The first Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka ended in a draw at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Friday, with the weather having the final say in a match shaped by debutant Saqib Khan's seven-wicket haul.

Pakistan finished their second innings on 284 for eight in the final session before the sides shook hands, leaving the two-match series level at 0-0. The second and final Test will also be played in Rawalpindi, starting on Tuesday, after it was moved from Lahore because of worsening smog.

Shakeel holds firm after a wobble

Pakistan were wobbling at 125 for five in their second innings, still only holding a modest lead, before Saud Shakeel's resolute 97 ended any hope of a Sri Lankan victory. His dismissal brought the captains together to call the match off.

Put in to bat, Pakistan had declared their first innings on 434 for nine after four of their top five batters struck half-centuries. Sri Lanka then looked set for a hefty first-innings lead at 404 for four, powered by Dhananjaya de Silva's 167 and a century from captain Kusal Mendis, who made 119. The pair added 249 runs for the fifth wicket.

Saqib's dream debut

Saqib Khan, 31, changed the match on the fourth morning. He struck with the fifth ball of the day, removing de Silva without addition to his overnight score, and then dismissed Kusal Mendis for 119 in the following over. Sri Lanka lost their final six wickets for 42 runs and were bowled out for 446, a first-innings lead of only 12.

Saqib finished with seven for 130, including five wickets in an eight-over spell for 25 runs. His figures are the fourth-best by a Pakistan bowler on Test debut. Only Mohammad Zahid, with seven for 66, Mohammad Nazir, with seven for 99, and Abrar Ahmed, with seven for 114, have done better in terms of runs conceded.

"I have been working hard at domestic level and was waiting for my chance," Saqib said after his performance. "It's reward for hard and persistent work that I got seven wickets today." He added that head coach Mike Hesson had advised the bowlers to bowl in the right areas and that the plan had been rewarded.

Weather wins the argument

Rain and bad light removed more than 100 overs from the match, including nearly two sessions on Thursday. Pakistan were 57 for one at the close of the fourth day, leading by 45 runs, when bad light and then rain stopped play 45 minutes into the second session, and the final day offered little prospect of a result.

With the draw confirmed, the series will be decided in the second Test, also in Rawalpindi. The series counts towards the 2025-27 ICC World Test Championship, and both sides will know that a result in the second match, rather than a shared series, is the prize on offer.

Reuters and Cricket Times reported the draw.