FAISALABAD, Oct 23: Pakistan had to face the Sanath Jayasuriya storm for the second day running as the veteran Sri Lankan batsman scored a blazing double century on Saturday to leave the home team with an Everest to scale in the first Test.
The master blaster's classy knock of 253, his third Test double saw the tourists go free-wheeling to 438 in their second innings and Pakistan were required to equal a world record chase of 418 runs to win the match at the Iqbal Stadium.
But that appeared to be a tall order for coach Bob Woolmer's reckless band of cricketers, who had been mercilessly cut down to 114 for four by paceman Dilhara Fernando before play ended on the fourth day.
Although opener Imran Farhat struck almost a run-a-ball 50, Yasir Hameed, Asim Kamal and captain Inzamamul Haq could put in little and the home team clearly needed to be put on life support machine, with another 304 runs required.
Yousuf Youhana, given a life when on 16 by umpire Steve Bucknor, was 23 not out at the close along with Shoaib Malik who had scored three.
It were the West Indies who set the record for a winning chase of 418 against Australia last year while Pakistan's best chase was 314 against the Aussies in 1994 at Karachi when they scored 315 to win the Test.
The day belonged to Jayasuriya who came in to resume his innings at 131, his bat still on fire. He made life miserable for the home attack which was without paceman Muhammad Sami, out with a strained groin.
Shoaib Akhtar, the Rawalpindi Express quickly found out what he was up against and was punished by the batsman, who flogged him with four successive fours in one over and smashed off spinner Shoaib Malik for two big sixes.
Such electrifying was the 35-year-old batsman's form that he blasted 33 boundaries and four sixes in his 348-ball innings for which he was at the crease for just over eight hours. He got to the 200-mark by hitting Malik for a six to square leg.
The former captain's knock was the best ever by a Sri Lankan against Pakistan as he surpassed Kumar Sangakkara's 230 scored in the Asian Test Championship final at Lahore two years ago.
After Sri Lanka had resumed their second innings at the total of 285-3, the tourists lost five wickets for only 28 runs before lunch. But a ninth wicket stand dominated completely by Jayasuriya considerably boosted the total.
Along with Fernando, who scored only one run, Jayasuriya put on 101 runs before falling leg before to spinner Danish Kaneria who ended up with four wickets in the match as the Sri Lankan innings ended an hour before tea.
The Jayasuriya-Fernando partnership was Sri Lanka's best for the ninth wicket against Pakistan that erased the 52-run stand between Rumesh Ratnayake and Aravinda de Silva at the same ground in 1985-86.
By lunch, the tourists 350 for eight wickets, had extended their lead from the overnight 264 to 329 runs with Jayasuriya going strong on 178.
Executing his shots with perfection, Jayasuriya reached the 150-mark off 224 balls but could not get good support from his mates early on in the day.
First Thilan Samaraweera was sent on his way in the 7th over of the morning, run out following a Youhana-Abdul Razzaq combination and then Shoaib Akhtar dismissed Jehan Mubarak for nought.
Later Kaneria picked up the wickets of Romesh Kaluwitharana and Rangana Herath while Shoaib Malik claimed the scalp of Chaminda Vaas.
Scoreboard
SRI LANKA (1st Innings) 243 (T.T. Samaraweera 100; Shoaib Akhtar 5-60, Mohammad Sami 4-71).
PAKISTAN (1st Innings) 264 (Yasir Hameed 58).
SRI LANKA (2nd Innings, overnight 285-3):
M.S. Atapattu lbw b S. Akhtar 0
S.T. Jayasuriya lbw b Kaneria 253
K.C. Sangakkara c Moin b S. Akhtar 59
D.P.M.D. Jayawardene c Moin b Kaneria 57
T.T. Samaraweera run out 21
J. Mubarak c Moin b S. Akhtar 0
R.S. Kaluwitharana c sub b Kaneria 1
W.P.U.J.C. Vaas b S. Malik 4
H.M.R.K.B. Herath lbw b Kaneria 5
C.R.D. Fernando run out 1
S.L. Malinga not out 0
EXTRAS (B-12, LB-5, W-3, NB-12, PR-5) 37
TOTAL (all out in 109.2 overs) 438
FALL OF WKTS: 1-0, 2-98, 3-216, 4-309, 5-314, 6-319, 7-330, 8-337, 9-438.
BOWLING: Shoaib Akhtar 25-1-115-3 (6nb, 3w); Mohammad Sami 12-1-48-0 (4nb); Abdul Razzaq 22-2-78-0 (2nb); Danish Kaneria 38.2-4-117-4; Shoaib Malik 12-1-58-1.
PAKISTAN (2nd Innings):
Yasir Hameed lbw b Fernando 17
Imran Farhat lbw b Fernando 53
Asim Kamal b Fernando 1
Inzamamul Haq b Fernando 3
Yousuf Youhana not out 23
Shoaib Malik not out 3
EXTRAS (B-4, W-5, NB-5) 14
TOTAL (for four wkts, 41 overs) 114
FALL OF WKTS: 1-59, 2-65, 3-86, 4-91.
BOWLING (to-date): Vaas 9-1-42-0 (5w); Malinga 6-2-13-0 (2nb); Herath 14-4-27-0; Fernando 9-2-27-4 (3nb); Jayasuriya 3-2-1-0.