Pakistan captain Babar Azam scored his 35th Test fifty on the opening day of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi on Monday, steadying the home side after a bright start from two debutant openers — before falling for exactly 50 as Sri Lanka hit back in the afternoon session.
Babar reached the milestone off 54 balls, punching Lahiru Kumara through the covers for a single shortly after lunch, and went on to strike seven fours in a fluent 50 off 58 balls. But just as a bigger score looked on the cards, Dilshan Madushanka found his outside edge and wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis held the catch, leaving Pakistan 159 for 3 after 35 overs.
At the crease with Babar gone is another debutant, Mohammad Taha, unbeaten on 18 off 52 balls after a watchful start, joined by vice-captain Saud Shakeel, who is yet to get off the mark.
Babar’s fifty — and the wait for a hundred goes on
Babar walked in with Pakistan 86 for 1 and immediately looked in touch, driving confidently through the off side on a green Rawalpindi pitch that had encouraged Sri Lanka to bowl first. He was 31 not out at lunch and needed only a handful of deliveries after the break to bring up his half-century, his 35th in Test cricket.
The fifty was welcome, but it also underlined the one statistic that continues to follow Pakistan’s captain. Babar has now gone 40 Test innings without a century, with his last Test hundred coming against New Zealand in Karachi in December 2022. For a batter of his class, the fifties keep coming — the hundreds do not.
His dismissal will frustrate him. Madushanka, bowling from round the wicket, got a fullish delivery to straighten late; Babar played down the wrong line and edged behind. It was the breakthrough Sri Lanka had been desperate for after a morning in which Pakistan had largely controlled the game.
Debutants Arif and Awais set the tone
The day had begun in spectacular fashion for Pakistan’s new opening pair. Debutants Tayyab Arif and Azan Awais raced to an 86-run stand in just 97 balls after Sri Lanka won the toss and sent Pakistan in to bat, punishing anything loose on a lively surface.
Arif was the star of the morning, smashing 57 off only 51 balls — including nine fours and a six — to bring up a half-century on Test debut off just 46 balls. Awais gave him solid support with 30 off 50 balls, and at one stage Pakistan were 86 without loss inside 16 overs.
Sri Lanka fought back with two wickets in the space of five balls. Milan Rathnayaka removed Awais, and Asitha Fernando then found Arif’s outside edge, with Kusal Mendis taking the catch to leave Pakistan 90 for 2. It was a sharp reminder that, for all the early boundaries, this was still a pitch with something in it for the bowlers.
Taha holds firm on debut
If the morning belonged to Arif, the afternoon has so far belonged to the quieter debutant. Mohammad Taha, batting at No. 3 in his first Test, has dug in for 18 not out off 52 balls, surviving a Sri Lankan review for lbw in the morning session and then settling into a 69-run third-wicket stand with Babar.
Taha’s patience has been exactly what Pakistan needed after losing both openers in quick succession. With Saud Shakeel now at the other end, the pair must rebuild again — and Pakistan will want at least 300 on the board from this first innings on a pitch that should get easier to bat on as the match wears on.
Sri Lanka’s bold gamble with the ball
Sri Lanka’s decision to bowl first was a bold one. Captain Kusal Mendis backed his four-man pace attack on the green-tinged surface and went into the match without a frontline spinner — a gamble that looked questionable while Arif and Awais were racing along, but one that has started to pay off since lunch.
Madushanka has been the pick of the attack, taking 1 for 60 from 11 overs including the prized wicket of Babar, while Lahiru Kumara has gone wicketless for 36 runs from eight overs. Rathnayaka, who broke the opening stand, had figures of 1 for 18 at lunch. With no specialist spinner in the side, Sri Lanka will rely on part-time off-spin from Dhananjaya de Silva and the ambidextrous Kamindu Mendis if the pitch flattens out.
What this series means
This two-match series matters more than most home assignments for Pakistan. The hosts sit ninth and last in the 2025–27 World Test Championship standings, with a points percentage of only 4.63 after nine matches — two wins and seven defeats — while Sri Lanka are seventh. Another defeat here would effectively end Pakistan’s hopes of reaching the final.
The second Test begins in Lahore on 17 November, and this is Sri Lanka’s first Test tour of Pakistan since 2019, when the opening match in Rawalpindi was drawn before Pakistan won the second Test in Karachi by 263 runs. Across 59 Tests between the sides, Pakistan lead the head-to-head 23 wins to 17, with 19 draws.
For now, though, all eyes are on Taha and Shakeel. Pakistan have the platform — 159 for 3 with seven wickets in hand — but on a pitch offering the bowlers encouragement, the next hour could decide whether day one belongs to the home side or the tourists.
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