Debutant Saqib Khan takes seven as Pakistan fight back against Sri Lanka
The 31-year-old fast bowler's 7-130 cut Sri Lanka's first-innings lead to 12 before bad light and rain stopped play in Rawalpindi.
Pakistan fast bowler Saqib Khan took 7-130 on his Test debut on Thursday, bowling Sri Lanka out for 446 on day four of the first Test in Rawalpindi and leaving the visitors with a first-innings lead of only 12 runs, The Hindu and ESPNcricinfo reported.
Sri Lanka had resumed on 404-4. According to The Hindu, the greenish pitch came to life under overcast skies and Sri Lanka lost their last six wickets for 42 runs in a morning session in which seven wickets fell.
Saqib took 5-25 in an eight-over spell. He broke the 249-run stand between centurions Dhananjaya de Silva and captain Kusal Mendis with the fifth ball of the day, finding de Silva's outside edge before he could add to his overnight 167. Saud Shakeel dropped a low chance off Mendis, but two balls later wicketkeeper Ghazi Ghori took a diving catch off Saqib to remove the Sri Lanka captain for 119.
Sonal Dinusha, who The Hindu said had three centuries in his previous five Tests, made 20 before edging a drive to the slips. Saqib kissed the turf after that fifth wicket. Milan Rathnayake took Sri Lanka past Pakistan's 434-9 declared with a pulled boundary off Razaullah, and Saqib then took two more wickets, including Asitha Fernando for Ghori's sixth catch. Razaullah finished the innings when Rathnayake top-edged a pull to deep fine leg.
The Hindu reported that Saqib, 31, is the fourth Pakistan player to take seven wickets in an innings on Test debut, after Mohammad Nazir, Mohammad Zahid and Abrar Ahmed.
"My strength is to bowl out-swingers and I did exactly that today under favorable overcast conditions," Saqib said. He said coach Mike Hesson had told the bowlers after a poor day three that "if we hit the off stump line and bowl out-swingers we will get wickets."
Pakistan reached 57-1 in 21.2 overs of their second innings, a lead of 45. The sources differ on when play ended. The Hindu said stumps were called at 3.05pm for bad light followed by rain, while ESPNcricinfo said bad light ended play shortly before 1.30pm.
Debutant Tayyab Arif was the only batter out, trapped lbw by Fernando for 11 in the third over after Pakistan used one of their reviews. Azan Awais was 22 not out, having been dropped on 17 by Mendis behind the stumps. Mohammad Taha, another of Pakistan's four debutants, was 24 not out off 55 balls after making a half-century in the first innings.
Sources: The Hindu, Saqib takes 7 wickets on debut before rain disrupts Pakistan-Sri Lanka first cricket Test; ESPNcricinfo, Saqib's seven headlines Pakistan's dominant day.
