Debutant fast bowler Saqib Khan took seven wickets on the fourth morning of the first Test against Sri Lanka at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Thursday 12 November 2026, bowling the visitors out for 446 and leaving Pakistan with only a 12-run first-innings deficit to chase down.

Sri Lanka had resumed on 404 for four, just 30 runs behind Pakistan's declared total of 434 for nine, with Dhananjaya de Silva on 167 and captain Kusal Mendis on 119. The pair had shared an unbeaten 249-run stand for the fifth wicket across the third day, and the tourists looked set to build a sizeable lead. Instead, they added only 42 runs and lost their last six wickets in a collapse led entirely by the debutant.

Saqib struck in the first over of the day, removing the well-set De Silva for 167 off 246 balls, an innings that included 20 boundaries. In the following over he dismissed Kusal Mendis for 119 off 202 balls, a knock featuring 10 fours and four sixes. With the partnership broken, the rest of the Sri Lankan batting folded quickly around him.

Seven wickets on debut

Saqib went on to dismiss Sonal Dinusha for 20, Lahiru Kumara for nought and Asitha Fernando for four, finishing with figures of seven for 130 in 34 overs. It was a remarkable return for a bowler playing his first Test, and it turned a match that had been drifting towards Sri Lanka back towards the hosts. Mohammad Abbas took two wickets and Razaullah claimed the other, accounting for Milan Rathnayaka for 12.

The collapse was all the more striking because of how comfortable Sri Lanka had looked on the third day. De Silva and Kusal had batted through more than two sessions, taking the visitors from 155 for four to 404 for four without further loss, and the match had appeared to be slipping away from Pakistan. Saqib's opening burst on the fourth morning changed the shape of the game within two overs.

Pakistan's first innings set the platform

Pakistan had declared on 434 for nine on the second day, with Saud Shakeel top-scoring with 93. Three debutants scored half-centuries in the same innings, and Tayyab Arif made 57, Arafat Minhas 52, Mohammad Taha 51, Babar Azam 50 and Ghazi Ghori 48. Asitha Fernando and Madishanka took three wickets each for Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka's reply had started badly, with two wickets down for 12 runs. Abbas dismissed opener Pasindu Sooriyabandara for a seven-ball duck, and Saqib claimed his maiden international wicket by removing Dinesh Chandimal for one. Lahiru Udara and Kamindu Mendis steadied the innings with a 50-run stand before Saqib struck again to dismiss Udara for 42, and Kamindu added 58 before Abbas removed him to leave Sri Lanka 155 for four. From there, De Silva and Kusal took control until the fourth morning.

Pakistan reach lunch 39 for one

Pakistan began their second innings trailing by 12 runs and reached lunch on 39 for one, an overall lead of 27. Tayyab Arif hit two early boundaries before he was trapped leg before wicket by Asitha Fernando for 11 off eight balls, leaving Pakistan 15 for one. Azan Awais, unbeaten on 16 at the interval, and Mohammad Taha, not out on 12, then steadied the innings and will resume in the second session.

With two days of the match remaining, the game is finely balanced. Pakistan will want to build a lead big enough to put Sri Lanka under pressure in the fourth innings, while the visitors will hope their bowlers can repeat the damage Saqib inflicted on them. Play had already been interrupted by bad light on the third day, and forecasts before the fourth day raised the possibility of further rain and light interruptions, so both sides know time may be a factor as well as runs.

Sources: GeoSuper, 12 November 2026; Cricbuzz live scorecard.