The first encounter of the two-match Test series between the men's cricket teams of Pakistan and Sri Lanka was hosted at the Rawalpindi stadium, which ultimately concluded in a draw after an intense battle over five days. On the final day of the fixture, attention from all corners was fixed firmly on the prospect of a century from Pakistan batsman Saud Shakeel. However, despite reaching deep into the nineties during the team's second essay, he fell short of the milestone and walked back to the pavilion after scoring 97 runs. With this dismissal, Shakeel etched his name into the record books, accomplishing an unwanted feat that no other player representing Pakistan had managed in the history of Test cricket.
Shakeel Becomes the First Pakistan Player to Suffer Nervous Nineties in Both Innings
In the sport of cricket, whenever a batsman gets dismissed between the scores of 90 and 99, the phase is traditionally referred to as falling victim to the nervous nineties. During the Rawalpindi Test against Sri Lanka, Saud Shakeel batted brilliantly in both innings but failed to convert either effort into a three-figure score. After getting out for 93 runs during the first innings of the match, he fell just three runs shy of a well-deserved century in the second essay, getting dismissed for 97. Consequently, Saud Shakeel became the very first Pakistani cricketer and only the fifth player in the entire history of Test cricket to fall victim to the nervous nineties in both innings of the same Test match.
Select Group of Players to Face Nervous Nineties in Both Innings of a Test
Before Saud Shakeel's unusual feat, only four batsmen in the long history of Test cricket had experienced the misfortune of being dismissed in the nineties during both innings of a single match. This exclusive and rare list features Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene, West Indies' Gordon Greenidge, England's Frank Woolley, and Australia's Clem Hill. Notably, legendary West Indian opener Gordon Greenidge experienced this exact occurrence twice during his illustrious career. The complete breakdown of this historic list is outlined below
- Saud Shakeel: Scored 93 and 97 runs for Pakistan against Sri Lanka in the year 2026.
- Mahela Jayawardene: Scored 92 and 96 runs for Sri Lanka against New Zealand in the year 2009.
- Gordon Greenidge: Scored 91 and 97 runs for West Indies against New Zealand in the year 1980.
- Gordon Greenidge: Scored 91 and 96 runs for West Indies against Pakistan in the year 1977.
- Frank Woolley: Scored 95 and 93 runs for England against Australia in the year 1921.
- Clem Hill: Scored 98 and 97 runs for Australia against England in the year 1902.
Saqib Khan Wins Player of the Match Award on Debut
Although the Rawalpindi Test match ended in a draw, the stalemate did not trigger any shifts in the current standings of the WTC 2025-27 points table for either competing side. Nevertheless, from the Pakistan camp, fast bowler Saqib Khan made a stellar impression on his Test debut with a phenomenal bowling display. Saqib Khan claimed a remarkable 7 wickets during Sri Lanka's first innings of the contest. In recognition of his exceptional performance, Saqib Khan was honored with the Player of the Match award, making him only the 7th Pakistani cricketer to clinch the prestigious POTM accolade on their debut Test appearance.
