Saud Shakeel falls short of another century as Pakistan secure Draw

The first Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi petered out to a draw on the final day even though the hosts suffered jitters in the morning session. Eventually Saud Shakeel played a defiant knock, but fell three short of his century. His 97, however, ensured there was no time for Sri Lanka to entertain any hopes of an unlikely win in a Test match that saw nearly 120 overs lost due to bad light.

Going into the final day, a draw was always expected, but Sri Lanka had a brief chance to change the outcome with a strong start, picking up four wickets to leave Pakistan at 125 for 5. However, the visitors were unable to sustain that pressure as Shakeel and the lower order batted through the bulk of the remaining time.

Azan Awais fell early to Lahiru Kamara and Asitha Fernando removed Mohammad Taha in the very next over as Sri Lanka's bowlers found enough movement to trouble the batters. Sri Lanka still had a small lead over Pakistan, and an additional couple of wickets could have brought them back into the game.

However, Saud Shakeel and Babar Azam provided the much-needed resistance. Shakeel took a more measured approach, while Babar tried to keep the scoring rate moving by finding boundaries through the off side and off his pads. Babar was bowled out for 34 by Milan Rathnayake after the pair added 50 for the fourth wicket.

Rathnayake promptly dismissed Salman Agha for 13 as Sri Lanka continued to advance. However, Ghazi Ghori joined Shakeel for a valuable 92-run partnership that secured the sixth wicket. Shakeel remained patient on the other end and gradually increased Pakistan's lead beyond 200 with 35 contributions from Ghori. More importantly, the pair took out 156 balls out of the game.

Rathnayake ended Ghori's stay, but Sri Lanka were unable to make further quick inroads. Before Dhananjaya de Silva got rid of Shakeel, Arafat Minhas added 16 runs in a 44-run partnership with him. Pakistan continued to bat despite the fact that the time was running out and they had a significant lead.

Shakeel, who had scored 93 in the first innings, appeared poised to reach his fifth Test century and make up for the missed opportunity. He moved into the nineties and was within touching distance of a century when Lahiru Kumara bowled him for 97. The left-hander had spent 210 deliveries at the crease, striking seven boundaries.

Soon after Shakeel's dismissal, the teams decided to shake hands in the hopes of a draw. At that point, Pakistan held a 272-point advantage. It brought an end to a contest in which the teams batted big and cancelled each other out after the first two innings.