Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, Rawalpindi Test heads toward a draw
What's the story
Pakistan's debutant bowler, Saqib Khan, took seven wickets in Sri Lanka's first innings. His stellar performance helped restrict the visitors' lead to just 12 runs in the ongoing Rawalpindi Test. The match saw some interruptions due to bad light, but Pakistan managed to restore some balance on Day 4. Sri Lanka started strong with two centurions Dhananjaya de Silva and Kusal Mendis but lost their last six wickets for just 42 runs. Here's more.
Match details
Sri Lanka take narrow lead; Pakistan lose 1 wicket
Saqib made his Test debut on Thursday and took a sensational seven-wicket haul, returning figures of 7/130.
His performance helped Pakistan restrict Sri Lanka to a narrow first-innings lead of just 12 runs.
The visitors were bowled out for 446 after resuming the day at a commanding 404/4.
In their second innings, Pakistan scored 57/1 in 21.2 overs before bad light and rain brought an early end to the day's play.
Record achievement
Saqib joins these names with 7-fer on Test debut
Saqib's remarkable performance made him only the fourth Pakistani bowler to take seven wickets in an innings on Test debut.
He joined the ranks of Mohammad Nazir, Mohammad Zahid, and Abrar Ahmed.
The right-arm pacer credited his success to exploiting conditions and sticking to his natural strengths, particularly generating outswing.
"My strength is to bowl out-swingers and I did exactly that today under favorable overcast conditions," Saqib said after the match.
Game strategy
Coach Mike Hesson's advise
Saqib's strategy was to hit the off-stump line and bowl outswingers, as advised by coach Mike Hesson.
The overcast conditions helped him trouble the Sri Lankan batters with movement off the surface.
He took five wickets for just 25 runs in an eight-over spell.
His first victim was Dhananjaya de Silva, who scored a marathon innings of 167 runs before being dismissed by Saqib.
Bowling brilliance
Saqib rattles Sri Lanka
Saqib's relentless spell continued as he dismissed Sonal Dinusha, who had three centuries and two half-centuries in his last five Tests.
The left-hander scored 20 runs before edging an expansive drive into the slips.
Saqib celebrated his fifth wicket by kissing the pitch.
Despite a brief resistance from Milan Rathnayake, who took Sri Lanka past Pakistan's first-innings score with a boundary off Razaullah, Saqib struck again to take two more wickets, including Asitha Fernando, caught behind by Ghori.
SL
Overnight centurions fall cheaply
Sri Lanka resumed Day 4 on 404/4. De Silva was batting on 167 and Mendis on 117.
However, both overnight centurions were dismissed early.
De Silva perished without troubling the scores, falling for 167 off 246 balls.
Mendis added 2 runs to his overnight score and managed 119 runs off 202 balls.
Pakistan then took control of the proceedings.