RAWALPINDI, November 11: Sri Lanka turned the first Test against Pakistan on its head on Wednesday as Dhananjaya de Silva and newly appointed captain Kusal Mendis struck unbeaten centuries to put the visitors firmly back in contention on the third day in Rawalpindi.
After struggling at 114-3 overnight, Sri Lanka finished the day on 404-4, just 30 runs behind Pakistan’s first-innings total of 434-9 declared.
De Silva led the recovery with an unbeaten 167, while Mendis produced a commanding 117 not out. Together, they added 249 runs for the fifth wicket, frustrating Pakistan’s bowlers and shifting the momentum towards the visitors.
Mendis Makes History in First Test as Captain
For Kusal Mendis, the innings carried extra significance.
Playing his first Test since taking over the captaincy from De Silva, the 31-year-old became the first Sri Lankan batter to score a century on his Test captaincy debut.
Mendis looked confident throughout his innings, mixing controlled strokeplay with attacking shots. His unbeaten 117 featured 10 fours and four sixes as he repeatedly punished loose deliveries.
He reached his 11th Test century in memorable fashion, guiding a delivery from Razaullah over the wicketkeeper for four.
At the other end, De Silva provided the stability Sri Lanka needed, patiently building his innings before accelerating as Pakistan’s bowlers began to tire.
The former captain brought up his 14th Test hundred with a boundary off spinner Arafat Minhas. It was his fourth century against Pakistan and his second at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
His unbeaten 167 came from 241 deliveries and included 20 boundaries.
A Record Partnership That Changed the Match
The two batters did more than rescue Sri Lanka from a difficult position. Their unbeaten 249-run stand also established a new record for the highest fifth-wicket partnership by Sri Lanka against Pakistan in Test cricket.
They surpassed the previous mark of 207, set by Thilan Samaraweera and Tillakaratne Dilshan in Lahore in 2009.
Pakistan had an opportunity to prevent the partnership from developing when Saud Shakeel dropped De Silva on 38 off Razaullah’s bowling.
The missed chance proved costly.
De Silva settled into his innings, and once Mendis joined him, Pakistan struggled to create further opportunities.
The pair combined patience with aggression, rotating the strike comfortably and taking advantage whenever the bowlers missed their lengths.
By the time poor light brought an early end to proceedings, Sri Lanka had piled on 290 runs during the day without losing another wicket after Kamindu Mendis’s dismissal.
Kamindu Sets the Stage for Sri Lanka’s Recovery
Sri Lanka’s fightback had begun earlier through De Silva and Kamindu Mendis, who added 90 runs for the fourth wicket.
Kamindu played a patient innings of 58 from 131 balls, striking eight boundaries before Mohammad Abbas finally broke the partnership.
The left-hander edged a delivery through to wicketkeeper Ghazi Ghori, giving Pakistan a much-needed breakthrough.
But any hopes of quickly running through Sri Lanka’s middle order disappeared as Kusal Mendis joined De Silva and took control.
Pakistan’s bowlers were unable to build sustained pressure despite their promising start to the innings.
Abbas finished the day with figures of 2-64, while debutant Saqib Khan had taken 2-105.
Pakistan’s Strong Start Fades
Pakistan had appeared to be in a comfortable position after declaring their first innings at 434-9 on Tuesday.
Saud Shakeel top-scored with 93, narrowly missing out on a century, while debutants Tayyab Arif, Mohammad Taha and Arafat Minhas all contributed half-centuries.
The hosts then made early inroads with the ball, reducing Sri Lanka to 114-3 by the close of the second day.
At that stage, the visitors were still 320 runs behind and facing a difficult task to stay competitive.
Three sessions later, the picture looked completely different.
Sri Lanka’s middle order had wiped out almost the entire deficit, leaving Pakistan searching for answers heading into the fourth day.
An Intriguing Fourth Day Awaits
With De Silva and Kusal Mendis both unbeaten and Sri Lanka trailing by only 30 runs, the visitors have an opportunity to build a substantial first-innings lead.
Pakistan, meanwhile, will need early wickets on Thursday to prevent the match from slipping further away.
What began as a promising Test for the hosts has developed into a fascinating contest, with Sri Lanka’s remarkable recovery keeping both teams firmly in the battle.
The two sides will meet again in Rawalpindi for the second Test beginning November 17. The match was originally scheduled for Lahore but was relocated because of worsening smog conditions.
