Key points
- Pakistan declared at 434 for 9 after Saud Shakeel was dismissed for 93, seven short of a century.
- Sri Lanka ended the second day at 114 for 3, trailing by 320 runs, after play stopped early in bad light.
- The visitors need 235 to avoid the follow-on, so the third day, which is today, decides who controls the Test.
Pakistan declared their first innings at 434 for 9 on the second day of the first Test against Sri Lanka at Rawalpindi on Tuesday, November 10, and then watched the visitors slip to 114 for 3 at stumps, still 320 runs behind. Play ended early because of bad light. Day three begins today.
Shakeel falls seven short
Pakistan resumed on 281 for 5 and the morning belonged to Saud Shakeel. He added 96 with Ghazi Ghori before falling shortly after lunch for 93, trying to hook a short ball, so he missed a Test century by seven. His 93 took 199 balls. Ghori made 48.
The lower order then pushed the total past 430. Arafat Minhas reached a half-century on debut, and he and Razaullah took the score along quickly in the closing overs of the innings before the declaration came at 434 for 9 in 106.3 overs. The first day had set it up: Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to field, and Tayyab Arif (57 on debut), Mohammad Taha (51) and Babar Azam (50) all passed fifty as Pakistan finished on 281 for 5.
Asitha Fernando and Dilshan Madushanka took three wickets each for Sri Lanka, at a cost of 107 and 108 runs. Fernando’s wicket of Shakeel was his 100th in Tests. Lahiru Kumara took one for 104, Milan Rathnayake one for 72 and Sonal Dinusha one for 23.
Sri Lanka lose three before the light goes
The reply began badly. Pasindu Sooriyabandara, promoted to open in only his third Test, was out without scoring, caught by Ghazi Ghori off Mohammad Abbas, who finished with one for 23. Saqib Khan, on debut, then took a wicket with his first ball in Test cricket for Pakistan, removing Dinesh Chandimal for one. Saqib ended the day with two for 54.
Lahiru Udara, who fell for 42, offered the most resistance before he was dismissed. Kamindu Mendis was unbeaten on 40 and Dhananjaya de Silva on 22 when the umpires took the players off after 27.1 overs, leaving seven wickets in hand and a deficit of 320.
What Sri Lanka need today
The numbers frame the third morning. Under the Test rules a side that trails by 200 or more in a five-day match can be asked to follow on. Pakistan’s 434 means Sri Lanka must reach 235 to be safe, 121 more than they have. De Silva and Kamindu Mendis resume the chase.
One report on the day described Pakistan’s seamers as much more disciplined than Sri Lanka’s, who had conceded between 104 and 108 runs each in the first innings.
The series so far
The two-Test series is the first for Sri Lanka’s new captain Kusal Mendis, whose squad was named on October 13, as we reported. The matches carry weight in the World Test Championship. Before the series Sri Lanka were seventh in the table with one win in six Tests, and Pakistan ninth and last, with two wins in nine. A home win in Rawalpindi would be the first step in a climb for Pakistan, who have the second Test in Lahore from November 17 to 21 to follow it with.
What happens next
Day three at Rawalpindi starts today, Wednesday, November 11. The Test is scheduled to run to November 13. The second Test begins in Lahore on November 17.
Sri Lanka trail by 320 after day two
- November 9Sri Lanka field first, Pakistan 281 for 5
- November 10Pakistan declare on 434 for 9
- November 11Day three, Sri Lanka need 235 to avoid the follow-on
- November 17Second Test begins in Lahore
Source: Match reports, November 10, 2026