Sri Lanka Won the 2nd Test Cricket Match against Pakistan

A match of wildly fluctuating fortunes took another incredible turn in the afternoon session as Pakistan, cruising at 285 for 1 just before lunch, collapsed in a heap to be bundled out for 320, losing their last nine wickets for 35 to leave Sri Lanka a target of 171 to wrap up their first home series win against Pakistan. At tea, their openers had already wiped off 41 of those in six overs.

There was no indication of such a monumental shift in momentum when the teams went in to lunch - Fawad Alam had moved along serenely to 164, adding 200 for the second wicket with Younis Khan, who had fallen due his own impetuosity. The pitch was flat, offering little assistance for pace or spin, and the Sri Lankans appeared completely deflated. All that changed, though, when Kumar Sangakkara took the second new ball immediately after lunch. Surprisingly, it was Rangana Herath who took it, and equally surprisingly, he struck immediately, removing Yousuf with his second ball. That triggered off a spectacular collapse, as seven more wickets fell in the next 92 deliveries.

Nuwan Kulasekara had struggled for seam and swing in the first 80 overs, but armed with the second new ball in overcast conditions, he suddenly obtained exaggerated inswing, trapping four batsmen lbw. Misbah-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal, Abdur Rauf and Saeed Ajmal all got their front foot too far across, though Misbah was unfortunate as the ball seemed to be missing leg stump.

Herath, meanwhile, was as effective with the straighter one as he was with the one which turned. The lack of turn accounted for Yousuf, Shoaib Malik and Umar Gul, while turn and bounce ended Fawad's outstanding innings of 168, the second-highest by a Pakistan debutant. His four wickets with the new ball gave him figures of 5 for 99, his first five-for in Tests, and a series which had already seen several twists had another monumental, and perhaps decisive, one.

At lunch, though, no one could have seen it coming, as Fawad and Younis reduced Sri Lanka's bowlers and fielders to a completely dispirited lot, adding 116 in 28 overs for the loss of just one wicket. More than the runs themselves, it was the ease with which Fawad and Younis batted that would have worried Sangakkara. Both batsmen were largely untroubled against both pace and spin on a pitch which had little in it for the bowlers - there was no bounce or movement on offer for the seamers, while the turn that the spinners got was far too slow and predictable for the batsmen to be concerned.

Sangakkara's tactics were perplexing too: the second over of the day was bowled by Tharanga Paranavitana, whose offbreaks caused few worries for the batsmen. Thilan Thushara, who began proceedings, hit Fawad on the shoulder with a sharp bouncer, but Fawad responded with a superb back-foot punch through cover off the next ball, ensuring that Pakistan never lost the initiative. Both batsmen found the boundaries with far more regularity, with Fawad showing outstanding powers of concentration, playing within himself, but driving and pulling the bad balls whenever they came along, as Sri Lankan heads dropped very early in the session.

Sri Lanka weren't helped by the performance of Ajantha Mendis, who had a shocker, either dragging the balls too short or serving half-volleys which begged to be hit. In six overs today, he leaked 38 runs, including five fours, giving his captain no control over proceedings: his first over went for ten, as Fawad pulled and swept him for fours, while Younis jumped down the pitch and creamed him over his head.

As the runs piled up, so did the records: Fawad got to his 150 with a sweep off Rangana Herath, and he went into lunch just seven away from becoming Pakistan's highest scorer on debut. The partnership was the highest for the second wicket at this ground, and for Pakistan against Sri Lanka in Tests. There was a hundred for the taking for Younis when he fell completely against the run of play: he attempted a cheeky reverse-sweep off a full-toss from Paranavitana which was drifting outside leg, and top-edged to the wicketkeeper. Pakistan would never have dreamt that the dismissal would have triggered such a dramatic turn in fortunes.

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