Pakistan debutant Mohammad Taha has credited skipper Babar Azam for his guidance during his half-century on the opening day of the first ICC World Test Championship contest against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi.

Taha scored an impressive innings of 51 from 105 deliveries at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Monday, with the left-hander enjoying a prosperous 69-run stand alongside Babar (50) to help Pakistan reach 281/5 at stumps.

It was a mature performance from Taha in what was his first Test appearance and the 26-year-old praised Babar for the role he played on and off the field in making his transition to international cricket as easy as possible.

"Naturally, there were some early nerves given that it was my debut match. However, as the innings progressed, batting alongside Babar proved immensely reassuring as his guidance at the crease helped me settle in," Taha said.

"Babar and our head coach (Mike Hesson) provided significant encouragement, advising me to trust the same game plan and processes that brought me success during the domestic season."

While Taha admitted there is still plenty of cricket yet to be played in the contest, he believes Pakistan are well placed to post a big score in their first innings and can control the match from there.

"We are taking things step-by-step; given our strong position, with Saud (Shakeel) and Arafat Minhas still to come, our objective tomorrow is to post a substantial first-innings total to put the opposition under pressure," Taha added.

"While batting is not entirely straightforward on this surface, it becomes somewhat more manageable once a batter is established, though it remains challenging for incoming players. Posting in excess of 400 runs in the first innings will set a very competitive benchmark."

Sri Lanka bowling coach Ryan van Niekerk felt his side was too loose early in the day, but was buoyed by the fact they picked up a couple of wickets during the final session to work their way back into the match.

“Probably not satisfied as bowling first and with the seamers we have we should have taken a couple of more wickets,” said van Niekerk.

“But bowlers pulling it back in the last session was good."