Pakistan vs Sri Lanka 1st Test Match Result: Saud Shakeel’s 97 Rescues Draw in Rawalpindi

The first Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka ended in a draw at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Friday, November 13, 2026, after a second-innings 97 from Saud Shakeel rescued Pakistan from collapse. Pakistan finished on 284 for 8 in their second innings, a lead of 272, when the captains shook hands. The two-match series stays level at 0-0 heading into the second Test in Lahore.

Pakistan had declared their first innings on 434 for 9, Sri Lanka replied with 446 to take a slender 12-run lead, and the home side then had to bat out the final day to save the game. Shakeel, who had also top-scored with 93 in the first innings, fell three short of a century for the second time in the match, bowled by Lahiru Kumara with the final ball. Our prediction pick for this match (Pakistan to win and take a 1-0 lead) was wrong — the Test ended in a draw.

Pakistan vs Sri Lanka 1st Test Match Summary and Full Score

Team	Score	Overs
Pakistan 1st innings	434/9 declared	106.3
Sri Lanka 1st innings	446 all out	117.2
Pakistan 2nd innings	284/8	84.5
Result	Match drawn	—

Venue: Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Dates: November 9–13, 2026. Toss: Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bowl. Series: level 0-0 after the first Test of the two-match series. Player of the Match was not officially confirmed at publication time.

Saud Shakeel’s Twin Nervous Nineties Save Pakistan in Rawalpindi Test

Saud Shakeel was the story of this Test match. The left-hander top-scored in both Pakistan innings and missed a century in both — 93 in the first innings and 97 in the second. His second-innings 97 from 210 balls was a masterclass in fifth-day survival that denied Sri Lanka a famous win.

Pakistan resumed the final morning on 57 for 1, only 45 runs ahead, and the day began badly. Azan Awais (22) and Mohammad Taha (24) fell in quick succession to leave Pakistan at 57 for 3, and when Babar Azam (34) and Salman Agha (13) departed before lunch, the home side were 151 for 5 with two sessions still to play.

Shakeel found his partner in wicketkeeper Ghazi Ghori, and the pair added 92 runs for the sixth wicket to drag Pakistan out of danger. Shakeel brought up his half-century from 126 balls, and by the second drinks interval Pakistan had moved to 203 for 5. Ghori eventually fell for a gritty 35 from 69 balls, and Arafat Minhas (16) departed at 261 for 7, but Shakeel held one end together to reach 81 not out at tea.

The cruellest moment came with the very last ball of the match. On 97, Shakeel backed away and swung at a length delivery from Lahiru Kumara that skidded through and rattled the stumps. Dismissed in the nineties in both innings — 93 and 97 — his 210-ball resistance had still done the job. Pakistan were 284 for 8, Razaullah unbeaten on 6, and the players shook hands on a draw at 16:19 local time.

Debutant Saqib Khan’s Seven-For and Dhananjaya de Silva’s 167

The first innings belonged to two men on opposite sides. Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva produced the finest innings of the match, a commanding 167 from 246 balls with 20 fours, and shared a 249-run fifth-wicket partnership with Kusal Mendis, who made 119 from 202 balls. The pair came together at 155 for 4 and batted Sri Lanka into a lead. Kamindu Mendis made 58 and Lahiru Udara 42 in a total of 446.

Pakistan’s reply with the ball came from a debutant. Saqib Khan claimed seven wickets for 130 runs from 34 overs, dismissing Udara, Chandimal, de Silva, Kusal Mendis, Dinusha, Kumara and Fernando. It was the standout bowling performance of the match and kept Sri Lanka’s lead to just 12 runs. Mohammad Abbas was the perfect foil, taking 2 for 68 from 33 overs including 12 maidens.

Pakistan’s first innings had been built on depth rather than one big score. Five batters passed fifty — Tayyab Arif made a brisk 57 from 51 balls, Mohammad Taha 51, Babar Azam 50, Shakeel 93 and Arafat Minhas 52 — as Pakistan reached 434 for 9 declared. Fernando took 3 for 107 and Madushanka 3 for 108.

