Saud Shakeel joins rare Test record after missing centuries in both innings vs Sri Lanka

Pakistan's Saud Shakeel produced one of the more unusual batting performances in Test history during the first Test against Sri Lanka at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, which ended in a draw on November 13 2026. The left-hander fell for 93 in the first innings and then came agonisingly close again in the second, only to be bowled by Lahiru Kumara three runs short of a hundred.

Across the two innings, Shakeel accumulated 190 runs without converting either opportunity into a century. That combined tally places him second on the all-time list for the highest aggregate by a batter dismissed in the nineties on both occasions in the same Test, behind Australia's Clem Hill, whose 98 and 97 at Adelaide in January 1902 produced a combined 195. The feat spans nearly 150 years of the format and has been achieved only six times in total, with Shakeel becoming the fifth individual batter to enter that company.

Which batters have been dismissed in the nineties in both innings of a Test?

Hill's Adelaide effort in January 1902 remains the benchmark for this category, his aggregate of 195 still the highest on record. At Lord's in June 1921, England's Frank Woolley registered 95 and 93 against Australia, though the exact order of those two innings scores requires confirmation from primary scorecards.

Former West Indies opener Gordon Greenidge then scored 91 and 97 against New Zealand at Christchurch in February 1980, a performance that placed him on this rare list. Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene added 92 and 96 against New Zealand at Colombo in August 2009. Shakeel's scores at Rawalpindi now sit alongside all four of those efforts as one of the rarest statistical footnotes in the history of Test cricket.

How did the Rawalpindi Test unfold?

Pakistan batted first and declared their opening innings at 434 for 9. Sri Lanka replied with 446, securing a narrow first-innings lead. Pakistan then declared their second innings at 284 for 8, setting Sri Lanka a target of 272 runs, but the match ran out of time and ended in a draw on November 13.

Shakeel's twin efforts in the nineties were the standout individual contribution of the match, even if both ended without the century his performances deserved. The two-match series continues at the same venue, with the second Test scheduled to begin on November 17 2026.