Saqib's 7-wicket total on debut gives Sri Lanka a slender 1st-innings lead vs Pakistan

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (AP) — Debutant fast bowler Saqib Khan led Pakistan’s comeback in the first cricket test with a seven-wicket haul as Sri Lanka took a first-innings lead of 12 runs on Thursday.

Saqib picked up 7-130 and made full use of perfect overcast conditions with his incisive swing bowling to dismiss Sri Lanka for 446 inside 1 1/2 hours on Day 4 as the visitors lost their last six wickets for 42 runs.

Saqib had Asitha Fernando caught behind through review that gave wicketkeeper Ghazi Ghori his sixth catch behind the wickets and the 31-year-old pace bowler became only the fourth bowler after Mohammad Nazir, Mohammad Zahid and Abrar Ahmed to grab seven wickets in an innings on test debut for Pakistan.

Fernando had one of the four Pakistan debutants Tayyab Arif trapped leg before wicket as Pakistan reached 39-1 in the second innings at lunch for an overall lead of 27 runs. Azan Awais was unbeaten on 16 with Mohammad Taha not out on 12.

The greenish wicket on which Sri Lanka lost only one wicket on the second day sprung to life in favorable conditions with seven wickets falling in the first session on the fourth day.

In a relentless eight-over spell on the fourth morning, Saqib grabbed 5-25 after Sri Lanka had resumed on a formidable 404-4 on the back of centurions Dhananjaya de Silva and captain Kusal Mendis.

Saqib struck off the fifth ball of the morning to break the 249-run stand when he found the outside edge of de Silva's bat, who couldn’t add to his overnight 167.

Saud Shakeel, who had dropped de Silva on 38 on the third day, once again spilled a low catch off Mendis, but two balls later Ghori brought up another spectacular diving catch off Saqib’s probing delivery outside the off stump to end Sri Lanka skipper’s knock of 119.

Sri Lanka’s rising star Sonal Dinusha , who has already scored three centuries and two half centuries in his previous five test matches, made 20 before he went for an expansive drive against Saqib and edged to slips cordon as the pacer kissed the turf to complete the five-wicket haul.

Milan Rathnayake overtook Pakistan’s first-innings score of 434-9 declared with a pulled boundary off Razaullah before Saqib grabbed two more and Razaullah (1-140) wrapped up a perfect morning for Pakistan by having Rathnayake caught at deep fine leg.

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