Saqib’s seven headlines Pakistan’s dominant day

November 12, 2026
8:22 pm

Stumps Pakistan 434 for 9 decl and 57 for 1 lead Sri Lanka 446 (de Silva 167, Kusal 119, Saqib 7-130) by 45 runs

Saqib Khan delivered an unnerring and unbroken eight-over spell, claiming five wickets for 25 runs to bring Pakistan charging back into the Test on the fourth morning. He engineered a Sri Lanka collapse that yielded six wickets for 42 runs, swinging and nipping his way to 7 for 130 – the fourth-best innings figures for a Pakistan bowler on debut.

With Sri Lanka establishing a lead of only 12, Pakistan then fought their way to 57 for 1 before bad light ended play shortly before 1:30pm. With just one day to play – likely curtailed by bad light as the previous four had been – a draw now looms as the likeliest outcome for this first Test. This is despite the pitch having showed serious signs of life on a fourth day in which seven wickets fell in the space of 36 overs. Bad light and rain have now lanced more than 100 overs from this match.

Sri Lanka had begun the day with strong hopes of establishing a commanding first-innings lead. They had six wickets left, were only 30 runs behind Pakistan’s first-innings total, and had both centurions – senior batters Dhananjaya de Silva and Kusal Mendis – at the crease. Saqib struck before they could add to their partnership of 249, however. He had begun probing away in the channel outside off stump already before Dhananjaya de Silva pushed at an away-swinger and nicked behind, fifth ball of the day. De Silva was out for 167.

Kusal Mendis, who was 117 overnight, lasted longer, but could himself only add two further runs to his tally before also edging one to a diving Gazi Ghori, who took three catches just off Saqib . That was the second time Saqib had taken Kusal’s edge that over, with Saud Shakeel having spilt the first chance at first slip.

Saqib was just as good against the left-handers, getting some to nip back off the length and others to hold their line, as he continued to test their patience. Sonal Dinusha lost his after getting to 20, sending a catch to the cordon as he attempted a booming cover drive. That gave Saqib a maiden five-wicket haul in his first bowling innings. Where for the recognised batters Saqib didn’t stray far from the channel outside off, he went at the stumps when the tailenders were in. He would also have Asitha Fernando caught behind, fending at a delivery that passed over off stump, before nailing Lahiru Kumara lbw with another swinging delivery.

No Pakistan bowler has ever taken more than seven wickets in an innings on debut. Mohammad Zahid, Mohammad Nazir, and Abrar Ahmed are the others to have claimed seven.

Two other bowlers took wickets. Razaullah had Milan Rathnayaka caught in the deep to end Sri Lanka’s innings, before Asitha Fernando got Tayyab Arif lbw shortly before lunch. Sri Lanka’s own seamers got plenty out of the conditions too, with Asitha and Kumara in particular delivering testing spells. Had Kusal held on to a straightforward chance off the bowling of Rathnayaka not long after lunch, Azan Awais would have been out for 17.

He and Mohammad Taha survived by the light of the Rawalpindi floodlights for several overs before the umpires took the players off the field, roughtly midway through the second session.