SRI Lanka and Pakistan shared a draw in the rain-affected second Test in Colombo with a victory target of 261 proving beyond the hosts on the final day yesterday.
Pakistan had set their opponents the task of reaching the target in the final session, declaring their second innings on 100 for two, but Sri Lanka were on 86 for two when the captains shook hands.
There had been faint hopes the tourists might triumph as Sri Lanka needed 74 more runs to avoid the follow-on, but Kumar Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews steered Sri Lanka to 391 all out.
Despite Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan registering centuries on Tuesday, Pakistan took four quick wickets to raise hopes of making the hosts follow on, but Sangakkara and Mathews put on 92 for the sixth wicket before the latter feathered Junaid Khan behind to depart for 47 – which was the start of a sequence that saw Sri Lanka lose their last five wickets for 21 runs.
Sangakkara’s wicket came in among the collapse as he fell for 192 after coming down the pitch and flicking Rehman to Taufeeq Umar at square leg.
That dismissal came after he also missed out on a double-century in the last Test match in Galle when he was left stranded on 199 not out.
With a first-innings lead of 160, Pakistan came firing out of the traps in their second innings as Pakistan sought to build a quick score in order to put the pressure on Sri Lanka.
Mohammad Hafeez and Taufeeq put on a fifty partnership for Pakistan’s opening wicket before the latter lobbed to Dilshan at square leg off Suraj Randiv. He then accounted for Abdur Rehman, who had been sent up the order to hammer a quick 36 off 22 balls, plundering three fours and three sixes to boost Pakistan’s total.
The tourists went for tea on 99 for two and curiously added just one more run before opting to declare, with opener Taufeeq unbeaten on 42, and set Sri Lanka their highly unlikely victory target.
Sri Lanka’s chase began at a steady pace with openers Dilshan and Tharanga Paranavitana rattling off 48 runs in 11 overs, but Dilshan was trapped lbw by Saeed Ajmal for 28, and Paranavitana (32) fell the same way to Rehman five overs later to slow the charge.
Sangakkara added an unbeaten 24 before the expected draw was confirmed.

SCORECARD
PAKISTAN 1st innings 551 for 6 decl’d
SRI LANKA 1st innings (o/n 278 for 5)
N. Paranavitana c Ali b Khan 0
T. Dilshan lbw Khan 121
K. Sangakkara c Umar b Rehman 192
M. Jayawardene lbw b Khan 0
T. Samaraweera lbw b Ajmal 0
S. Randiv lbw b Rehman 0
A. Mathews c Akmal b Khan 47
H. Jayawardene c Akmal b Rehman 6
K. Kulasekara b Junaid Khan 0
H, Herath not out 10
N. Pradeep c Ajmal b Rehman 1
Extras: (lb-5, b-4) 9
Total: (all out, off 124.4 overs) 391
Fall of wicket: 1-11, 2-236, 3-250, 4-259, 5-278, 6-370, 7-378, 8-379, 9-385.
Bowling: Aziza Cheema 24-5-86-0, Junaid Khan 28-6-73-5, Saeed Ajmal 34-0-106-1, Abdur Rehman 26.4-5-78-4. Mohammad Hafeez 8-0-29-0, Azhar Ali 4-0-10-0.

PAKISTAN 2nd innings
M. Hafeez c Dilshan b Randiv 21
T. Umar not out 42
A. Rehman b Randiv 36
A. Akmal not out 0
Extras: (nb-1) 1
Total: (for 2 wickets off 22 overs) 100
Fall of wickets: 1-51, 2-99.
Bowling: K Kulasekara 5-0-23-0, N. Pradeep 8-0-48-0 (nb-1) S. Randiv 4-0-28-2, H. Herath 1-0-1-0.

SRI LANKA 2nd innings
N. Paranavitana lbw b Ajmal 32
T. Dilshan lbw b Rehman 28
K. Sangakkara not out 24
M. Jayawardene not out 1
Extras: (lb-1) 1
Total: (for 2 wickets off 22 overs) 86
Fall of wickets: 1-48, 2-78.
Bowling: Junaid Khan 4-0-21-0, Aziza Cheema 2-0-11-0, Abdur Rehman 9-2-19-1, Saeed Ajmal 7-0-34-1.