Rawalpindi: Pakistan batter Saud Shakeel has entered an unwanted chapter in Test cricket history after being dismissed in the nervous nineties in both innings of the opening Test against Sri Lanka at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
Shakeel narrowly missed out on registering centuries in both innings, scoring 93 in Pakistan’s first innings before falling just three runs short of the landmark with a 97 in the second.
With this feat, the left-handed batter became only the fifth player in Test cricket history to be dismissed between 90 and 99 in both innings of the same match.
Shakeel joins an exclusive list featuring some of the game’s most accomplished batters, including Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardene, West Indies great Gordon Greenidge, England’s Frank Woolley and Australia’s Clem Hill.
Jayawardene was the last batter before Shakeel to suffer the same fate, scoring 92 and 96 in a Test match in 2009.
Greenidge achieved the distinction twice, making 91 and 97 in 1977 before scoring 91 and 96 in 1980. Woolley recorded scores of 95 and 93 in 1921, while Hill became the first batter to enter the unwanted record books with scores of 98 and 97 in 1902.
Shakeel is the first player since Jayawardene, 17 years ago, to register nervous-nineties dismissals in both innings of a Test match.
Pakistan-Sri Lanka Rawalpindi Test Ends in Draw
Meanwhile, Pakistan and Sri Lanka settled for a draw in the opening Test after the hosts declared their second innings at 284/8 in 84.5 overs on the final day, setting the visitors a target of 273 runs.
Shakeel once again looked set for a century before Lahiru Kumara brought his innings to an end, clean bowling the left-hander for 97 off 210 deliveries. His knock included seven boundaries.
Razaullah remained unbeaten at the other end as Pakistan declared, with both teams subsequently agreeing to a draw.
The hosts had earlier taken control through debutant Saqib Khan, whose impressive seven-wicket haul helped Pakistan fight back after Sri Lanka secured a narrow 12-run first-innings lead.
Sri Lanka had responded strongly to Pakistan’s first-innings declaration of 434/9. After slipping to 65/3, Kamindu Mendis scored 58 and built a 90-run partnership with Dhananjaya de Silva.
De Silva and captain Kusal Mendis then took the game away from Pakistan temporarily, putting together a remarkable 249-run partnership, with both batters registering centuries. Sri Lanka eventually reached 446 before being bowled out, taking a slender first-innings advantage.
Five Pakistan Batters Score Half-Centuries
Pakistan’s first innings featured five half-centuries, including contributions from three debutants.
Shakeel was the leading scorer with 93 off 199 balls, while Tayyab Arif provided an attacking contribution of 57 off 51 deliveries.
Arafat Minhas scored 52 off 72 balls, Mohammad Taha made 51 off 105 deliveries, and captain Babar Azam added 50 off 58 balls.
Despite missing out on two centuries, Shakeel’s twin scores of 93 and 97 ensured his name would be remembered for an unusual Test cricket record.
