Dhananjaya de Silva Century Puts Sri Lanka on Top
A Dhananjaya de Silva century, an unbeaten 167, and captain Kusal Mendis’s 117 not out took Sri Lanka to 404 for four at stumps on day three of the first Test in Rawalpindi on Wednesday. The visitors trail Pakistan by only 30 runs, with six wickets in hand, after a day that belonged to their batters.
Bad light brought an early end to play, with Sri Lanka on 404 for four after 102 overs. De Silva and Kusal will resume their stand on the fourth day, and Pakistan will need early wickets to stay in the match.
Pakistan had declared their first innings at 434 for nine, with Saud Shakeel top-scoring on 93. Sri Lanka were 114 for three at stumps on the second day, and the match looked evenly poised. Day three changed that.
Dhananjaya de Silva century turns the Test
Kamindu Mendis and De Silva steadied Sri Lanka in the morning with a 90-run stand for the fourth wicket. Kamindu reached his half-century before Mohammad Abbas ended his resistance, dismissing him for 58 off 131 balls, with eight fours, to leave Sri Lanka at 155 for four.
De Silva then took charge. He brought up his half-century and guided Sri Lanka past 200, sharing a 50-run stand with Kusal. The pair kept Pakistan’s bowlers at bay through the second session, taking Sri Lanka past 250 and then past 300.
De Silva reached his 14th Test century with fluent stroke play, while Kusal brought up his 24th Test half-century. Their stand passed 100, and then 200, as Sri Lanka moved past 400. Kusal reached his 11th Test century before bad light stopped play.
The pair have now added 249 runs for the fifth wicket without being separated. De Silva moved past 150 during the stand, and the two batters have frustrated every bowler Pakistan has tried.
Pakistan’s bowlers run out of answers
Sri Lanka’s recovery is all the more striking because of how the innings began. Early in the innings, the visitors lost two wickets for 12 runs, with Abbas removing opener Pasindu Sooriyabandara for a duck and debutant Saqib Khan taking his first international wicket. Lahiru Udara and Kamindu then steadied the innings, but Saqib struck again to remove Udara for 42, leaving Sri Lanka at 65 for three.
Abbas has been the pick of Pakistan’s bowlers, taking two wickets, while Saqib has two on debut. But neither could break the De Silva-Kusal stand on day three, and the home side will need a fresh plan on Thursday morning.
The match is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle. Pakistan’s three debutants had already made history in the first innings, matching a record from 1992, with five batters, including the three debutants, scoring half-centuries in the total of 434.
Rain may shape day four
Weather could now decide how much play is possible on Thursday. Rain is forecast to disrupt the fourth day in Rawalpindi, with cloudy conditions in the morning and heavy showers expected in the afternoon.
According to AccuWeather, temperatures will hover around 21 degrees Celsius in the morning, with a 25 per cent chance of rain. The chance of rain rises sharply to 92 per cent in the afternoon, with heavy showers expected to last about two and a half hours and rainfall that could reach 14.6 millimetres.
A complete washout does not look the most likely outcome at this stage, and morning play should be possible. But a long afternoon break would eat into the time Sri Lanka need to pass Pakistan’s total and build a lead, and it would eat into the time Pakistan need to bowl the visitors out twice.
What happens next
Sri Lanka need 30 more runs to pass Pakistan’s first-innings total, and with De Silva and Kusal set at the crease, they will fancy a first-innings lead. If they get one, the pressure will shift to Pakistan’s batters in the second innings.
Pakistan will look for early wickets on Thursday morning, before the rain arrives. Abbas and Saqib have done the damage so far, and the home side will want them to strike again while the ball is still hard.
The second Test of the series starts on November 17 at the same ground, after the PCB shifted it from Lahore because of smog. Ticket prices for the second Test have been announced, with general tickets at Rs200 a day. Rahmat Shah became the first Afghan batter to enter the ICC Test top ten this week, a reminder of how the Test order can shift.
Frequently asked questions
What is the score in the first Test?
Sri Lanka are 404 for four in reply to Pakistan’s 434 for nine declared. Dhananjaya de Silva is 167 not out and Kusal Mendis is 117 not out. Sri Lanka trail by 30 runs.
Who scored centuries for Sri Lanka?
Dhananjaya de Silva scored 167 not out, his 14th Test century, and captain Kusal Mendis scored 117 not out, his 11th Test century. Their unbroken fifth-wicket stand is worth 249 runs.
Will rain affect day four?
Rain is forecast for Thursday afternoon in Rawalpindi, with a 92 per cent chance of heavy showers and up to 14.6 millimetres of rain. Morning play should be possible, and a full washout is not expected.
When is the second Test?
The second Test starts on November 17 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. It was moved from Lahore because of smog in the Punjab capital.
