News

Tag: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka

  • Second Pakistan-Sri Lanka Test Moved to Rawalpindi

    Second Pakistan-Sri Lanka Test Moved to Rawalpindi

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has moved the second Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka from Lahore to Rawalpindi because of worsening smog in the Punjab capital, with both matches of the series now set to be played at the same ground.

    The board announced the change on Tuesday, confirming that the match, originally scheduled for Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore from 17 to 21 November, will now be played at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on the same dates. Only the venue has changed; the schedule remains untouched.

    PCB spokesperson Amir Mir confirmed the decision, saying the match had been relocated due to prevailing weather conditions, in view of rising smog levels and deteriorating air quality in Lahore. The city has been covered by thick seasonal smog for more than a week, a recurring problem in parts of Pakistan and northern India between October and December.

    Reports said Lahore’s air quality index had touched 421, a level classified as hazardous, and the city had ranked among the most polluted in the world at the time of the announcement. The board said the move was made to minimise the possible impact of the poor air on the match, the players and the spectators.

    The first Test of the two-match series began at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on 9 November, and the second will now follow at the same venue. Both matches are part of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle, so the points on offer matter to both sides as they try to climb the standings.

    For Lahore’s cricket fans, the decision is a disappointment. The city was due to host its first Test of the season, and the Gaddafi Stadium has been a regular home venue for Pakistan. The PCB will hope the change is a one-off, but the smog season now regularly overlaps with the home calendar, and boards and organisers are having to plan around it.

    Meanwhile, the PCB has announced ticket prices for the relocated second Test. Tickets will go on sale at designated TCS Express Centres across the country from 3pm on Thursday, 12 November. Entry will cost PKR 200 per day for all enclosures, including the VIP enclosure, for each of the five days.

    Tickets for the PCB Gallery, located in the stadium’s main building, will be available at PKR 800 per person per day, while the Platinum Box will cost PKR 8,000 per person per day throughout the five-day Test.

    With both teams already in Rawalpindi for the series opener, the shift avoids further travel and keeps the series on track. The focus now returns to the cricket, with the second Test starting on 17 November and both sides looking to take valuable championship points from a series played entirely at one venue.

  • Saqib Khan’s dream debut: 7 wickets stun Sri Lanka

    Saqib Khan’s dream debut: 7 wickets stun Sri Lanka

    Debutant fast bowler Saqib Khan produced a dream morning for Pakistan on Thursday, claiming five wickets in quick succession to bowl Sri Lanka out for 446 on the fourth day of the first Test in Rawalpindi. The seamer finished with seven wickets for 130 runs from 34 overs, leaving Pakistan only 12 runs behind after the visitors had threatened to build a big lead.

    Sri Lanka had resumed the day on 404 for four, just 30 runs behind Pakistan’s first-innings total of 434 for nine declared. Their overnight pair, Dhananjaya de Silva and captain Kusal Mendis, had already put on more than 200 runs together and looked set to carry their side into a strong lead. Saqib had other ideas. He removed both centurions in the morning session, having de Silva caught behind for 167 and then dismissing Mendis the same way for 119.

    The debutant was not finished there. He also accounted for Sonal Dinusha for 20, Lahiru Kumara for nought and Asitha Fernando for four as Sri Lanka’s last six wickets fell for only 42 runs. It was a remarkable return for a bowler who had already announced himself on the second day, when he claimed Dinesh Chandimal as his first Test wicket and later removed the aggressive Lahiru Udara for 42.

    A debut to remember

    Saqib’s performance capped a memorable first Test for Pakistan’s newcomers. Three debutant batters, Tayyab Arif, Mohammad Taha and Arafat Minhas, had scored half-centuries in Pakistan’s first innings, only the second time in 149 years of Test cricket that three debutants have reached fifty in the same innings. Bad light had eaten into play on the opening days, but the home side still managed to declare at 434 for nine during the second day.

    Pakistan began their second innings 12 runs behind, with the match now finely poised heading into the final day. The first Test is scheduled to run until Friday, November 13, with one day left for either side to force a result. The two sides will meet again in the second Test, which has been moved to Rawalpindi from Lahore because of smog and will be played from November 17 to 21.

  • De Silva, Mendis Tons Put Sri Lanka on Top in Rawalpindi

    De Silva, Mendis Tons Put Sri Lanka on Top in Rawalpindi

    Dhananjaya de Silva and Kusal Mendis produced a batting masterclass in Rawalpindi on Wednesday, scoring unbeaten centuries to lift Sri Lanka to 404 for 4 at stumps on the third day of the first Test against Pakistan. The visitors now trail the home side by only 30 runs, with six wickets still in hand.

    Pakistan had declared their first innings at 434 for 9, and when Sri Lanka slipped to 155 for 4, the home side looked set for a commanding lead. Instead, de Silva and Mendis turned the match around with an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 249 runs, frustrating Pakistan’s bowlers for the rest of the day.

