Young all-rounder Thisara Perera followed his four wickets on the first day with 75 off 86 balls as Sri Lanka seized control of the final Test against Pakistan in Pallekele.
Pakistan, seeking a series-levelling win, paid for sloppy fielding as Sri Lanka recovered from a middle-order collapse to make 337 in their first-innings on the third day. The tourists, trailing by 111 runs, were 27 for one in their second-innings at stumps, losing opener Taufeeq Umar for four, leg-before to seamer Nuwan Kulasekara. Mohammad Hafeez was unbeaten on eight and Azhar Ali was on six, with Pakistan trailing by 84 runs with nine wickets in hand.
"We have quite a fight ahead of us," said Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore. "The pitch is still playing well, but we have to bat long and deep to save this game. The last session went against us. We were not able to capitalise on the chances that came our way. We must now find a way to get out of this situation."
All-rounders lead recovery
Earlier, Sri Lanka were only 10 runs ahead when they lost their seventh wicket but Perera and Kulasekara (33) snatched the initiative by adding 84 for the eighth. Perera smashed four fours and three sixes in his maiden half-century after being dropped on 11 and 22. Umar Gul first missed a return catch and then saw skipper Misbahul Haq spill a low chance in the slips.
Perera, whose four wickets in the first-innings engineered Pakistan's collapse, was the last man out when he was bowled by left-arm seamer Junaid Khan who finished with five for 70, his second successive five-wicket haul.
The third day's play provided a keen tussle between bat and ball, compensating for the entire second day being lost due to rain. Tharanga Paranavitana and Thilan Samaraweera led Sri Lanka's charge with a fourth-wicket stand of 143 after surviving a testing morning session in overcast conditions. Left-handed Paranavitana scored 75, his highest score in the series, and Samaraweera made 73 in a timely return to form after aggregating just 21 runs in the previous two Tests.
"I was under pressure but I have a lot of faith in my own abilities," said Paranavitana. "I may not have got a hundred, but I am pleased with my 75 since the pitch is not easy to bat on. The lead we have got is very good, hopefully we can go and win the game from here."
Missed opportunities
Samaraweera was lucky to get to a half-century as Younis Khan floored a shoulder-high catch off Gul when the batsman was on 49. The fourth-wicket stand was broken midway through the afternoon session when Samaraweera played back to Ajmal and was out leg-before. New man Angelo Mathews fell for nine when he sliced Junaid to Asad Shafiq at gully. Paranavita's five-hour vigil ended soon after, bowled by Ajmal to make Sri Lanka 204 for six, still 23 runs away from gaining the lead.
Published in The Pak Sar Zameen, July 11th, 2012.
Orignal From: 3rd Test: Perera's late blitz puts SL on top
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