RAWALPINDI – Sri Lanka moved closer to securing victory in the opening Test against Pakistan as the hosts lost four wickets during a tense final-day morning session as Babar Azam once again failed to end his century drought.
Pakistan reached 151-5 at lunch on Friday, holding an overall lead of 139 runs with five wickets remaining in their second innings. The two-match series opener has been heavily affected by rain and poor weather conditions.
Saud Shakeel was unbeaten on 23, while Ghazi Ghori was batting on seven when bad light forced a 20-minute interruption before the lunch break.
Babar’s wait for a Test century continued after he was dismissed for 34, extending his drought to 42 consecutive innings without reaching three figures. The Pakistan captain fell into a leg-side trap, offering a straightforward catch to the short square-leg fielder off Milan Rathnayaka.
He struck six boundaries during his innings and shared a 50-run partnership with Shakeel for the fourth wicket before losing his wicket.
Rathnayaka struck again in the same manner, removing Salman Agha for 13 as Pakistan slipped to 125-5.
Sri Lanka had made an immediate impact at the start of the day’s play when Lahiru Kumara dismissed overnight batter Azan Awais for 22 with the first delivery. Asitha Fernando followed up in the next over, sending Mohammad Taha back to the pavilion for 24 after he was caught behind.
Babar had a reprieve on 22 when Kamindu Mendis dropped a catch off Fernando, but the reprieve did not translate into a substantial innings.
Fernando had taken two wickets for 20 runs, while Rathnayaka claimed two for 32 by the lunch interval.
Pakistan had resumed their second innings on the fourth day after conceding a 12-run first-innings deficit. Opener Tayyab Arif was dismissed early for 11, but Awais and Taha helped stabilise the innings before deteriorating weather conditions halted play at 57-1.
Earlier, Pakistan declared their first innings at 434-9. Sri Lanka responded with 446, securing a narrow 12-run advantage.
Dhananjaya de Silva and captain Kusal Mendis were instrumental in Sri Lanka’s recovery, producing a commanding 249-run partnership, with both batters scoring centuries. Kamindu Mendis also contributed 58 before Pakistan fought back on the fourth morning, claiming the remaining six wickets for 42 runs.
Mohammad Abbas and debutant Saqib Khan led Pakistan’s early bowling efforts, but Sri Lanka’s middle order turned the contest around.
With five wickets still in hand, Pakistan needed to extend their lead substantially to set Sri Lanka a challenging target, while the visitors remained firmly in contention for a 1-0 advantage in the series.
