Younis and Masood Put Pakistan In Control.

Pakistani Veteran Younis Khan and rookie Shan Masood playing in just his fifth Test put on a record fourth innings stand for Pakistan in pursuit of a hefty 377 to win a historic series in Sri Lanka.

The highest successful run chase on Sri Lankan soil is the home team’s 352/9 v South Africa at PSS in August 2006. The duo came together after their ODI skipper Azhar Ali nicked Dhammika Prasad down the leg side leaving his team in a spot of bother.They then saw off some hostile bowling from the speedsters before capitalising on the spin of Tharindu Kaushal. Pakistan finished dominantly at 230/2 and only 147 runs adrift.

Shan Masood showed composure, patience and also some attacking cricket later on in the day to bring up his maiden Test Ton. He fed off from the experienced Younis Khan, who showed his extraordinary temperament yet again.

The Lankans were batting briskly with their captain Angelo Matthews in  the thick of things yet again. Starting the day at 228/5, both Matthews and Chandimal were building a match defining partnership when speedster Imran Khan struck twice in two deliveries to trap the well set Chandimal  plumb in front and sent down an outswinger which Dhamika Prasad edged to the keeper, completing his King pair.

The Sri Lankan skipper however didn’t deter as he completed his fifth test century to seemingly set the Pakistanis a daunting target of 377 and everything seemed to go the Lankan way too as Suranga Lakmal found a gap between the bat and the pad of Ahmed Shehzad followed by Prasad removing Azhar Ali.

But then Shan Masood and Younis Khan had other ideas.