Younis ton helps Pak close in on Lankan total

With two days remaining, Pakistan are 282 for six and trail Sri Lanka, who lost the second Test by nine wickets to go 1-0 down in the series, by 131 runs with four first-innings wickets in hand.

Put on the back foot for much of the first two days, Pakistan, resuming the day in a precarious position at 35 for two, relied on Younis’ 18th Test century before he fell for 122 and fifties from Azhar Ali (53) and Misbah-ul-Haq (50 not out).

After tea, left-arm paceman Chanaka Welegedara accounted for Younis by clean bowling the in-form batsman with the new ball, and he struck a short while later to remove Asad Shafiq for 16 when he edged to wicketkeeper Kaushal Silva.

Adnan Akmal was the day’s final wicket shortly before the close of play, given out leb before wicket for seven to the slow left-armers of Rangana Herath.

Younis, who scored his first run off the 31st delivery he faced, brought up three figures when he drove into the covers for a single in the last over before the tea interval.

Younis and Ali batted cautiously at the start, with the first run in their partnership coming after more than 50 balls, but started scoring freely as they spent more time at the crease. The pair added 98 for the third wicket.

SRI LANKA (I Innings): 413
PAKISTAN (I Innings, O/n: 35/2):
Hafeez c J’wardene b W’gedara    6
Umar st Silva b Herath    19
Ali b Kulasekara    53
Younis b Welegedara    122
Misbah (batting)    50
Shafiq c Silva b Welegedara    16
Akmal lbw Herath    7
Rehman (batting)    3
Extras (NB-3, W-2, LB-1)    6
Total (for 6 wkts, 110 overs)    282
Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-35, 3-133, 4-233, 5-258, 6-277.
Bowling: Welegedara 25-7-62-3, Prasad 4-0-9-0, Kulasekara 21-7-55-1, Herath 32-10-73-2, Randiv 21-5-64-0, Dilshan 7-1-18-0.