Debutant Saqib Khan claimed 7/130 to bowl Sri Lanka out for 446 in the first Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi. Pakistan secured a 45-run lead after reaching 57/1 in their second innings, setting up an intriguing final day.

Rawalpindi: Debutant pacer Saqib Khan took a sensational 7-130 in 34 overs to bring Pakistan back into the first Test against Sri Lanka at the Rawalpindi Cricket Ground on Thursday. The visitors looked set to clinch a commanding lead but were bowled out for 446, just 12 runs ahead of Pakistan declaring their first innings at 434/9.

By the time stumps arrived, which came early due to bad light and then subsequent rain, Pakistan reached 33/1 in their second innings, with their lead standing at 45 runs, though they lost opener Tayyab Arif at the very end. Sri Lanka resumed on 404/4 with two centurions at the crease, and a sizeable lead looked a formality.

Saqib, who had taken two wickets on day three, changed that in the first over of the morning by removing Dhananjaya de Silva for 167. That wicket ended a 249-run fifth-wicket stand, the highest association for Sri Lanka for that wicket in men’s Tests against Pakistan.

Kusal Mendis, the other centurion, followed soon after for 119. Both batters were caught behind off the debutant Saqib. Sonal Dinusha, who arrived in Pakistan in good form after impressing against India at home in August, put up some resistance with a gritty 20 before becoming Saqib’s fifth victim.

The pacer kept going and ran through the lower order to complete his seven-wicket haul, as Sri Lanka went from 404/4 to 446 all out. Saqib’s figures are the fourth-best by a Pakistan bowler on Test debut. Only Mohammad Zahid (7-66), Mohammad Nazir (7-99) and Abrar Ahmed (7-114) have done better, in terms of runs conceded.

With the final day’s play remaining, all three results are still possible. Pakistan have nine wickets in hand and a slender lead. The series counts towards the 2025-27 ICC World Test Championship points. Sri Lanka are seventh in the table with a points percentage of 33.33, while Pakistan are ninth and last on 4.63 PCT.

Brief scores:

Pakistan 434/9 decl. & 57/1 in 21/2 overs (Mohammad Taha 24 not out; Asitha Fernando 1-10) lead Sri Lanka 446 all out in 117.2 overs (Dhananjaya de Silva 167, Kusal Mendis 119; Saqib Khan 7-130) by 45 runs