Pakistan were bowled out for 478 and set imposing lead in the first innings in response to Sri Lanka's 208 all out in the post luncheon session on the third day of the final Paktel GSM Cup Test match at the National Stadium here on Saturday.
The host nation were thus able to take a massive 270 runs lead. Sri Lanka in the second innings were 134 for one at the draw of stumps with former skipper Sanath Jayasuriya on a rapid-fire unbeaten 96 and Kumar Sangakkara batting on four.
Pakistan resuming at the overnight score of 298 for four with Inzamamul Haq on 79 not out. Inzamam was joined by freshman Yousuf Youhana after Riaz Afridi fell victim on the previous evening to the last ball of the day after the second new ball taken and was barely 3.4 overs old.
Both Inzamamul Haq and Yousuf Youhana struggled at the outset against the gleaming ball and splendid seam movement in the early part of the morning. Nonetheless, Youhana was prepared to take the fight to the Sri Lanka bowlers who were trifle unlucky not to have got quick breakthrough.
When Pakistan were 346 for four Youhana hit left-arm spinner Rangana Herath for a huge six over the deep backward square leg boundary to display his aggressive intentions.
Soon after, the Pakistani captain Inzamamul Haq got to his 20th century in his 96th Test and became only the 20th man in 127 years of Test cricket history to have achieved the feat. Inzamam's hundred had come off 215 balls in a 287-minute stay at the crease and it was studded with 10 sweetly-timed fours and a towering six.
Not long after, Yousuf Youhana caught behind by wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara off Dilhara Fernando after a quick-fire 46, laced with five classic boundaries and two sixes to make Pakistan 372 for five. Youhana had put on 74 runs for the fifth wicket with Inzamam.
Then Pakistan went to lunch at 387 for five with Inzamamul Haq 117 not out and Shoaib Malik on four. But four balls after the resumption, Inzamamul Haq perished without any addition to the score at the break.
He has neatly snapped up at slip by Thilan Samaraweera off the bowling of Chaminda Vaas.
At the time, Shoaib Malik was joined by all-rounder Abdul Razzak and the pair notched up exactly 50 runs for the seventh wicket when Razzak returned for 42-ball 16. He holed out to Dilhara Fernando off Sanath Jayasuriya.
Shoaib Malik continued his rich streak of form but was sent back for 44, containing five well-struck hits to the rope. Malik was trapped leg before plumb in front of the wicket by Dilhara Fernando. Malik's departure make the home side 462 for eight.
The Pakistan tail did not manage to wag long and the innings was soon drawn to a close.
For Sri Lanka, left-arm pacers Chaminda Vaas grabbed three for 106 and Dilhara Fernando were the most successful of the bowlers.
Sri Lanka then trying to extricate themselves from a difficult situation, began their response in blazing fashion and were able to surge to their first fifty in the second innings in just six overs. Sanath Jayasuriya was in a rampaging mood and he was able to hammer the Pakistani opening bowlers out of the attack in only six overs. Rana Naveedul Hasan was the worst sufferer and he gave away 27 runs in his first spell of three overs.
Jayasuriaya, the Sri Lankan master-blaster, blazed to his individual fifty in only 52 minutes off 49 deliveries and it was lacquered with eight fours and a six.
The Sri Lankan 100 was posted in 16.3 overs with Jayasuriya on 69 and Marvan Atapattu on 22.
But Atapattu was sent back at 117 for one. He was caught by Yasir Hameed off Danish Kaneria for a 44-ball 25 aided with three hits to the fence. At stumps, Sanath Jayasuriya had surged to a blistering undefeated 96 off 104 deliveries that contained 14 turf scorching boundaries and one mighty six.
In a bizzare episode, after the luncheon interval, umpire Billy Bowden of New Zealand failed to resume his duties as sources stated he was suffering from the renowned 'Karachi Stomach Bug.' TV Umpire Asad Rauf was compelled to leave his post to stand-in for Billy Bowden while umpire Saleem Badr sat in place for Rauf and Afzaal Ahmad assumed the role of the fourth umpire.
SCOREBOARD:
SRI LANKA (1st innings 208): (R. Kaluwitharana 54; Abdul Razzaq 5-35):
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PAKISTAN (1st innings-overnight 298-4):
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Yasir Hameed c Sangakkara b Maharoof 3
Imran Farhat lbw b Vaas 72
Younis Khan c Samaraweera b Herath 124
Inzamam-ul Haq c Jayawardene b Vaas 117
Riaz Afridi b Vaas 9
Yousuf Youhana c Sangakkara b Fernando 46
Shoaib Malik lbw b Fernando 44
Abdul Razzaq c Fernando b Jayasuriya 16
Kamran Akmal c Jayawardene b Herath 15
Rana Naveedul Hassan b Fernando 11
Danish Kaneria not out 5
EXTRAS: (LB-9, NB-7) 16
TOTAL: (all out in 137.1 overs) 478
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FALL OF WICKETS: 1-13, 2-135, 3-284, 4-298, 5-372, 6-387, 7-437, 8-462, 9-464
BOWLING: Vaas 33-5-106-3, Maharoof 23-4-62-1, Fernando 22.1-1-96-3, Herath 33-3-125-2, Mubarak 9-2-33-0, Jayasuriya 11-3-35-1, Samaraweera 6-0-12-0.
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SRI LANKA (2nd innings):
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S. Jayasuriya not out 96
M. Atapattu c Hameed b Kaneria 25
K. Sangakkara not out 4
EXTRAS: (LB5, NB-4) 9
TOTAL: (for one wkt in 28 overs) 134
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