PAKISTAN were facing defeat at 36 for three wickets in their second innings at the close on the third day of the first test against Sri Lanka yesterday after being set a formidable winning target of 510 runs.
Sri Lanka, who scored 472 in the first innings, closed their second innings at 137-5, leaving Pakistan with a tough task of batting out 15 overs and the entire two days to save the test. Pakistan, who were shot out for 100 in their first innings, lost wickets regularly during their run chase, as Nuwan Kulasekara once again broke through the Pakistan batting ranks to finish with two wickets for 13 runs.
He separated the openers when he had skipper Mohammad Hafeez edging a low catch to Mahela Jayawardene at first slip in the fifth over. Hafeez hit only a boundary in his innings.
Kulasekara struck again 10 minutes before the close when he bowled the other opener Taufiq Umar through the gate for 10.
Rangana Herath picked up the wicket of Azhar Ali for seven when he edged a catch to Thilan Samaraweera at second slip.
Younis Khan (0) and night-watchman Saeed Ajmal (11) survived the remaining overs but Pakistan still required 474 more runs.
The hosts, having decided against enforcing the follow-on, lost three wickets in the afternoon session looking for quick runs with Tharanga Paranavitana (25) and Tillakaratne Dilshan setting the tone with an opening partnership of 81 off 20 overs before Saeed Ajmal separated them.
Ajmal won a leg-before appeal against Paranavitana and four runs later, Dilshan fell to Junaid Khan to depart after a 58-ball 56 that included nine fours.
Kumar Sangakkara, who was stranded on 199 not out in the first innings, made just one run before mistiming a drive to extra cover where Taufiq Umar held the catch to give Ajmal his second wicket of the innings.
Sri Lanka lost Mahela Jayawardene for 14 and Thilan Samaraweera for 15 after the tea break before applying the closure to their innings.
Earlier, spinners Herath and Suraj Randiv bowled Pakistan out for 100 at lunch after the visitors had resumed on 48 for five.
Pakistan’s last five wickets lasted just a session as Herath (3-30) and Randiv (4-13) ran through the bottom order.
Left-arm spinner Herath made the first breakthrough of the day by trapping Younus Khan (29) leg before. Younus was clearly unhappy with the decision and television replays later showed him getting an inside edge on to the pads.
Compounding Pakistan’s misery, debutant Mohammad Ayub and wicket-keeper Adnan Akmal were involved in a mix-up where both batsmen finished at the striker’s end.
Akmal swept Herath to fine leg and set off for a run then called for a second but Ayub hesitated. Akmal found himself at the same end when the throw from Nuwan Pradeep came to Herath, who had plenty of time to take off the bails at the non-striker’s end.
After Akmal departed for nine, the end came swiftly.
Randiv trapped Abdur Rehman lbw for one and finished off the innings when Umar Gul (two) made a big heave and the resulting top edge was caught by wicket-keeper Prasanna Jayawardene to give the bowler his fourth wicket of the innings.
Herath ended Ayub’s innings at 25, trapping him lbw.

Scorecard
Sri Lanka 1st innings 472
Pakistan 1st innings (o/night 48 for 5)
M. Hafeez lbw b Randiv 20
T. Umar lbw Kulasekara 09
A. Ali c HAPW Jayawardene b Kulasekara 00
Y. Khan lbw b Herath 29
S. Ajmal c Paranavitana b Randiv 00
A. Shafiq c HAPW Jayawardene b Herath 00
M. Ayub lbw b Herath 25
Adnan Akmal† run out (Kulasekara/Herath) 09
Abdur Rehman lbw b Randiv 01
Umar Gul c †HAPW Jayawardene b Randiv 02
Junaid Khan not out 02
Extras (lb-2, w-1) 03
Total (all out off 54.3 overs) 100
Fall of wickets: 1-17, 2-17, 3-43, 4-43, 5-44, 6-65, 7-88, 8-94, 9-98, 10-100.
Bowling: Kulasekara 13-7-27-2 (w-1), Fernando 9-2-28-0, Herath 21-6-30-3, Matthews 2-2-0-0, Randiv 9.3-1-13-4

Sri Lanka 2nd innings
NT Paranavitana lbw b Saeed Ajmal 25
TM Dilshan lbw b Junaid Khan 56
K  Sangakkara c Taufeeq Umar b Saeed Ajmal 01
D. Jayawardene c †Adnan Akmal b Junaid Khan 14
TT Samaraweera c Younis Khan b Junaid Khan 15
AD Matthews not out 07
HAPW Jayawardene not out 09
Extras (b-6, lb-2, nb-2) 10
Total (for 5 wickets off 41 overs) 137
Did not bat KMDN Kulasekara, S Randiv, HMRKB Herath, ANPR Fernando
Fall of wickets: 1-81, 2-85, 3-93, 4-114, 5-119
Bowling: Gul 4-0-11-0, Khan 13-2-44-3 (nb-2), Rehman 5-0-25-0, Ajmal 17-3-47-2, Khan 2-0-2-0.

Pakistan 2nd innings
M. Hafeez c DPMD Jayawardene b Kulasekara 04
T. Umar b Kulasekara 10
A. Ali c Samaraweera b Herath 07
Y. Khan not out 00
S. Ajmal not out 11
Extras (b-4) 04
Total (for 3 wickets off 15 overs) 36
To bat: Asad Shafiq, Adnan Akmal†, Mohammad Ayub, Abdur Rehman, Umar Gul, Junaid Khan
Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-21, 3-25
Bowling: Kulasekara 7-2-13-2, Fernando 5-2-18-0, Herath 3-2-1-1