Abid Ali's ton the highlight of drawn Test

Opener Abid Ali became the only batsman to score hundreds on both Test and one-day debuts as Pakistan’s first home match in the long form of the game since the 2009 attack on the visiting Sri Lanka team ended in a tame draw against the same opponents on Sunday.

On 95, the 32-year-old hit paceman Vishwa Fernando for a boundary and then drove him through cover for two to complete his hundred, raising his hands in jubilation before kneeling on the ground to offer a prayer of gratitude.

His hundred came in 267 minutes, laced with 11 boundaries, and was the highlight of a Test badly affected by the weather. Pakistan finished at 252-2, with stylish batsman Babar Azam knocking up his third Test century with a boundary off spinner Dilruwan Perera.

The draw gives both Pakistan and Sri Lanka 20 points each in the World Test championship, contested by nine teams, with the top two contesting the June 2021 final. Pakistan lost opener Shan Masood for nought when he drove a full toss from paceman Kasun Rajitha straight into the hands of Dinesh Chandimal at cover. Skipper Azhar Ali scored a shaky 36 before he was caught off Lahiru Kumara.

Dhananjaya finally completed his sixth Test century in the morning. He drove paceman Mohammad Abbas for his 15th boundary to bring up the hundred in his 28th Test. De Silva remained unbeaten on 102 after 241 minutes of batting, having come in with the score on 127-4 on Thursday. Dilruwan Perera remained unbeaten on 16.