PALLEKELE: Pakistan’s Azhar Ali smashed a second century in successive matches on Wednesday to leave the final Test against Sri Lanka poised for an intriguing finish.
Azhar made 136 as Pakistan wriggled out of a corner to post 299/8 in their second innings by stumps on the fourth day in Pallekele, a lead of 188 runs with two wickets in hand.
The tourists now have three sessions on the fifth day to conjure a series-levelling win on a wearing pitch that will offer some turn to prolific off-spinner Saeed Ajmal.
But Sri Lanka remain favourites to win or draw the match and clinch their first series victory in three years since beating New Zealand at home in 2009.
Azhar, who made 157 in the Colombo Test, held the innings together for six hours, hitting 13 boundaries in his fourth Test century and the third this year.
Fast bowler Dilhara Fernando and left-arm spinner Rangana Herath sparked a lower order collapse in the final hour as Pakistan slipped from a comfortable 276/4 to 299/8.
Fernando had Azhar caught behind and then claimed his 100th Test wicket by trapping Mohammad Sami lbw.
Herath claimed Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal leg-before, but Shafiq saw out the day in the company of injured wicket-keeper Adnan Akmal.
Shafiq was unbeaten on 55 after top-scoring with 75 in the first innings, while Akmal, batting with a hairline fracture in his left hand, had yet to score.
Pakistan went to lunch at 119/2, in front by eight runs, after Younis had given his team the lead by tapping Angelo Mathews for a single to point.
Wicket-keeper Prasanna Jayawardene dropped a low catch when Younis, then on 12, followed a wide ball from Angelo Mathews.
But the missed chance did not prove costly as Younis managed to add just seven more runs when he was snapped up by a lunging Paranavitana at silly-point off Herath.
The left-arm spinner then removed Misbah for five, the batsman giving his Lankan opposite number Mahela Jayawardene an easy catch in the slips with Pakistan 176/4.
Misbah might forget his poor score, because later in the day it was announced in Pakistan that he was not included in the provisional 30-member squad for the World T20 that will be held in Sri Lanka in September.
The Pakistan Cricket Board did recall Kamran Akmal, after the wicketkeeper-batsman was cleared of suspicions of spot-fixing.
Misbah was also not considered for the two T20s against Sri Lanka in June, which left Mohammad Hafeez to lead the side.
As for Kamran, who has not played international cricket since the World Cup, he claimed that he has a letter from the ICC that no inquiry is pending against him. His selection was approved after he met the PCB last week. (AFP)