Sri Lanka fight back in a battle of attrition

Pakistan 256 for 8 (Hameed 58, Malik 48) lead Sri Lanka 243 (Samaraweera 100, Shoaib 5-60, Sami 4-71) by 13 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Sri Lanka used their strangulating methods in the field to good effect as they clawed back on an absorbing second day at Faisalabad. The door was slowly shutting on Sri Lanka when they managed just 243 on a benign pitch, and then watched Pakistan speed off the blocks at a rollicking pace. But like they have done so effectively in the one-day version, they shifted to a restrictive approach - gradually applying the pressure with some tight bowling and sharp fielding - and kept Pakistan down to 256 for 8, a lead of just 13.

Dilhara Fernando led the fightback with a fiery spell after lunch and was backed up by disciplined bowling at the other end. Rangana Herath also played his part as the batsmen were lured into indiscretion and most fell to rash strokes after being frustrated for long periods. The batsmen managed to string together partnerships at different stages, but no-one kicked on to a big score and Sri Lanka kept chipping away with their nagging approach.

In the first session, though, Sri Lanka were facing a serious crisis. They could add just ten more runs to their overnight score, as they were blown away by the fast bowlers. Thilan Samaraweera, who had battled long and hard yesterday, lasted just two balls this morning. He brought up his hundred with the first ball of the day but spooned a catch straight to short square leg immediately after, off Shoaib Akhtar (237 for 8).

This was Samaraweera's first hundred outside the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo, where he averages close to 108. The effort was all the more memorable as he battled cramps through the second half of his innings and kept the Pakistan bowlers at bay even as wickets were falling at the other end. Once he fell, though, the tail capsized almost instantly. The last two batsmen had no answer to sizzlers that uprooted their stumps as Shoaib and Mohammad Sami finished with nine wickets between them, a fitting reward for their discipline on a flat deck.

Pakistan further tightened their stranglehold when Yasir Hameed began the reply in a manic hurry, with the run-rate hovering close to five an over in the first ten. Opening the batting for the first time in Tests, he slashed through the covers with a smooth bat-swing and flicked away anything that was close to middle stump. He survived a huge appeal for lbw in Fernando's first over and also got away with some iffy running between the wickets. But amid all these tense moments, crisp drives whistled to the boundary rope as Pakistan were set to break away.

Just before lunch, though, Sri Lanka reverted to the back-up plan. They succeeded in drying up the runs with four successive maiden overs, bowling to a disciplined line and setting defensive fields. They persisted with the same approach after lunch and both Asim Kamal and Hameed fell to the trap. Fernando choked Kamal with a line just outside the off stump, before slipping in one that was wider and in the slot for the drive. Kamal duly accepted the bait, but only managed to edge it straight to Mahela Jayawardene at second slip. Hameed was also kept in check and added just seven in the 34 balls he faced after lunch. He fell trying to pull a well-directed short ball from Fernando, as the top edge ballooned towards short square leg. Jehan Mubarak raced from short midwicket, timed his jump perfectly and latched on with both his feet off the ground (109 for 3).

Yousuf Youhana fell trying to cut one that was too close to him, but Pakistan were back on track with a steady partnership between Inzamam-ul-Haq and Shoaib Malik. Both nudged it around sensibly and Malik delighted in bursts with crisp drives and cuts. But Herath lured Inzamam into a reckless slog-sweep, that took the top edge and carried at a comfortable height to Lasith Malinga at mid-on (188 for 5).

Abdul Razzaq joined Malik in another brief stand, before Malik drove firmly to mid-on and set off for a run that was never on. Chaminda Vaas threw down the stumps smartly and Malik found himself inches short (227 for 6). He had scored at almost a run a ball early on, but the run-out was a result of the Sri Lankans reducing the scoring to a trickle. Moin Khan was lucky to survive a run-out chance early when Romesh Kaluwitharana muffed up, but the lapse didn't prove costly as Moin bottom-edged a cut onto his stumps (246 for 7). And when Razzaq fell with just a few overs to go, caught smartly in the slips by Jaywardene off Vaas, the game was back on an even keel.