Pakistan openers make steady start

Tea Pakistan 90 and 61 for no loss (Fawad 30*, Manzoor 29*) trail Sri Lanka 240 (Sangakkara 87, Gul 4-43, Ajmal 4-87) by 89 runs Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Pakistan made giant strides towards restoring the balance in the second Test after being completely outplayed on the first day. Led by outstanding performances by Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal, they skittled out seven Sri Lankan wickets for a mere 76 to restrict the first-innings difference to 150, and then continued the good work with the bat, reaching 61 without loss at tea.

There were question marks being raised about Pakistan's commitment after the manner in which they capitulated in Galle and on the first day at the P Sara Oval, but as is their wont, they hit back just when their chances had been written off. The pitch remained a pretty good one for batting, though the bounce had diminished, but Pakistan relied on lethal spells of reverse swing, aided by steady spin and an inspirational bit of fielding, to launch an astonishing revival.

Gul was completely lacklustre in Galle, but here he was back near his best, reverting to his original action instead of trying to hide the ball with both hands. He generated late swing, bowled at a brisk pace, maintained excellent control over length and line, and asked plenty of questions of Sri Lanka's batsmen. He also bowled the ball that announced Pakistan's comeback, slipping in a quick delivery from round the wicket that crashed through Kumar Sangakkara's defences. Sangakkara had progressed serenely to 87 and looked good for many more, but that delivery was an emphatic declaration of the fact that Pakistan were back in business. That's exactly how it turned out, as Sri Lanka lost five wickets after that for just 52.

Gul received plenty of support from Ajmal, who bowled unchanged through the day and finished with deserving figures of 4 for 87. The pitch wasn't as responsive as it had been in the last session on the first day, but Ajmal maintained excellent control, seldom giving the batsmen easy scoring opportunities. He also had some help from umpire Darryl Harper, who adjudged Tillakaratne Dilshan caught behind though the bat had only made contact with the ground.

It was a day when almost everything went right for Pakistan, with even the fielding getting better. The day started with a superb direct throw from Mohammad Aamer that found Thilan Samaraweera short of his crease. It was a crucial blow, for Samaraweera was in excellent touch and had begun the with a sumptuous straight-drive for four off Younis Khan. The run-out began the slide for Sri Lanka, and it only kept getting worse thereafter.

Gul's first spell of six overs in the morning fetched him a wicket for 11, but when he returned for a second spell before lunch he did even better, striking twice in successive balls. Nuwan Kulasekara drove hard to slip, while Rangana Herath was caught-and-bowled as he tried to check a drive, thus improving Gul's morning figures to 3 for 15 from eight overs.

The one batsman who offered resistance was Angelo Mathews, but even he was lucky to survive a straightforward chance to Khurram Manzoor at second slip when he was on 4. He went on to score 27 and ensured the lead touched 150, but he dismissed soon after lunch as Pakistan's relentless fightback continued.

Their opening pair of Manzoor and Fawad Alam then set about atoning for their first-innings lapses. With the pitch easing up and the swing movement being considerably less pronounced, both batsmen settled in fairly comfortably, playing within their limitations. Alam's shuffle was still prominent, but he was able to work the deliveries angling towards him to the leg side for runs. Manzoor was assured too, bringing up the fifty of the partnership with a glorious on-drive off Ajantha Mendis as Sri Lanka went into the tea having lost most of the advantage they had after the first day.