Saud Shakeel falls for 97 as rain-hit Rawalpindi Test ends in a draw

RAWALPINDI: Saud Shakeel’s patient 97 rescued Pakistan as the rain-hit first Test against Sri Lanka ended in a draw at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Friday. Pakistan finished their second innings on 284 for eight, and the two sides shook hands with the match beyond either team’s reach.

Shakeel, who had also made 93 in the first innings, was bowled by Lahiru Kumara for 97 off 210 balls, with seven fours, three runs short of the hundred that twice eluded him in this match. His long vigil was the wall behind which Pakistan fought out the final day.

An afternoon of resistance

Pakistan had gone to lunch on 151 for five, an overall lead of 139. After the break, Shakeel and wicketkeeper Ghazi Ghori added 50 off 70 balls for the sixth wicket, taking the total to 203 for five at the second drinks interval, Shakeel on 55 and Ghori on 25. Sri Lanka struck twice more before tea, leaving Pakistan 261 for seven with Shakeel unbeaten on 81, and when Kumara finally beat him, Pakistan were 284 for eight and the draw was sealed.

Babar’s wait and Saqib’s debut

Earlier in the morning, captain Babar Azam had fallen for 34, the 42nd innings without a Test hundred for him, and Salman Ali Agha made only 13. Pakistan had resumed the day at 57 for one and lost three wickets before lunch.

How the match was shaped

Pakistan had declared their first innings at 434 for nine, built on Shakeel’s 93. Sri Lanka replied with 446, led by Dhananjaya de Silva’s 167 and Kusal Mendis’s 119 in a 249-run stand. Debutant fast bowler Saqib Khan took seven for 130, and on the fourth morning Sri Lanka lost their last six wickets for 42 runs. With more than 100 overs already lost to rain and bad light, a draw was the likeliest outcome all along. The second and final Test starts at the same ground on 17 November.