Explained: Saqib Khan's 7 wickets on debut in the Rawalpindi Test
Debutant Saqib Khan took 7 wickets as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 446 in the first Test in Rawalpindi. Sri Lanka lead Pakistan by 12 runs on the first innings.
- Sri Lanka were all out for 446, a 12-run lead over Pakistan's 434 for 9 declared.
- Saqib Khan took 7 wickets on Test debut, the fourth Pakistani bowler to do so.
- Sri Lanka added 42 runs on day four and lost their last six wickets.
The first Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka is being played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. It is the first match of a two-Test ICC World Test Championship series. khabr.pk reported on 9 November that Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to field, and that Kusal Mendis was starting his time as Sri Lanka's Test captain.
The big story of day four, 12 November, was fast bowler Saqib Khan. On his Test debut he took 7 wickets in Sri Lanka's first innings. Sri Lanka resumed on 404 for 4 and were bowled out for 446, adding only 42 runs and losing six wickets in the morning. That gave them a first-innings lead of 12 runs.
Saqib is the fourth Pakistani bowler to take 7 wickets in an innings on Test debut, after Muhammad Zahid, Muhammad Nazir and Abrar Ahmed. On day four he dismissed Dhananjaya de Silva, who had scored 167 on day three, in the first over of the morning. He also removed Sonal Dinusha for 20, Lahiru Kumara for 0 and Asitha Fernando for 4. Muhammad Abbas took 2 wickets and Raza Ullah took 1.
Sri Lanka's innings was built on a fifth-wicket stand of 249 between de Silva and Mendis. Mendis began the day unbeaten on 117 and finished on 119, according to the final tally reported by Daily Pakistan, while Express News reported that he was out for two runs in the morning, also to Saqib Khan.
Pakistan had declared their first innings at 434 for 9 on day two. Saud Shakeel made 93, seven short of a fifth Test century, Taiyyab Arif 57, Arafat Minhas 52, Muhammad Taha 51 and captain Babar Azam 50. Asitha Fernando and Dilshan Madushanka took 3 wickets each for Sri Lanka.
Four Pakistan players made their Test debuts in this match: Taiyyab Arif, Muhammad Taha, Arafat Minhas and Saqib Khan. khabr.pk reported that Pakistan's 16-member squad had eight uncapped players.
What is still open is how the match will finish. Pakistan now bat again in their second innings, trailing by 12 runs, and the material available to khabr.pk does not say how the remaining days will go.
Why it matters for Pakistan
Pakistan cricket followers are watching a Test in which four players made their debuts. Saqib Khan's 7 wickets put him in a short list of Pakistani bowlers with that return on debut. The match is part of the ICC World Test Championship series, so the result counts in that competition. The second innings is still to be played, so the outcome remains open.
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