Pakistan draw Test series against Sri Lanka with a world record chase

Pakistani batsman Azhar Ali raises his bat and helmet in celebration after scoring a century (100 runs) during the final day of their third and final cricket Test match against Sri Lanka at the Sharjah International Cricket Stadium, in the Gulf emirate of Sharjah, on January 20, 2014.

Pakistan, riding on a magnificent century from Azhar Ali, and an unbeaten 68* from their captain Misbah-ul-Haq, pulled off an improbable victory by chasing down 302 runs in 57.3 overs on the last day of the third and final Test match at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, to draw the series 1-1. They also set a world record on the way for the fastest 300+ chase ever, at a run-rate of 5.25, in the history of Test cricket.

Starting the day on 133/5, Sri Lanka were bowled out for 214 by the spin-duo of Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman, a hammer-blow for the visitors; who had shown no interest whatsoever in winning the fixture as that could put them at risk of losing the series, one which they were leading 1-0 prior to this match. By doing so, Pakistan were set, or should I say they set themselves, a target of 302 to chase in 59 overs.

Just when the 6th wicket partnership of Angelo Mathews and Prasanna Jayawardene had threatened to take the game away from the Pakistanis, Mohammad Talha struck the first blow of the day as the Sri Lankan captain Mathews (31 off 128) holed out at deep square leg, while Ajmal accounted for the wicketkeeper-batsman Jayawardene (49 off 88), two men who could have ensured a draw by batting on.

In response, Pakistan openers Khurram Manzoor, 21 off 27, and Ahmed Shehzad, 21 off 20, got their team off to a quick start, but Suranga Lakmal struck twice in quick successions; leaving Pakistan in a spot of bother with the score at 48/2 in 9 overs. Shehzad’s lofted shot to a length delivery was caught at deep square leg whereas Manzoor succumbed to a leg-stump bouncer.

Desperate to make the series level, the Misbah-ul-Haq led team refused to bow down. The ploy of promoting the wicket-keeper batsman Sarfraz Ahmed, to keep the asking run-rate within reach, worked very well as his quick-fire 48 off 46 propelled the home team to 186/3 in 36.4 overs. By then, Pakistan had lost Younis Khan for a 42-ball 29 and Azhar Ali, coming in at no.3, had moved on to 58* off 86 deliveries.

With the dismissal of Sarfraz soon after, Misbah-ul-Haq combined with the well-set Ali when his team needed 116 in around 20 forseeable overs, to put together a 109-run partnership in 19.5 overs to take their team home. The fall of Ali (103 off 137), caught behind off the bowling of Lakmal late into the day, did not affect Pakistan in any way. The failure of the left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, who conceded 100 runs in his 19 overs on the day without picking up any wicket, combined with the negative captaincy of Mathews hurt the Lankans big time.