Pakistan, Sri Lanka have everything to play for in historic Karachi Test.

KARACHI -- Pakistan and Sri Lanka are now left with everything to play for in the Karachi Test, which begins here from Thursday, after last week's rain-affected encounter in Rawalpindi. The Karachi Test will also be the deciding fixture of the ICC World Test Championship as the National Stadium prepares to host its first five-day match after a gap of 10 years and nine months.

It is only fitting that Sri Lanka are the opponents in the Test to be played in Pakistan's most populous city of Karachi where the current spell of weather is pleasant and a far cry from the really chilly conditions that one experienced at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in the series opener. No less than 528 minutes of playing time amounting to 268.1 overs - out of mandatory quota of 450 possible overs - were lost to rain, bad light and wet conditions.

The cricket enthusiasts in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad and the adjacent areas were deeply disappointed at being denied the chance to enjoy the historic return of Test cricket to the country for the first time since March 2009.

And although the landmark occasion was reduced to a farce, the high spirits of the last-day crowd was sensational as they first saw Dhananjaya de Silva finally complete a thoroughly deserved sixth Test hundred before Abid Ali penned down a new chapter in international cricket by becoming the first player to start both his ODI and Test career with a three-figure knock.

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The 32-year-old opener followed up 112 versus Australia the one-dayer in Dubai by making an unbeaten 109. If that was undoubtedly the defining moment of the Rawalpindi Test, Babar Azam underlined his reputation as a high-class batsman by nonchalantly stroking his way to 102 not out.

Pakistan may boast an outstanding track record in the Tests at the National Stadium - which was once regarded as a fortress for the host nation from 1955 to 1999 - until England sealed an unlikely six-wicket win in the dark of December 2000, but times have certainly changed and so has Pakistan's fortunes in the intervening years.

The only other defeat suffered by Pakistan was against South Africa, who emerged winners by 160 runs in October 2007, but overall, the hosts have been victorious in 21 out of 41 Tests staged at this famous arena in the heart of the country's commercial capital.

The statistics can be misleading over a period of time but the Pakistanis do have a proud history...