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Rain and bad light end day four at Rawalpindi with Pakistan 57 for 1, 45 ahead
Saqib Khan's seven on debut gave Pakistan a way back, but weather cut the day short with the hosts 45 ahead and a draw the likeliest result of the first Test against Sri Lanka.
Key points
- Play ended early on day four with Pakistan 57 for 1 in the second innings, 45 runs ahead.
- Saqib Khan's 7 for 130 on debut bowled Sri Lanka out for 446 after they began the day on 404 for 4.
- More rain is forecast for day five and the match is heading for a draw; the series goes to the second Test from November 17.
Rain and bad light brought an early close to the fourth day of the first Test in Rawalpindi on Thursday, November 12, 2026, with Pakistan 57 for 1 in their second innings, 45 runs ahead of Sri Lanka and nine wickets in hand. The weather has left only one scheduled day to turn that lead into a result.
Azan Awais was unbeaten on 22 and Mohammad Taha on 24 when play was stopped after 21.2 overs of Pakistan’s second innings. The only wicket to fall was opener Tayyab Arif, lbw to Asitha Fernando for 11 in the third over. According to reports, play was halted about 45 minutes into the second session. The exact time and the number of overs lost have not been published.
The morning collapse
The day belonged to debutant Saqib Khan. Sri Lanka began on 404 for 4, 30 runs behind, with Dhananjaya de Silva on 167 and captain Kusal Mendis on 117 after their unbroken stand of 249. Saqib had Dhananjaya de Silva caught behind off the first ball of the day, ending a 405-minute innings of 20 fours.
Kusal Mendis went in the fifth over for 119, having added two runs to his overnight score. He hit 10 fours and four sixes in about five hours. Sri Lanka lost their last six wickets for 42 runs and were all out for 446, a first-innings lead of 12 over Pakistan’s 434 for 9 declared.
Saqib finished with 7 for 130 from 34 overs. He is the fourth Pakistani to take seven wickets in an innings on Test debut, after Mohammad Zahid (7 for 66), Mohammad Nazir (7 for 99) and Abrar Ahmed (7 for 114). Mohammad Abbas took two wickets and Razaullah one. Our report from the morning has the first session in detail.
How the match got here
Pakistan’s first innings of 434 for 9 was built around Saud Shakeel’s 93. On day three, as we reported, de Silva and Mendis added 249 for the fifth wicket, Sri Lanka’s highest stand for any wicket against Pakistan, and Saqib ended the day with 2 for 105. Before play, our preview of day four noted a forecast chance of afternoon rain above 90%.
Bad light and then rain ended the afternoon early. Before that, Pakistan’s batters had steadied after Arif’s early exit, with Awais and Taha taking the score from 15 for 1 to 39 for 1 at lunch and then to 57.
What it means for the result
A lead of 45 with nine wickets standing is a comfortable position, but not one that wins a Test unless the weather allows a declaration and enough overs to bowl Sri Lanka out. Reports say more rain is forecast for Friday and describe the match as heading for a draw. The surface that gave Sri Lanka 404 for 4 on day three is the one Pakistan will bat on again, so quick runs are not guaranteed.
A draw would leave the two-Test series level at 0-0 going into the second match.
What happens next
Play is due to resume on Friday, November 13, for the fifth and last scheduled day, with Pakistan batting on from 57 for 1. The second and final Test also takes place at Rawalpindi, from November 17, after it was moved from Lahore because of smog, and will decide the series if the first ends as a draw.