Kaneria spins Pakistan into control

Kaneria, playing his first game of the series, bowled superbly to give Pakistan a 66-run first-innings lead.

The tourists lost opener Khurram Manzoor in the final over before stumps, bowled by left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, and finished on 16 for one, a lead of 82 runs. Fawad Alam was on 14 and Younus Khan on nought.

Former captain Mahela Jayawardene top-scored for the hosts with a skilful 79 from 153 deliveries including 10 boundaries. Tillakaratne Dilshan also scored a gutsy 44 batting with a fractured right index finger and Kumar Sangakkara made a fluent 45.

Sri Lanka, 2-0 up in the series, needed just 3.4 overs in the morning to end the Pakistan innings after the visitors had resumed on 289 for seven. Left-arm paceman Thilan Thushara grabbed two of the last three wickets to fall, claiming career-best figures of five for 83.

Thushara wrapped up the innings as Pakistan's batting collapsed for the fourth time in the series, the last six wickets tumbling for 14 runs after the second new ball was taken.  The Pakistan bowlers led the fightback after Umar Gul bowled Malinda Warnapura with the first ball of the innings and Khan bowled opener Tharanga Paranavitana for five to reduce Sri Lanka to 23 for two. Lanka would have been in deeper trouble had Manzoor not dropped Sangakkara on 16.

Scoreboard
Pakistan (I Innings) 299
Sri Lanka (I Innings)
Warnapura b Gul    0
Paranavitana b Younis    5
Sangakkara lbw Ajmal    45
Jayawardene b Kaneria    79
Samaraweera b Ajmal6
Mathews c Misbah b Kaneria    31
Vaas lbw Kaneria    4
Dilshan c Akmal b Kaneria    44
Kulasekara c Misbah b Ajmal    1
Herath lbw Kaneria    7
Thushara (not out)    5
Extras: (LB-2, nb-4)    6
Total: (all out, 68.3 overs)    233
Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-23, 3-63, 4-82, 5-153, 6-171, 7-174, 8-181, 9-204.
Bowling: Gul 10-0-55-1, Aamer 10-2-34-0, Younis 3-1-10-1, Ajmal 25-5-70-3, Kaneria 20.3-3-62-5.
Pakistan (II Innings)
Manzoor b Herath    2
Alam (batting)    14
Younis (batting)    0
Extras    0
Total: (for 1 wkt, 9 overs)    16
Fall of wicket: 1-16
Bowling: Kulasekara 4-2-4-0, Thushara 4-1-7-0, Herath 1-0-5-1.