    De Silva was unbeaten on a polished 167 from 241 balls, striking 20 boundaries in an innings that mixed patience with crisp strokeplay. It was his 14th Test hundred, his fourth against Pakistan and his second at the Rawalpindi venue. He had a moment of luck early on, dropped on 38 by Saud Shakeel off pacer Razaullah, and made full use of the reprieve.

    Mendis, leading Sri Lanka in a Test for the first time, finished the day on 117 not out from 188 balls, an innings featuring 10 fours and four sixes. In doing so, he became the first Sri Lankan to score a century in his maiden Test as captain, having taken over the leadership from de Silva before this series.

    The pair’s 249-run partnership is a record for Sri Lanka against Pakistan, improving on the 207 posted by Thilan Samaraweera and Tillakaratne Dilshan in Lahore in 2009. Bad light brought an early end to the day’s play, with 23 overs still to be bowled, and the two batters will resume on the fourth day with Sri Lanka eyeing a first-innings lead.

    De Silva brought up his hundred from 151 balls, reaching the landmark with a boundary off spinner Arafat Minhas, while Mendis completed his century from 152 deliveries with a ramped boundary over the wicketkeeper’s head in the final session. Both batters grew in confidence as the day wore on, punishing anything loose and rotating the strike with ease.

    Pakistan’s inexperienced bowling attack struggled to find a way through on a pitch that offered little help as the day progressed. The home side’s bowlers toiled without reward for the final 60 overs of Sri Lanka’s innings, and the fielding side will now need early wickets on day four to stay in the contest.

    The match is the first of a two-Test series that forms part of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle, giving the result significance beyond the series itself. The second Test will also be played in Rawalpindi, starting on November 17, after being shifted from Lahore due to poor weather conditions in the city.

    For Sri Lanka, the day belonged to a former captain and his successor batting together in perfect harmony. For Pakistan, the challenge now is to break a partnership that has already rewritten the record books before it can turn a narrow deficit into a sizeable lead.

  • Pakistan declare 434-9, leave Sri Lanka 114-3 in Rawalpindi

    Pakistan declare 434-9, leave Sri Lanka 114-3 in Rawalpindi

    Pakistan tightened their grip on the first Test against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, declaring their first innings at 434 for nine before reducing the visitors to 114 for three at stumps on day two, leaving Sri Lanka still 320 runs behind.

    Resuming on 281 for five, Pakistan added 153 runs in the first two sessions before captain Babar Azam called his batters in after 106.3 overs. Saud Shakeel, who had started the day unbeaten on 57, carried the innings deep into the afternoon before falling seven runs short of a century, caught by Kusal Mendis off Asitha Fernando for 93 from 199 deliveries.

    Shakeel shared a 96-run stand for the sixth wicket with wicketkeeper Ghazi Ghori, who made a composed 48 before falling to Dilshan Madushanka. Lower down the order, Arafat Minhas added further momentum with a brisk 52 from number nine, underlining the depth of Pakistan’s batting on a surface that continued to favour the batters.

    Five Pakistan batters reached fifty in the innings. Debutants Tayyab Arif and Mohammad Taha had already made 57 and 51 on the opening day, while Babar contributed 50. Azan Awais added 30, Salman Ali Agha made 16 and Razaullah was dismissed for 10 before the declaration. For Sri Lanka, Fernando and Madushanka were the pick of the bowlers, taking three wickets each for 107 and 108 runs respectively.

    Early strikes leave Sri Lanka reeling

    Sri Lanka’s reply began disastrously. Mohammad Abbas and debutant Saqib Khan struck in the third and fourth overs, removing Pasindu Sooriyabandara and Dinesh Chandimal to leave the visitors reeling at 12 for two. Opener Lahiru Udara steadied the innings with 42 and shared a 53-run partnership with Kamindu Mendis, but Saqib returned to dismiss Udara, caught behind by Ghori.

    Kamindu Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva then provided much-needed resistance, adding an unbeaten 62 runs for the fourth wicket to keep Sri Lanka’s innings moving. Mendis was unbeaten on 40 and de Silva on 22 when bad light brought an early end to proceedings, with Sri Lanka on 114 for three after 27.1 overs.

    Sri Lanka had won the toss and chosen to bowl first on Monday, but the decision backfired as Pakistan’s new-look batting line-up piled on the runs across the two days. Play on the opening day had also been curtailed by bad light, with only 67.2 overs possible, and the pattern repeated on day two.

    The match is the first of a two-Test series and part of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27. The second Test will be played in Lahore from 17 to 21 November. With a lead of 320 runs already in hand and seven Sri Lankan wickets still to take, Pakistan will begin day three firmly in control.

