Pakistan reached a score of 74 without loss on Monday during the first day of their first Test match against Sri Lanka at the Pindi Stadium in Rawalpindi. The team was put into bat by the Sri Lankan side.
Debutant Tayyab Arif was at the crease with 43 runs, while Azan Awais remained at the other end with 30. The match saw four players receive their first Test caps: Tayyab Arif, Mohammad Taha, Arafat Minhas, and Saqib Khan.
Fast bowler Saqib Khan described his debut as the result of a journey that started with table tennis before his father urged him to try cricket. Saqib Khan said, “I used to play table tennis and sometimes hardball as well. One day, my father asked me to play cricket.” He attributed his career to the support of his family, specifically his father and his elder brother Bilal Naeem. Saqib Khan recalled his family's reaction to his selection, stating, “When I came into the Pakistan team, I told them that my mother was crying a lot. My father was also crying.”
Tayyab Arif noted that cricket was a shared passion within his family, with his father being a primary influence. “There was a lot of craze for cricket at home. My family, my cousins and especially my father were very fond of cricket. So I started playing cricket from home,” Arif said. He began playing hardball cricket at age 12 and later joined Jaguars Cricket Club, where he credited coach Faisal Naveed for his progression through the age-group ranks. Arif admitted to being emotional about his selection, saying, “Obviously, everyone dreams of representing Pakistan, especially in Test cricket. I was a little emotional, especially my father.”
The Pakistan squad includes Azan Awais, Tayyab Arif, Mohammad Taha, Babar Azam (captain), Saud Shakeel, Salman Agha, Ghazi Ghori (wicketkeeper), Arafat Minhas, Razaullah, Mohammad Abbas, and Saqib Khan. The Sri Lanka squad consists of Kusal Mendis (captain), Lahiru Udara (wicketkeeper), Passindu Sooriyabandara, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Sonal Dinusha, Milan Rathnayaka, Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando, and Dilshan Madushanka.
