Debutant Sakib Khan Takes 7 Wickets as Pakistan-Sri Lanka Test Ends in Draw
The first Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka ends in a draw, with debutant Sakib Khan claiming 7 wickets and earning Player of the Match honors.
Rawalpindi, November 13 (Daily Kiran) : The first Test match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium concluded in a draw. Debutant Sakib Khan made headlines by taking seven wickets in the innings, earning him the Player of the Match title. The second and final match of the series, set for November 17 at the same venue, now holds significant importance.
With this achievement, Sakib Khan became the seventh Pakistani player to win the Player of the Match award on his debut. Notable predecessors include Mohammad Zahid, Azhar Mahmood, Mohammad Sami, Yasir Hamid, Fawad Alam, and Abid Ali.
Batting first after losing the toss, the Pakistani team declared their first innings at 434 for 9. Ajan Owais and Tayyab Tahir partnered for 86 runs for the first wicket. Owais scored 30 runs before being dismissed, shortly followed by Tayyab, who contributed 57 runs.
Pakistan faced early setbacks, losing two wickets for just 90 runs. However, Mohammad Taha (51) formed a crucial 69-run partnership with captain Babar Azam (50), and later, Saud Shakeel (93) added 68 runs with Taha to push the team past the 200-run mark. Saud then partnered with Ghazi Gori (48) to amass 96 runs for the sixth wicket.
From the Sri Lankan side, Asitha Fernando and Dilshan Madushanka each claimed three wickets, while Lahiru Kumara, Milan Priyanath Rathnayake, and Sonal Dinu also contributed with one wicket each.
In response, Sri Lanka managed to score 446 runs in their first innings, gaining a slight lead of 12 runs. Kamindu Mendis (58) and Lahiru Udara (42) built a 53-run partnership for the third wicket, followed by a significant 90-run stand between Dhananjaya de Silva and Mendis for the fourth wicket.
Captain Kusal Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva then added a remarkable 249 runs for the fifth wicket, pushing the team past the 400-run mark. Dhananjaya scored 167 runs, hitting 20 boundaries, while Kusal Mendis contributed 119 runs, including 10 fours and 4 sixes. Sakib Khan was the standout bowler for Pakistan, taking seven wickets for 130 runs, with Mohammad Abbas claiming two wickets and Razaullah adding one.
On the final day, Pakistan faced 84.5 overs in their second innings, scoring 284 runs while losing eight wickets. The team struggled early, losing three wickets for just 57 runs.
Saud Shakeel (97) formed a crucial partnership with Babar Azam (34) for the fourth wicket, adding 50 runs, while he and Ghazi Gori (35) put together 92 runs for the sixth wicket, preventing an all-out. Milan Priyanath Rathnayake took the most wickets for Sri Lanka in this innings, claiming three, while Lahiru Kumara and Asitha Fernando each took two.
