Pakistan strengthened their position in the opening Test against Sri Lanka as Saud Shakeel narrowly missed another century and debutant Arafat Minhas celebrated his maiden half-century, helping the hosts declare their first innings at 434 for nine on Tuesday.
The visitors reached 114 for three at the close of the second day at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, trailing by 320 runs with seven wickets remaining. Bad light brought an early end to the day’s proceedings, leaving Kamindu Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva unbeaten at the crease.
Kamindu was batting on 40 off 78 deliveries, including five boundaries, while Dhananjaya had contributed an unbeaten 22 from 28 balls.
Saud Shakeel Falls Seven Runs Short of Century
Resuming the day at 281 for five, Pakistan continued their impressive batting performance, adding another 153 runs before declaring in the second session.
Saud Shakeel, who had finished the opening day unbeaten on 57, looked set for another Test century. However, the left-handed batter departed for 93 after facing 199 deliveries and hitting nine boundaries.
Asitha Fernando ended his patient innings, denying him a well-deserved three-figure score.
Wicketkeeper-batter Ghazi Ghori provided valuable support with 48 off 72 balls, striking two boundaries. The pair added 96 runs for the sixth wicket, further strengthening Pakistan’s commanding position.
Arafat Minhas Makes Dream Test Debut
Debutant Arafat Minhas delivered another encouraging performance, scoring his maiden Test half-century to become the third Pakistan batter to achieve the milestone in the innings.
The left-handed batter struck 52 off 72 deliveries, hitting nine fours and a six. He completed his half-century from 70 balls before Dilshan Madushanka dismissed him.
Arafat joined Tayyab Arif and Mohammad Taha, who had also registered half-centuries on the opening day with scores of 57 and 51 respectively.
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Pakistan’s first-innings total also included contributions from Babar Azam, who scored 50, and Ghazi Ghori, whose 48 helped the hosts maintain momentum.
For Sri Lanka, Asitha Fernando and Dilshan Madushanka claimed three wickets each, although their efforts could not prevent Pakistan from posting a substantial total.
Saqib Khan Strikes Twice as Sri Lanka Lose Early Wickets
Pakistan’s bowlers made an immediate impact when Sri Lanka began their reply.
Experienced fast bowler Mohammad Abbas removed Pasindu Sooriyabandara for a duck, leaving the visitors at seven for one.
Test debutant Saqib Khan then made his presence felt by dismissing Dinesh Chandimal for just one run. Sri Lanka slipped to 12 for two, giving Pakistan an early advantage.
Opening batter Lahiru Udara attempted to stabilise the innings, scoring 42 from 52 deliveries with seven fours.
However, Saqib struck again to remove Udara, leaving Sri Lanka struggling at 67 for three.
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Kamindu Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva Steady Sri Lanka
Kamindu Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva prevented further damage by building an unbeaten 49-run partnership for the fourth wicket.
Their resistance took Sri Lanka to 114 for three in 27.1 overs when bad light forced an early conclusion to the day’s play.
Saqib finished with two wickets for 54 runs from 10.1 overs, while Abbas claimed one wicket for 23 runs in nine overs.
Sri Lanka will resume on Wednesday, still 320 runs behind Pakistan, with Kamindu and Dhananjaya carrying the responsibility of rebuilding the innings.
Scores at Stumps
Day 2 of 5
| Team | Score |
|---|---|
| Pakistan | 434-9 declared (106.3 overs) |
| Sri Lanka | 114-3 (27.1 overs) |
Pakistan batting: Saud Shakeel 93, Tayyab Arif 57, Arafat Minhas 52, Mohammad Taha 51, Babar Azam 50, Ghazi Ghori 48.
Sri Lanka bowling: Asitha Fernando 3-107, Dilshan Madushanka 3-108.
Sri Lanka batting: Lahiru Udara 42, Kamindu Mendis 40 not out, Dhananjaya de Silva 22 not out.
Pakistan bowling: Saqib Khan 2-54, Mohammad Abbas 1-23.
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