Pakistan declared on 434 for 9 on the second day of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi, and their debutants kept coming: Arafat Minhas made a fifty and Saqib Khan took two wickets as Sri Lanka closed on 114 for 3, still 320 behind.
Saud Shakeel, 57 overnight, made 93 before he edged Asitha Fernando to Kusal Mendis, Dawn reported. It was his highest Test score in more than two years. Sri Lanka now need another 121 runs to get past the follow-on mark, with Kamindu Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva together.
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Key points
- Pakistan declared on 434 for 9 after 106.3 overs, with Saud Shakeel out for 93 and debutant Arafat Minhas making 52
- Sri Lanka closed day two on 114 for 3, 320 behind, with Kamindu Mendis 40 not out and Dhananjaya de Silva 22 not out
- Debutant Saqib Khan took two wickets, Chandimal and Lahiru Udara, and Mohammad Abbas removed Sooriyabandara for a duck
Shakeel seven short, Minhas on debut
Shakeel batted 199 balls and added 96 for the sixth wicket with Ghazi Ghori, who made 48 off 72 before Dilshan Madushanka had him caught by Pasindu Sooriyabandara. Minhas then made 52 off 72 with nine fours and a six, the innings’ fifth fifty after Tayyab Arif, Mohammad Taha and Babar Azam on the first day. Madushanka removed him too, caught by De Silva.
Pakistan added 153 for the loss of four wickets on Tuesday and declared after lunch. Fernando (3 for 107) and Madushanka (3 for 108) shared six wickets, but with four seamers and no frontline spinner Sri Lanka had nobody to hold an end while Pakistan pushed on.
Saqib Khan’s first Test wickets
Mohammad Abbas struck first, removing Sooriyabandara for a duck. Then Saqib Khan, the fourth Pakistan debutant, had Dinesh Chandimal for 1 and later got rid of Lahiru Udara, who had raced to 42 off 52 balls with seven fours, ProPakistani reported.
So each of the four debutants has now made a mark in this game: three fifties with the bat and two wickets with the ball.
Kamindu Mendis was unbeaten on 40 off 78 balls at stumps, with De Silva on 22 off 28.
What happens next
Day three resumes on Wednesday with Sri Lanka on 114 for 3. They need 235 to avoid the follow-on, and the morning session will go a long way to deciding whether Pakistan get the option. The second and final Test starts in Lahore on 17 November.
Market watch
- The follow-on line is 235. Kamindu Mendis and De Silva are set, but Chandimal and Udara are already gone, so two quick wickets on Wednesday morning would bring the follow-on into play.
- Pakistan have a 320-run cushion and three days left. Their win price depends on how fast they can take the 17 wickets still needed, and every session Mendis and De Silva bat keeps the draw in play.
- Saqib Khan and Abbas are the bowlers in form for Pakistan; Kamindu Mendis is Sri Lanka’s best hope in top-batter markets. Our cricket betting tips explain how session and player markets work.
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Top image: Photo: Younisjunejo / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
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Wendy Prinsloo
Wendy is an iGaming journalist and sports betting writer who covers cricket news, betting platforms, odds, and online casinos.
She writes about the latest developments in the cricket industry and helps readers stay updated while understanding how betting works.
