Junaid Khan's unrelenting perseverance fetched him the wicket of Dhammika Prasad, giving him his fifth five-wicket haul, all of which have come against Sri Lanka, but the home team would have been satisfied with their tail's effort. Starting the day on 261 with only two wickets in hand, Sri Lanka's innings was in danger of folding too quickly, especially as the impressive Pakistan seam pair of Junaid and Wahab Riaz were operating with a ball that was only 3.1 overs old. But the tail-end batsmen ate up more than an hour in the morning and also took Sri Lanka past 300.

First, Rangana Herath and Prasad put up a stubborn resistance for the first 38 minutes, adding vital 23 runs to the total. Then, Chanaka Welegedara, in a typical No.11 style, swung his bat around in gay abandon to irk Pakistan even more with a last-wicket stand worth 36 in 40 balls.

If the seamers thought the new ball was going to buy them cheap wickets, they were reminded of the effort the SSC pitch required before yielding an inch. Junaid and Wahab tried the fuller length deliveries and dug in a few bouncers, but Herath and Prasad, both keen to not give it away, held on. Prasad, who has one century and eight fifties in first-class cricket, gave a glimpse of his ability with a powerful square drive in Wahab's second over of the day.

Herath was not shy of pulling the seamers even if it meant getting into an awkward position. That forced Junaid to persist with the short-ball attack which did result in a minor argument between him and Herath. Junaid finally got his fifth wicket in his fourth over of the morning as he got one to dart into the right-handed Prasad from round the wicket and had him trapped right in front. It was the second time in three balls that Junaid had appealed for lbw, both of which looked exactly the same, but the umpire agreed with the bowler the second time.

Welegedara struck five boundaries - three of them in one Wahab over - to ensure Sri Lanka crossed 300. In Abdur Rehman's first over of the day, Herath finally edged one to Younis Khan at slip, who took his 100th catch - the most by a Pakistan fielder.
(Cricinfo)