a hook shot off Fernando, with wicket-keeper Kusal Mendis taking his fifth catch of the innings.
The dismissal also brought up a personal milestone for Fernando, who became the 100th Test wicket of his career in his 29th match.
Saud admitted he was disappointed at missing out on a century but maintained that Pakistan had achieved their primary objective of posting a substantial total.
“Obviously, you are disappointed when you miss a milestone. It feels bad, but we have put up a good total, with Arafat also chipping in with a half-century,” he said at the post-day press conference.
Saud explained that Pakistan had deliberately avoided taking unnecessary risks during the morning session, believing that the pitch was becoming increasingly difficult to bat on as the ball continued to move off the surface.
He said the team had been mindful of the need to build a competitive total rather than lose wickets while attempting to accelerate prematurely.
“We had a good start and were scoring at a good rate, but the pitch was not playing as easily later on and there was still seam movement. Had we attacked and lost wickets, we might not have reached this total. Arafat’s contribution towards the end helped us cover that,” he said.
Pakistan appeared to have settled for a more measured approach after Saud’s departure, but the arrival of Razaullah brought a change in tempo. The lower order began attacking Sri Lanka’s bowlers, with Arafat joining in during an entertaining passage of play.
The pair added 41 runs in 30 deliveries, taking advantage of some loose bowling and a few missed chances. Arafat, who was playing his maiden Test, made the most of the opportunity, scoring 52 off 45 balls with nine fours and a six.
His dismissal, following Razaullah’s departure, prompted Pakistan to declare at 434-9, giving their bowlers an opportunity to attack Sri Lanka before the close.
Fernando and Dilshan Madushanka were the pick of the visiting attack, claiming three wickets each, but Sri Lanka’s inability to build sustained pressure during the first session had allowed Pakistan to take control.
Saud also expressed confidence in the younger members of the Pakistan squad, particularly opener Tayyab Arif, who scored 57 on debut on the opening day.
“I rate Tayyab very highly. All the youngsters have the potential to become good players, and there is a lot of promise in this group,” he said.
Asked about the possibility of reverse swing and spin becoming decisive as the match progressed, Saud felt the grass covering and lush outfield might limit reverse swing, although spin could become a factor if the surface developed worn patches.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka fielding coach Jordan Gregory acknowledged the challenge facing his side and said the visitors needed to approach the remainder of the match one session at a time.
“We have to take the match session by session and hope the Kamindu-De Silva partnership continues and makes a match of it. The pitch has enough in it to produce a result,” he said.
Pakistan will look to make further inroads early on Wednesday, while Sri Lanka must find a way to narrow the deficit and avoid following on.
With their seamers already demonstrating the benefits of accuracy and discipline, the hosts appear firmly placed to dictate the direction of the contest.
SCOREBOARD
PAKISTAN (1st Innings, overnight 281-5):
Azan Awais c K. Mendis b Rathnayaka 30
Tayyab Arif c K. Mendis b Fernando57
Mohammad Taha c de Silva b Dinusha 51
Babar Azam c K. Mendis b Madushanka 50
Saud Shakeel c K. Mendis b Fernando 93
Salman Ali Agha c K. Mendis b Fernando 16
Ghazi Ghori c Sooriyabandara b Madushanka48
Arafat Minhas c de Silva b Madushanka 52
Razaullah c Fernando b Kumara10
Saqib Khan not out0
EXTRAS (B-15, LB-3, NB-6, W-3)27
TOTAL (for nine wickets decl, 106.3 overs) 434
DID NOT BAT: Mohammad Abbas
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-86 (Azan), 2-90 (Tayyab), 3-159 (Babar), 4-227 (Taha), 5-253 (Salman), 6-349 (Ghazi), 7-393 (Saud), 8-434 (Arafat), 9-434 (Razaullah)
BOWLING: Fernando 26-2-107-3 (1w, 2nb), Madushanka 23-3-108-3 (1nb), Kumara 23.3-1-104-1 (1w), Rathnayaka 25-2-72-1 (1w, 3nb), de Silva 3-1-2-0, Dinusha 6-0-23-1
SRI LANKA (1st Innings):
L. Udara c Ghazi b Saqib42
P. Sooriyabandara c Ghazi b Abbas0
D. Chandimal c Salman b Saqib1
K.D. Mendis not out40
D. de Silva not out22
EXTRAS (B-4, NB-5)9
TOTAL (for three wickets, 27.1 overs)114
STILL TO BAT: K. Mendis, S. Dinusha, M. Rathnayaka, L. Kumara, A. Fernando, D. Madushanka
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-7 (Sooriyabandara), 2-12 (Chandimal), 3-65 (Udara)
BOWLING: Abbas 9-4-23-1 (2nb), Saqib 10.1-1-54-2 (1nb), Razaullah 7-1-32-0 (2nb), Arafat 1-0-1-0
Published in Dawn, November 11th, 2026
