Sri Lanka falter after bowling Pakistan for 299

Sri Lanka lost three quick wickets after they dismissed Pakistan for 299 on the second morning of the third and final Test today.

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, who led a charmed life while making 45, was trapped leg-before by off-spinner Saeed Ajmal with the last ball of the session as Sri Lanka went to lunch on a shaky 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.

Mahela Jayawardene, who began by flicking his first ball from Younus to the square-leg fence, was unbeaten at the break on 10 after adding 40 for the third wicket with Sangakkara.

Sri Lanka are aiming for a clean sweep of the three-match series after winning the previous two Tests.

The tourists, 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 Kamran Akmal and Danish Kaneria were dismissed before a run had been scored in the morning.

Kaneria was trapped leg-before by Kulasekera with the third delivery of the day and Akmal was bowled by Thushara in the next over.

The last-wicket pair of Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Aamer scored 10 runs before Thushara terminated the innings by bowling Ajmal for eight.

Tillakaratne Dilshan, keeping wicket for Sri Lanka in the series due to an injury to Prasanna Jayawardene, was unable to take the field today after sustaining a finger injury the previous day.

Sangakkara, who doubles up as wicketkeeper in limited-overs matches, took over from Dilshan behind the stumps for the brief period Pakistan batted.