Pakistan lose test series 2-0 vs SLanka

COLOMBO: In another dramatic day of test cricket at its very best, Sri Lanka trounced Pakistan by 7 wickets to win the best of three test series 2-0 with a match to spare.

Pakistan, who had completely won Day 2 of the second test at Colombo, had made a fantastic comeback to actually carry a 28 run lead with 9 wickets in hand into day 3. Fawad Alam and Younis Khan, the two overnight batsmen continued to enjoy fantastic batting conditions early on day 3.

They batted through almost the entire first session, before Younis Khan threw his wicket away attempting a ridiculous reverse sweep off the first ball of part-time off-spinner Paranavitana. Khan's dismissal brought to an end a fantastic 200 run partnership which had seemingly given Pakistan more than a lifeline in the test after their first innings non-performance. They went into lunch at 294 for 2 with Alam unbeaten on 164.

However in a shocking post lunch session, Pakistan collapsed for the third time in the series, losing 8 wickets for 26 runs in a shade under 16 overs. Rangana Herath and Nuwan Kulasekara were the stars once again for Lanka, as they evenly shared the wickets (4 each). Alam added just 4 more to his lunchtime total before falling to Herath. The wily left-arm spinner had in his previous over also picked up the big wicket of Mohammad Yousuf, falling leg before to a straighter one.

Misbah (3), Shoaib Malik (6) and Akmal (3) all fell within the space of a few overs, as Pakistan collapsed to 320 all out, leaving Sri Lanka with just another 171 to get to win the match and with it the series.

Warnapura started the chase like a house of fire, as Sri Lanka went in to tea at 41 for no loss after just 6 overs. The hosts lost Paranavitana for 17 in the 10th over, but an unperturbed Warnapura just continued to go after the bowling, finally falling to Abdur Rauf for 54 from just 56 balls.

However, the damage was already done, and the senior citizens in the squad Kumara Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardena ensured that the match would not carry forward into Day 4. Sangakkara fell for 46 with Sri Lanka just 11 runs short of victory, and Jayawardene and perhaps appropriately Thilan Samaraweera (shot in Lahore on that tragic day) brought the team home with 12 overs to spare.