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Pakistan declare 434-9, leave Sri Lanka 114-3 in RawalpindiSports
Five Pakistan batters passed fifty before Babar Azam declared, and two early strikes left Sri Lanka trailing by 320 runs at stumps on day two.
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Pakistan tightened their grip on the first Test against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, declaring their first innings at 434 for nine before reducing the visitors to 114 for three at stumps on day two, leaving Sri Lanka still 320 runs behind.
Resuming on 281 for five, Pakistan added 153 runs in the first two sessions before captain Babar Azam called his batters in after 106.3 overs. Saud Shakeel, who had started the day unbeaten on 57, carried the innings deep into the afternoon before falling seven runs short of a century, caught by Kusal Mendis off Asitha Fernando for 93 from 199 deliveries.
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Shakeel shared a 96-run stand for the sixth wicket with wicketkeeper Ghazi Ghori, who made a composed 48 before falling to Dilshan Madushanka. Lower down the order, Arafat Minhas added further momentum with a brisk 52 from number nine, underlining the depth of Pakistan’s batting on a surface that continued to favour the batters.
Five Pakistan batters reached fifty in the innings. Debutants Tayyab Arif and Mohammad Taha had already made 57 and 51 on the opening day, while Babar contributed 50. Azan Awais added 30, Salman Ali Agha made 16 and Razaullah was dismissed for 10 before the declaration. For Sri Lanka, Fernando and Madushanka were the pick of the bowlers, taking three wickets each for 107 and 108 runs respectively.
Early strikes leave Sri Lanka reeling
Sri Lanka’s reply began disastrously. Mohammad Abbas and debutant Saqib Khan struck in the third and fourth overs, removing Pasindu Sooriyabandara and Dinesh Chandimal to leave the visitors reeling at 12 for two. Opener Lahiru Udara steadied the innings with 42 and shared a 53-run partnership with Kamindu Mendis, but Saqib returned to dismiss Udara, caught behind by Ghori.
Kamindu Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva then provided much-needed resistance, adding an unbeaten 62 runs for the fourth wicket to keep Sri Lanka’s innings moving. Mendis was unbeaten on 40 and de Silva on 22 when bad light brought an early end to proceedings, with Sri Lanka on 114 for three after 27.1 overs.
Sri Lanka had won the toss and chosen to bowl first on Monday, but the decision backfired as Pakistan’s new-look batting line-up piled on the runs across the two days. Play on the opening day had also been curtailed by bad light, with only 67.2 overs possible, and the pattern repeated on day two.
The match is the first of a two-Test series and part of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27. The second Test will be played in Lahore from 17 to 21 November. With a lead of 320 runs already in hand and seven Sri Lankan wickets still to take, Pakistan will begin day three firmly in control.
Tags:Australia CricketBabar AzamPakistan vs Sri LankaRawalpindi TestSaud ShakeelWorld Test Championship
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