Pakistan’s Abid Ali plays a shot during the fifth and final day of the first Test cricket match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on December 15, 2019. (Aamir QURESHI)
<p>Rawalpindi (Pakistan) (AFP) – Sri Lanka removed opener Shan Masood  as Pakistan reached 54-1 at lunch on the fifth and final day in Rawalpindi on Sunday, first Test in the country since 2009 attacks.</p><p>At the break, debutant Abid Ali had reached an attractive 31 while skipper Azhar Ali was on 21 as the Test headed for a draw after ravaged by weather on the previous four days. </p><p>Sri Lankan middle-order batsman Dhananjaya de Silva completed a well deserved hundred before Sri Lanka declared their first innings at 308-6 after 20 minutes of the morning session in bright sunshine after the fourth day was washed out.</p><p>The 28-year-old right-hander drove paceman Mohammad Abbas to cover boundary for his 15th boundary to complete his sixth Test century in his 28th Test.</p><p>De Silva remained unbeaten on 102 after 241 minutes of batting, having come in with the score on 127-4 on Thursday. He hit 15 boundaries. Dilruwan Perera remained unbeaten on 16.</p><p>Any hopes of a result in Pakistan’s historic Test were dashed by rain and bad light which meant only 91.5 overs were possible on the first four days.</p><p>The pick of the Pakistan bowlers were 16-year-old pace bowler Naseem Shah, who took 2-92, and Shaheen Shah Afridi with 2-58.</p><p>The Test is the first in Pakistan since a militant attack on the Sri Lankan team bus killed eight people in March 2009, leading to the suspension of international cricket in the country as foreign teams refused to visit over security fears.</p><p>The second Test is in Karachi from December 19.</p><p></p>

Disclaimer: Validity of the above story is for 7 Days from original date of publishing. Source: AFP.