Rawalpindi(National Times)- Captain Babar Azam and two debutants were among four batters to hit half-centuries as Pakistan reached 281-5 on day one of the first Test against Sri Lanka on Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Opener Tayyab Arif scored an impressive 57 and Mohammad Taha a patient 51 \u2014 both playing their first Test \u2014 while Azam hit 50, with Sri Lanka\u2019s decision to bowl on what appeared to be a green pitch in Rawalpindi seemed to backfire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Saud Shakeel was unbeaten on 57 when bad light stopped play 15 minutes before schedule, with Ghazi Ghori seven not out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sri Lanka\u2019s decision to go with a pace quartet and without a frontline spinner could also prove costly, with the pitch not offering much to the fast bowlers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Asitha Fernando was the pick of bowlers with 2-64.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Azam looked in good touch but still failed to score an elusive century, and was dismissed by Dilshan Madushanka after the lunch break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He hit seven fours in his 58-ball innings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Azam has now gone 41 innings without a Test century, his last coming against New Zealand in Karachi in December 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Salman Agha made 16 before giving Sri Lankan wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis his fourth catch of the innings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Arif said Pakistan has done well under the conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have played good and positive cricket considering the conditions,\u201d said Arif.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI have played a lot with some of these players so I was supported well and I am happy on scoring a half century.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Arif put on a confident 86-run opening stand with Azan Awais (30) as Sri Lanka\u2019s pace bowlers struggled to break through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 20-year-old, playing his maiden first-class season, cracked nine boundaries and a six in his impressive 51-ball knock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sri Lanka had to wait until the 16th over for a breakthrough, when Milan Rathnayaka had Awais caught behind by Mendis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fernando found an edge off Arif\u2019s bat to Mendis, making it 90-2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sri Lankan bowling coach Ryan van Niekerk wasn\u2019t happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cProbably not satisfied as bowling first and with the seamers we have we should have taken a couple of more wickets,\u201d said Niekerk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut bowlers pulling it back in the last session was good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All-rounder Arafat Minhas and pace bowler Saqib Khan are also making Test debuts for Pakistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The second and final Test is in Lahore from November 17.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Rawalpindi(National Times)- Captain Babar Azam and two debutants were among four batters to hit half-centuries as Pakistan reached 281-5 on day one of the first Test against Sri Lanka on Monday. Opener Tayyab Arif scored an impressive 57 and Mohammad Taha a patient 51 \u2014 both playing their first Test \u2014 while Azam hit 50, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":136161,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-136160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n