Capitalizing on overcast conditions and tactical advice from coach Mike Hesson, the debutant pacer broke a 249-run partnership between Dhananjaya de Silva and Kusal Mendis. His efforts triggered a lower-order collapse in which the visiting side surrendered their final six wickets for only 42 runs to finish all out for 446. Pakistan then navigated their second innings to reach 57/1, holding a 45-run lead when adverse weather curtailed the day's play early.
Key points
Saqib Khan became only the fourth Pakistani bowler in history to claim seven wickets in a…: Saqib Khan became only the fourth Pakistani bowler in history to claim seven wickets in an innings on Test debut.
Pakistan built a 45-run overall lead after reaching 57/1 before rain and bad light stoppe…: Pakistan built a 45-run overall lead after reaching 57/1 before rain and bad light stopped play at 3:05 pm.
The hosts enter the final day of the Rawalpindi Test with nine second-innings wickets in…: The hosts enter the final day of the Rawalpindi Test with nine second-innings wickets in hand.
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Pakistan fast bowler Saqib Khan made an immediate impact on his Test debut, claiming a sensational seven-wicket haul to turn the first Test against Sri Lanka in the hosts' favour on a rain-interrupted fourth day at Rawalpindi on Thursday.
The 31-year-old pacer returned impressive figures of 7/130 as Sri Lanka, who had resumed the day at a commanding 404/4, were bowled out for 446. The visitors managed to secure only a slender 12-run first-innings advantage after losing their final six wickets for just 42 runs.
Pakistan responded with 57/1 in 21.2 overs in their second innings before bad light and subsequent rain brought an early end to proceedings at 3:05 pm. The hosts now hold a 45-run lead, with Azan Awais and
Mohammad Taha at the crease.
Awais was batting on 22 after being given a reprieve when Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis dropped him behind the stumps on 17. Taha, one of four Pakistan players making their Test debuts in the match, remained unbeaten on 24 off 55 deliveries, having already registered a half-century in the first innings.
The National Institute of Sports trainee from Manipur overcame international competition to secure the men's 50kg division title in Senegal. His achievement ended a 16-year absence of Indian boxers from the event's final round, surpassing the country's previous milestone set during the 2010 inaugural games.
The catastrophic structural failure occurred during excavation work at an adjacent property, sending the Flatbush residential structure tumbling into the neighboring pit. Emergency crews pulled several survivors from the wreckage, but four individuals remain hospitalized in critical condition. Municipal building regulators and law enforcement agencies have launched formal inquiries to determine whether safety violations contributed to the disaster.
An appellate ruling resolved a multi-year legal battle over the custody of a child placed in private foster care shortly after his birth. State judges rejected the incarcerated biological parent's procedural challenges regarding legal standing, effectively clearing the path for the boy's sole caretakers to complete formal adoption proceedings.