Pakistan Start Poorly After Being Set 510-Run Target

Pakistan Start Poorly After Being Set 510-Run Target

Nuwan Kulasekara celebrates a wicket as Sri Lanka remain completely in charge of proceedings in Galle

©REUTERS / Action Images

Sri Lanka 472 (Sangakkara 199no) & 137-5 dec. v
Pakistan 100 (Randiv 4-13) & 36-3
First Test, Galle, day three
Scorecard | Day One | Day Two

Pakistan have been left with a mountainous task heading into the final two days of the opening Test against Sri Lanka in Galle after they closed day three on 36 for three.

Sri Lanka had earlier dismissed them for 100 in their first innings and declared their second innings at 137 for five to set Pakistan a target of 510 to win.

No team has ever scored as many runs to win a first-class match, let alone a Test, and Pakistan have to do so having lost their top three batsmen.

Nuwan Kulasekara again broke through with the new ball to dismiss Mohammad Hafeez for four and Taufeeq Umar for ten before Rangana Herath had Azhar Ali (7) caught by Thilan Samaraweera.

Unbeaten at stumps were Younus Khan (0) and nightwatchman Saeed Ajmal (11).

Earlier, Pakistan resumed on 48 for five and added just 52 more runs to their total in reply to Sri Lanka's score of 472.

Younus Khan made his way to 29 and debutant Mohammad Ayub 25 but they - along with Mohammad Hafeez, who hit 20 on day two - were the only ones to reach double figures.

Suraj Randiv dismissed Abdur Rehman (1) and Umar Gul (2) to return figures of four for 15 while Herath trapped Ayub in front for a return of three for 30.

Sri Lanka opted to bat again and made steady progress, Tillakaratne Dilshan hitting a quickfire 56 in 59 balls.

Junaid Khan (3-44) showed impressively to dismiss Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene (14) and Samaraweera (15). Ajmal had Tharanga Paranavitana trapped in front for 25 and Kumar Sangakkara caught by Taufeeq for one.

Sangakkara stroked an unbeaten 199 in Sri Lanka's first innings - a score that so far in the match the entire Pakistan batsmen have hardly threatened to reach.

© Cricket World 2012