Day 5 Turning Points: How Pakistan Saved the Rawalpindi Draw

• The morning wobble (57 for 1 to 57 for 3): Pakistan lost Azan Awais and Mohammad Taha in successive overs at the start of day five, turning a manageable position into a crisis.
• The middle-order slide (107 for 4 to 151 for 5): Babar Azam’s 34 and Salman Agha’s 13 were not enough to steady the innings, and at lunch Sri Lanka were firmly in control.
• The Shakeel–Ghori stand (92 runs): the sixth-wicket partnership, worth 92 runs from 159 balls, took the sting out of the Sri Lankan attack and pushed the lead past 200.
• The final-ball dismissal: Shakeel fell for 97 off the last ball — heartbreak for the batter, but the draw was already secure with Razaullah unbeaten at the other end.

Sri Lanka’s bowlers shared the second-innings wickets around. Milan Rathnayake was the most effective with 3 for 47 from 20 overs including six maidens, Asitha Fernando took 2 for 35 and Lahiru Kumara 2 for 65.

Full Scorecard: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka 1st Test Rawalpindi

Pakistan 1st innings — 434/9 declared (106.3 overs)

Batter	Runs	Balls
Azan Awais	30	50
Tayyab Arif	57	51
Mohammad Taha	51	105
Babar Azam	50	58
Saud Shakeel	93	199
Salman Agha	16	22
Ghazi Ghori	48	72
Arafat Minhas	52	72
Razaullah	10	11
Saqib Khan	0*	5

Best bowling (Sri Lanka): Asitha Fernando 3/107, Dilshan Madushanka 3/108, Lahiru Kumara 1/104, Milan Rathnayake 1/72, Sonal Dinusha 1/23.

Sri Lanka 1st innings — 446 all out (117.2 overs)

Batter	Runs	Balls
Lahiru Udara	42	52
Pasindu Sooriyabandara	0	7
Dinesh Chandimal	1	3
Kamindu Mendis	58	131
Dhananjaya de Silva	167	246
Kusal Mendis	119	202
Sonal Dinusha	20	35
Milan Rathnayake	12	28
Lahiru Kumara	0	1
Asitha Fernando	4	7
Dilshan Madushanka	0*	4

Best bowling (Pakistan): Saqib Khan 7/130, Mohammad Abbas 2/68, Razaullah 1/140.

Pakistan 2nd innings — 284/8 (84.5 overs)

Batter	Runs	Balls
Azan Awais	22	66
Tayyab Arif	11	8
Mohammad Taha	24	57
Babar Azam	34	48
Saud Shakeel	97	210
Salman Agha	13	19
Ghazi Ghori	35	69
Arafat Minhas	16	29
Razaullah	6*	8

Best bowling (Sri Lanka): Milan Rathnayake 3/47, Asitha Fernando 2/35, Lahiru Kumara 2/65, Dhananjaya de Silva 1/25.

What the Rawalpindi Draw Means for the Series and the WTC

The draw leaves the two-match series perfectly poised at 0-0, with everything to play for in Lahore. Pakistan will feel they let a winning position slip — they declared on 434 and had Sri Lanka at 155 for 4 — but they will also be relieved to have escaped with a draw after being 57 for 3 on the final morning. Sri Lanka will take heart from their first-innings fightback and from pushing Pakistan so hard on the last day.

In the ICC World Test Championship, both teams take four points each from the draw, keeping the series alive as a decider in Lahore. For Pakistan, the emergence of Saqib Khan is the biggest positive — a debutant seven-wicket haul is rare, and his 7 for 130 gives the home attack a new weapon for the second Test. For Sri Lanka, the form of their two centurions, de Silva and Kusal Mendis, is the platform they will build on. Across five days and 1,164 runs, the difference between the teams was a 12-run lead.

What’s Next: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka 2nd Test in Lahore

The series moves to the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore for the second and final Test, starting on November 17, 2026. With the series still level, the Lahore Test is a straight shootout — the winner takes the series 1-0, and a draw would share the honours. Pakistan will want Shakeel to finally convert a ninety into a hundred, while Sri Lanka will hope de Silva and Kusal Mendis can bat them into another lead. Read our PAK vs SL 1st Test match prediction, and revisit the earlier meetings in our PAK vs SL 5th ODI match result and PAK vs SL 1st ODI match result from the recent tri-series.