The first Test of the two-match series between Sri Lanka and Pakistan commenced today (9th November) at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
Having won the toss, Sri Lankan skipper Kusal Mendis opted to bowl first, backing a pace-heavy bowling attack featuring three frontline seamers – Asitha Fernando, Lahiru Kumara and Dilshan Madushanka – alongside seam-bowling all-rounder Milan Rathnayake.
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Pakistan made an aggressive start through Azan Awais (30) and Tayyab Arif (57), who added 86 runs for the opening wicket in just 16 overs. The hosts maintained their momentum through the middle order, with Mohammad Taha and Babar Azam also registering half-centuries.
However, Sri Lanka managed to break through at regular intervals, preventing the Pakistan batters from converting their starts into bigger contributions. Saud Shakeel remained unbeaten at the crease, producing a composed knock of 57 runs to guide Pakistan to 281/5 at the close of play.
Asitha Fernando led the Sri Lankan bowling effort with two wickets, while Dilshan Madushanka and Milan Rathnayake claimed one wicket apiece. Interestingly, the visitors used spin for just four overs, with the Rawalpindi surface offering sufficient assistance to the pace bowlers.
Stumps
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Azan Awais | c Kusal Mendis b Milan Rathnayake | 30 | 50 | 7 | 0 | 60.00 |
| Tayyab Arif | c Kusal Mendis b Asitha Fernando | 57 | 51 | 9 | 1 | 111.76 |
| Mohammad Taha | c Dhananjaya de Silva b Sonal Dinusha | 51 | 105 | 6 | 0 | 48.57 |
| Babar Azam | c Kusal Mendis b Dilshan Madusanka | 50 | 58 | 7 | 0 | 86.21 |
| Saud Shakeel | not out | 57 | 112 | 7 | 0 | 50.89 |
| Salman Agha | c Kamindu Mendis b Asitha Fernando | 16 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 72.73 |
| Ghazi Ghori | not out | 7 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 70.00 |
| Extras | 13 (b 6 , lb 1 , nb 4, w 2, pen 0) |
| Total | 281/5 (67.2 Overs, RR: 4.17) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asitha Fernando | 15.2 | 2 | 64 | 2 | 4.21 | |
| Dilshan Madusanka | 16 | 1 | 87 | 1 | 5.44 | |
| Lahiru Kumara | 16 | 1 | 70 | 0 | 4.38 | |
| Milan Rathnayake | 16 | 1 | 43 | 1 | 2.69 | |
| Dhananjaya de Silva | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | |
| Sonal Dinusha | 3 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 3.33 | |
 at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.){kind=link}