Cricket

Pakistan vs Sri Lanka 1st Test: Saud Shakeel's 97 Saves Pakistan as Rawalpindi Test Ends in a Draw

By MayreDukaan Editorial TeamPublished 14 Nov 20263 min read

A red Test cricket ball on the pitch crease under floodlights and dark clouds

The first Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi (9–13 November 2026) ended in a draw. Saud Shakeel top-scored in both innings with 93 and 97, debutant fast bowler Saqib Khan took 7 for 130 and was named player of the match, and more than 110 overs were lost to bad light and rain. The second and final Test starts on Tuesday 17 November, also in Rawalpindi.

Result at a glance

Innings	Score	Top performers
Pakistan 1st innings	434/9 declared (106.3 overs)	Saud Shakeel 93, Tayyab Arif 57; Asitha Fernando 3/107
Sri Lanka 1st innings	446 all out (117.2 overs)	Dhananjaya de Silva 167, Kusal Mendis 119; Saqib Khan 7/130
Pakistan 2nd innings	284/8 (84.5 overs)	Saud Shakeel 97, Ghazi Ghori 35; Milan Rathnayaka 3/47
Result	Match drawn	Player of the match: Saqib Khan

Pakistan finished the match 272 runs ahead with two wickets left. The captains agreed to end the game about 25 minutes into the final session, straight after Shakeel was bowled.

How the match unfolded

Sri Lanka put Pakistan in to bat. Four of Pakistan's top five passed fifty and the hosts declared on 434 for 9. Sri Lanka replied strongly: Dhananjaya de Silva (167) and captain Kusal Mendis (119) took them to 404 for 4, and a big lead looked likely.

Then Saqib Khan, one of Pakistan's four debutants, changed the game. Including a five-wicket burst in a single spell, he finished with 7 for 130, and Sri Lanka lost their last six wickets for 42 runs to be all out for 446, a lead of just 12.

Bad light ended play early on each of the first four days and rain took nearly two sessions on day four. In total more than 110 of the scheduled overs were lost, which left little time for a result.

Day five: Shakeel's rescue

Sri Lanka's seamers took four wickets in the first session of the last day and Pakistan went to lunch on 151 for 5, only 139 ahead. Another collapse would have given Sri Lanka a real chance.

Saud Shakeel and Ghazi Ghori shut that door with a sixth-wicket stand of 92. Shakeel reached fifty from 126 balls and batted 210 balls in all, hitting seven fours, before Lahiru Kumara bowled him for 97. Babar Azam made 34 before falling to a leg-side catch off Milan Rathnayaka.

Saud Shakeel's match in numbers

Innings	Runs	Balls	Fours
1st innings	93	199	—
2nd innings	97	210	7

Being dismissed in the nineties twice in the same Test is rare. It cost Shakeel a century, but his two innings were the main reason Pakistan never fell behind in the match.

Pakistan's debutants

Pakistan handed Test debuts to four players. Saqib Khan's 7 for 130 earned him the player-of-the-match award on debut, a short list of Pakistan players that includes Mohammad Zahid, Azhar Mahmood, Mohammad Sami, Yasir Hameed, Fawad Alam and Abid Ali.

Second Test: date and venue

The second and final Test starts on Tuesday 17 November 2026 at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. It was moved from Lahore because of worsening smog. With the series level at 0–0, both teams need a win to take it. Check the PCB website for confirmed start times before the match.

This report uses the official match result and the scorecard summaries listed under Sources. Scores were checked on 14 November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Who won the Pakistan vs Sri Lanka 1st Test?

Nobody. The match in Rawalpindi ended in a draw on 13 November 2026, with Pakistan 284 for 8 in their second innings and 272 runs ahead.

How many runs did Saud Shakeel score?

93 in the first innings and 97 from 210 balls in the second innings.

Who was player of the match?

Pakistan debutant fast bowler Saqib Khan, for taking 7 wickets for 130 runs in Sri Lanka's first innings.

Why was the match drawn?

Bad light and rain cost more than 110 overs, so there was not enough time to bowl both sides out twice.

When is the 2nd Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka?

It starts on Tuesday 17 November 2026 in Rawalpindi. It was moved from Lahore because of smog.

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Sources

Facts last checked against these sources on 14 Nov 2026, 06:41 Pakistan time.