PAK vs SL: Babar, Shakeel fifties and Tayyab’s debut exhibition hand Pakistan Day 1 honors

Pakistan made the most of a promising start before Sri Lanka clawed their way back into the contest on the opening day of the first Test in Rawalpindi. Despite losing wickets at regular intervals during the last two matches, the hosts managed to finish in a position of relative strength, reaching 281 for 5 at stumps.

Debutant Tayyab Arif set the tone with an aggressive 57 off just 51 deliveries, giving Pakistan an early boost alongside Azan Awais. The middle order couldn’t quite replicate that scoring rate, with Sri Lanka finding ways to break the partnership whenever the hosts threatened to build a substantial total.

PAK VS SL 1. TEST DAY 1 MAIN VALUES

However, Saud Shakeel ensured Pakistan did not relinquish their advantage. The left-hander remained unbeaten on 57 at the end of the game and will resume the next morning with the responsibility of guiding the hosts to an impressive first innings score.

Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis did not hesitate to send Pakistan in after winning the toss, with the green tinge on the Rawalpindi surface encouraging his bowling attack. However, the conditions did not provide the help he would have hoped for and allowed Pakistan’s openers to settle into their innings.

Arif was particularly impressive on debut. Rather than allow it to get to him, the youngster attacked Sri Lanka’s fast bowlers, cashing in on over-full deliveries and finding regular boundaries through the offside. He was equally willing to take the short ball and clear the deep fine-leg boundary with one particularly eye-catching stroke.

Awais, meanwhile, had a few uncomfortable moments as the deliveries drifted away from him outside the off stump. However, Sri Lanka’s inconsistent lengths allowed the opening pair to maintain control for most of the first session. They combined for 16 boundaries before Milan Rathnayaka provided the breakthrough, forcing one back to Awais and slotting to the keeper.

Sri Lanka had barely finished celebrating that dismissal when Asitha Fernando struck in the following over. The pacer found Arif’s outside edge to end an entertaining opening partnership and give the visitors a much-needed boost.

Pakistan responded with a patient rebuild. Babar Azam has looked particularly assured at the crease, producing a number of confident knocks despite his recent struggles for runs. At the other end, Mohammad Taha took a more cautious approach and allowed his experienced partner to dictate the pace.

Babar kicked into gear after the lunch break and made the most of some loose deliveries from Dilshan Madushanka. The on-board pacemaker strayed into the line several times and was punished by the Pakistan batsman with a series of boundaries through the off side. The attacking burst also took Babar to another half-century.

However, his stay ended almost immediately after reaching the milestone. Madushanka corrected his line and length and created movement away from the right-hander. Babar went for a sweeping drive but only managed to edge it behind the stumps to Mendis.

After Pakistan lost more established batsmen, the responsibility of stabilizing the innings fell on Taha and Shakeel. The pair showed considerable patience, negotiating the rest of the afternoon without allowing Sri Lanka to take any more wickets.

Pakistan’s advance suffered another setback after tea. Working hard to reach his half-century, Taha attempted an ambitious shot against Sonal Dinusha but mistimed it. Dhananjaya de Silva settled under the resulting catch to end his innings.

Fernando then added to Pakistan’s problems by recalling Salman Agh. The fast bowler generated extra bounce and caught the batsman off guard as the ball reached his bat arm before reaching Mendis.

Sri Lanka had another opportunity to put Pakistan under pressure as the evening wore on, but Shakeel remained composed. The left-hander managed the final third without giving the visitors another breakthrough, ensuring the hosts kept something to build on going into day two.

With 281 runs on the board and five wickets remaining, Pakistan will believe they have done enough to finish the opening day with a slight lead. A lot will now depend on whether Shakeel can turn his unbeaten half-century into a substantial innings on day two.

– The end