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Saqib Khan takes seven on debut as Sri Lanka lose six for 42 and finish on 446 in Rawalpindi
The debutant seamer ended the fourth morning's resistance, taking de Silva in the first over and Kusal Mendis soon after, and Pakistan were 39 for 1 at lunch, 27 ahead in the second innings.
Key points
- Saqib Khan finished with 7 for 130 on Test debut as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 446.
- Sri Lanka lost their last six wickets for 42 runs and led by only 12.
- Pakistan were 39 for 1 at lunch, 27 ahead, with Azan Awais on 16 and Mohammad Taha on 12.
Debutant Saqib Khan took five more wickets on the fourth morning, finishing with 7 for 130, of the first Test in Rawalpindi on Thursday, November 12, 2026, and Pakistan bowled Sri Lanka out for 446, a lead of only 12. Pakistan were 39 for 1 at lunch, 27 runs ahead, in their second innings.
Sri Lanka had resumed on 404 for 4, 30 behind, with Dhananjaya de Silva on 167 and captain Kusal Mendis on 117 after an unbroken stand of 249. They then lost their last six wickets for 42 runs.
The first over and the collapse
Saqib removed de Silva in the first over of the day. De Silva was out for the 167 he had held overnight, so the stand that took the game away from Pakistan on day three ended without adding a run. Mendis fell soon after for 119, two runs more than he had overnight, and the tail followed.
Saqib finished with 7 for 130. He is only the fourth Pakistani to take seven wickets in an innings on Test debut, after Mohammad Zahid, Mohammad Nazir and Abrar Ahmed. Mohammad Abbas took two wickets and Razaullah one.
The spell was a turnaround for a young attack. On day three Saqib had gone for 105 runs for two wickets while de Silva and Mendis put on their 249, and our day three report described how Pakistan’s seamers were punished. Abbas had said after stumps on day three that Pakistan would push for early wickets, and wicketkeeper Mohammad Ghazi Ghori had spoken of a positive result, as our preview noted.
Pakistan’s second innings
Sri Lanka’s 446 gave them a first-innings lead of 12 over Pakistan’s 434 for 9 declared. Pakistan lost an early wicket when Tayyab Arif was out lbw for 11 to Asitha Fernando in the third over. Azan Awais and Mohammad Taha then carried the score to 39 for 1 at the interval, Awais unbeaten on 16 and Taha on 12, with eight wickets in hand.
The lead of 27 is small, and what Pakistan do after lunch will decide whether they set Sri Lanka a target or simply bat time. Pakistan have the better of the position after the collapse, but a lead of that size is not a safe one on a surface where Sri Lanka scored 404 for 4 on day three.
The weather and the clock
The game is scheduled to finish on Friday, November 13, 2026. A forecast cited before play had put the chance of rain at 92 per cent in the afternoon of day four, with around 14.6 mm possible. We have not found a report of play being stopped, and the forecast was only a forecast, but any lost time now cuts into the little that Pakistan have left to build a lead and then bowl Sri Lanka out. On day three, 23 overs were already lost to bad light.
The second Test, from November 17 to 21, 2026, has also been moved to Rawalpindi from Lahore because of smog, so the same ground will host both matches of the two-Test series.
What happens next
Play resumes after lunch on day four with Pakistan 27 ahead. The final scheduled day is Friday, November 13, 2026. If the weather allows, Pakistan will want to bat long enough to set a target that leaves them time to bowl Sri Lanka out, with a debutant who has just taken seven wickets leading the attack.