  • Sri Lanka Win Toss, Put Pakistan In to Bat at Rawalpindi

    Sri Lanka Win Toss, Put Pakistan In to Bat at Rawalpindi

    Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bowl first against Pakistan in the opening Test of the two-match series at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Monday, as a new-look home side began its rebuild under captain Babar Azam.

    The series is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27. The first Test runs in Rawalpindi from November 9 to 13, with the second Test to follow at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore from November 17 to 21. Play begins at 9:30am each day, and the match is Pakistan’s first home Test series in a new World Test Championship cycle.

    Pakistan named a young side for the series opener. Azan Awais, Tayyab Arif and Mohammad Taha were among the new faces in the playing XI, alongside Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, wicketkeeper Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Arafat Minhas, Razaullah, Muhammad Abbas and Saqib Khan. Babar, who was reappointed captain in July, said the selection was aimed at developing the next group of Pakistan Test players.

    It is Pakistan’s first Test series since a 3-0 whitewash in England, and the selectors have made a clean break. Only Salman Ali Agha and Aamer Jamal returned from the seven players sent home after that tour, with the rest of the places going to younger players given a chance to establish themselves at Test level.

    Sri Lanka are also in transition. Kusal Mendis leads the side in his first Test series as captain after taking over from Dhananjaya de Silva in October, and he also kept wicket in the series opener. He was joined in the side by Lahiru Udara, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Sonal Dinusha, Milan Rathnayake, Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando and Dilshan Madushanka.

    Pakistan hold the edge in the long rivalry, leading the head-to-head record 23-17 against Sri Lanka. The home side will look to make that advantage count on a Rawalpindi pitch where the early hours were expected to help the seamers, while Sri Lanka will back their bowlers to make early inroads after winning the toss and choosing to field.

    Adrian Holdstock of South Africa and Rodney Tucker of Australia are the on-field umpires for the match, with Allahuddien Palekar of South Africa as television umpire and Dean Cosker of England as match referee.

  • Sri Lanka avoid whitewash as Mendis’ 87 beats Pakistan

    Sri Lanka avoid whitewash as Mendis’ 87 beats Pakistan

    Sri Lanka avoided a series whitewash with a commanding eight-wicket victory over Pakistan in the third and final Twenty20 International at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, though the hosts still sealed the three-match series 2-1.

    Set 169 to win, the visitors cruised to 172 for two in 17.1 overs, finishing the chase with 17 balls to spare. Captain Kusal Mendis led from the front with a blistering unbeaten 87 off 48 balls, striking nine fours and four sixes. He shared an unbroken 98-run stand for the third wicket with Kamindu Mendis, who finished unbeaten on 40 off 27 deliveries, as Sri Lanka completed the chase in style.

    The chase began with an early wobble when Lahiru Udara was trapped leg-before by Imran Randhawa for one in the second over. But Sineth Jayawardena counter-attacked brilliantly, smashing 38 off 26 balls to swing the momentum. Jayawardena and Kusal added a brisk 59-run stand and took Sri Lanka to 59 for one at the end of the powerplay, their best return of the series, before Jayawardena fell. From there, the two Mendises took complete control, denying Pakistan any further breakthroughs.

    Farhan’s fighting fifty

    Earlier, asked to bat first, Pakistan posted 168 for eight, built around captain Sahibzada Farhan’s fluent 76 off 47 balls — his third consecutive half-century of the series. Pakistan raced to 34 without loss in three overs, but Eshan Malinga turned the innings with a double-wicket maiden in the fourth over, removing Fakhar Zaman for 12 and Maaz Sadaqat for a duck. Dasun Shanaka then tightened the screws in the middle overs, finishing with three for 21 as Pakistan slipped to 102 for six. Arafat Minhas rescued the innings with an unbeaten 34 off 20 balls at number eight, adding a crucial 66-run stand for the seventh wicket with Farhan, before Nuwan Thushara dismissed both set batters in the final over. Thushara and Malinga took two wickets apiece, while Vijayakanth Viyaskanth claimed one on his series debut.

    Pakistan made four changes for the final match, resting Shadab Khan, Saim Ayub, Naseem Shah and Abrar Ahmed while handing chances to Sufiyan Muqeem, Abdul Samad, Razaullah and Arafat Minhas. Sri Lanka also adjusted their side for the series finale.

    Mendis credited disciplined bowling for the turnaround. “We didn’t bowl well in the first two games but today our bowling was disciplined and we kept them to a gettable total,” he said. Farhan admitted Pakistan needed to reflect on the defeat despite taking the series, saying the total of 168 was simply not enough on the night.

    Series wrapped up

    Pakistan had won the opening two encounters in Rawalpindi to clinch the series, sealing it with an 82-run victory in the second match. The consolation win at least gave the visitors something to take home after a difficult tour, while Farhan was named Player of the Series for his consistent batting across the three games.