21 July,2009 03:18 PM IST | | AFP
Former captain Mahela Jayawardene shored up Sri Lanka's first innings with an unbeaten 72 after Pakistan hit back in the third and final Test today.
Pakistan, bowled out for 299 in the first innings, reduced Sri Lanka to 82-4 in the post-lunch session of the second day before Jayawardene's fluent knock carried the hosts to 164-5 by tea.
All-rounder Angelo Mathews assisted in the rescue act with 31, adding a valuable 71 for the fifth wicket with Jayawardene before he was caught in the slips off leg-spinner Danish Kaneria.
Mathews should have gone on 12 when he nicked off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, but wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal failed to hold a low sharp catch.
Chaminda Vaas was the other batsman at the crease on one.
Sri Lanka lost three quick wickets after Pakistan's first innings ended 17 minutes after the start of the day's play.
Malinda Warnapura was bowled first ball by Umar Gul and Tharanga Paranavitana was removed in similar fashion by Pakistan captain Younus Khan to make Sri Lanka 23-2.
Skipper Kumar Sangakkara made 45 before he was trapped leg-before by Ajmal with the last ball of the morning session to make Sri Lanka 63-3.
Sangakkara was dropped twice on 16 and 40, both times by Khurram Manzoor in the gully region off young left-arm fast bowler Mohammad Aamer.
Jayawardene, who began by flicking his first ball from Younus to the square-leg fence, put on 40 for the third wicket with Sangakkara.
Ajmal claimed his second wicket soon after lunch when Thilan Samaraweera was bowled off the inside pad after making six.
Mathews was promoted up the order in place of Tillakaratne Dilshan, who sustained a finger injury while keeping wicket on the first day.
Dilshan was taken to hospital for precautionary x-rays and was unclear if he would bat in Sri Lanka's first innings.
Sangakkara, who doubles up as wicketkeeper in limited-overs matches, took over from Dilshan behind the stumps for the brief period Pakistan batted in the morning.
Sri Lanka are aiming for a clean sweep of the three-match series after winning the previous two Tests.
Pakistan, who resumed at the overnight score of 289-7, lost their last three wickets in 22 balls for the addition of just 10 runs.
Left-arm seamer Thilan Thushara finished with 5-83, his maiden five-wicket haul in seven Tests, while Nuwan Kulasekera claimed 3-47.
The overnight pair of Akmal and Kaneria were dismissed before a run had been scored in the morning.
Kaneria was leg-before to Kulasekera in the third delivery of the day and Akmal was bowled by Thushara in the next over.
The last-wicket pair of Ajmal and Aamer scored 10 runs before Thushara terminated the innings by bowling Ajmal for eight.
