Pakistan newcomer Saqib Khan brought a greenish pitch to life with two wickets on Tuesday during the first cricket test against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi. Sri Lanka reached 114-3 before bad light forced an early end to play for the second consecutive day.
Nearly 26 overs were lost due to fading light at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Play continued under floodlights for about 45 minutes on both days after a first day where only 67.2 overs were possible.
Pakistan declared their first innings at 434-9 midway through the second session on Tuesday. The total featured five half-centuries, with three coming from debutants, alongside a 48-run knock from Ghazi Ghori.
Saud Shakeel missed out on his first century in over two years, falling just short on 93. Shakeel spent over five and a half hours at the crease, facing 193 balls and forming key partnerships with Ghori and Arafat Minhas.
Minhas contributed 52 runs before holing out to long-on while chasing quick runs. Asitha Fernando claimed his 100th test wicket when he dismissed Shakeel, who gloved a leg-side short ball to be caught behind.
Sri Lanka struggled early in their reply as experienced seamer Mohammad Abbas and debutant Saqib hit correct lengths with the new ball. Abbas removed opening batsman Pasindu Sooriyabandara for a duck in his second over.
Saqib struck off his ninth test delivery to dismiss Dinesh Chandimal, who edged to the slips. Lahiru Udara added an aggressive 42 before edging Saqib to wicketkeeper Ghori, leaving Sri Lanka reeling.
At stumps, Kamindu Mendis was unbeaten on 40 and former test captain Dhananjaya de Silva was on 22. The pair survived a close lbw review and added 49 runs for an unbroken fourth-wicket stand under floodlights.
Sri Lanka fielding and spin coach Jordan Gregory told reporters about the close calls on the field. There were about 140 chances that missed the edge and beaten the bat from both sides, which probably says enough about a potential result.
Shakeel noted that spin might become a factor if the wicket wears down. He added that reverse swing was unlikely due to the lush green outfield.
