Saqib Khan takes seven wickets to help Pakistan restrict Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka collapse after early resistance

At 404 for four, Sri Lanka restarted their first innings with Dhananjaya de Silva remaining unbeaten on 167 while Kusal Mendis stood at 117. The pair had built a massive 249-run partnership before Saqib Khan broke the stand by dismissing de Silva for 167. He then removed Kusal Mendis for 119, ending the crucial association early in the fourth morning session. Sri Lanka lost their final six wickets for just 42 runs as they were bowled out for 446 in 117.2 overs.

Record debut figures for young pacer

Saqib Khan finished with outstanding figures of seven for 130 from 34 overs to equal the record for most wickets by a Pakistani bowler on Test debut. He was just the fourth Pakistani bowler to take seven wickets in his initial Test match innings. Earlier contributions included dismissing Sonal Dinusha, Lahiru Kumara and Asitha Fernando to finish his spell with remarkable consistency. Wednesday's contest saw Sri Lanka dominate via their seasoned middle order until this performance shifted momentum in their favor.

Pakistan declare first innings total

Pakistan declared their first innings at 434 for nine, built around fine contributions from Saud Shakeel with 93 runs and captain Babar Azam with 50. Tayyab Arif added 57 while Arafat Minhas contributed 52 to set a challenging target for the visitors. At lunch on Thursday, Pakistan were 39 for one, holding a lead of 27 runs before the Sri Lankan collapse occurred later in the day.