Pakistan’s new fast bowler turned a comfortable Sri Lankan position into a collapse on the fourth morning at Rawalpindi. The visitors resumed on 404-4 with Dhananjaya de Silva and Kusal Mendis both past a hundred, yet the final six wickets went for 42, and the innings closed on 446, a lead of only 12. Saqib finished with 7-130 from 34 overs, and five of those wickets came inside one morning session. The sections below follow the collapse and the conditions behind it.
Pakistan declared at 434-9 on day two, and Mohammad Abbas needed three overs to send Pasindu Sooriyabandara back without a run. Saqib struck in the very next over, just his second over at this level. Dinesh Chandimal, squared up by a ball of perfect length, was held for 1 by Salman Ali Agha, which left the visitors at 12-2. Two wickets inside four overs put them on the back foot at once.
Lahiru Udara made 42, then edged to Ghazi Ghori, and the newcomer went to stumps with 2-54 while the score read 114-3. That gave Pakistan a small foothold and nothing more, and nothing that evening hinted at the morning to come.
Across 34 overs, he conceded 130 runs at 3.82 an over, bowled five maidens and collected seven wickets. Six of those scalps were catches, four of them taken by Ghori. He bowled more overs than Razaullah and took six more wickets, since Razaullah went for 140 in 26.2 overs, a rate of 5.3 per over for a single wicket, while Abbas ended on 2-68, both wickets arriving before day four.
Only two of the seven fell on day two, so most of the work came in a single morning session. The list below shows each batter, his score, and the way he went.
De Silva had made 167 off 246 balls, but he added nothing to the overnight score and edged an away-swinger to Ghori in the opening over. Mendis followed in the fifth over, caught behind for 119. A healthy lead suddenly looked shaky, and Pakistan sensed an opening.
From 412-6, the tail was exposed. Dinusha drove loosely and was taken at slip for 20, Kumara fell lbw for nought, and Fernando edged behind for four. Rathnayaka, caught off Razaullah for 12, ended it, and six wickets had cost just 42 runs. Pakistan held their catches throughout the spell.
Nobody has released ball-tracking numbers for the match, which rules out any chart of length or pace. Descriptions agree on the setting, though: a greenish pitch, cloud cover on the fourth day and a plan of attacking the off stump channel for swing, with edges carrying through to the slip cordon. Without data, the evidence is descriptive, though it is consistent across the accounts.
De Silva fell to an away-swinger, and Saud Shakeel had ruled out reverse swing on day two because the outfield was green. Together, that suggests ordinary swing and seam movement, nothing exotic. Saqib himself said overcast weather gives fast bowlers plenty of help, and the age of the ball was not reported.
Three Pakistan bowlers had already taken seven wickets in a first Test innings: Mohammad Zahid with 7-66 against New Zealand at Rawalpindi in 1996, Mohammad Nazir with 7-99 against the same side at Karachi in 1969, and Abrar Ahmed with 7-114 against England at Multan in 2022.
Of the four, his 7-130 is the weakest return, though Zahid is the only other quick in that group. The remaining lead of 12 was far below what the overnight position had promised. Even so, the Saqib Khan Test debut against Sri Lanka is best remembered for its timing and speed, since it pulled a match back from 404-4.
Does Saqib’s timing outweigh the cheaper figures of Zahid when ranking Pakistan debuts? Tell us your view in the comments.
How many wickets did Saqib take in his first Test innings?
He claimed seven wickets, every one in the Sri Lankan reply. Two came on day two and the other five on the fourth morning, for 130 runs from 34 overs.
What did Saqib’s bowling analysis look like in the first Sri Lankan innings?
He finished with 7-130 from 34 overs, five of them maidens. That works out at an economy rate of 3.82, well below Razaullah’s 5.3 an over for his 1-140.
How old is Saqib and when did he play his first Test for Pakistan?
He is 31, born in Karachi on 9 September 1995. He made his bow when the Rawalpindi match began on 9 November 2026, against Sri Lanka.
Which other Pakistan bowlers claimed seven in their first Test innings?
Mohammad Zahid, Mohammad Nazir and Abrar Ahmed did it before Saqib. Zahid took 7-66 in 1996, Nazir 7-99 in 1969 and Abrar 7-114 in 2022, so Saqib became the fourth.
Whose was the first Test wicket Saqib took?
Dinesh Chandimal, for a single run, was the first man to fall to him. Salman Ali Agha held the catch in the fourth over of the innings, with the score at 12-2, after Abbas had removed Sooriyabandara.
Disclaimer: This blog post reflects the author’s personal insights and analysis. Readers are encouraged to consider the perspectives shared and draw their own conclusions.
