RAWALPINDI, FEB 28: Saeed Anwar played a flawless captain's knock of 84 as Pakistan struggled to fight back against Sri Lanka on Day Three of the first cricket Test on Monday.The home team was 154 for four at close with Yousuf Youhana on 6 and nightwatchman Waqar Younis on nought at the crease. Pakistan need another 17 runs to avoid an innings defeat.Anwar hit 11 fours in his 280-minute vigil and consumed 218 balls but his departure two overs before close tilted the advantage back towards Sri Lanka. Anwar and Inzamam-ul-Haq frustrated the Lankan attack but just when they looked set to see off the day, Haq played a reckless shot and set his side back on their struggle.Sri Lanka extended their lead to 171 runs in the morning and were dismissed for 353. Resuming at 290-8, Chaminda Vaas, who made 53 not out, put on a valuable 51-run stand for the ninth wicket with N Zoysa. Zoysa made his highest Test score of 26 with a hooked six off Waqar Younis.Pakistan, already missing pacer Wasim Akram due to groin injury, were further depleted in bowling by the absence of off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq who had a congested chest and dehydration problems.Pakistan lost opener Wajahatullah Wasti as early as in the fourth over when Pramodya Wickremasinghe took a brilliant catch at long leg off a Nuwan Zoysa bouncer. Pakistan lost their first wicket at nine and were 15-1 at lunch.Anwar found a useful ally in Aamir Sohail and both saw off the one hour after lunch adding 42 runs. Off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan's introduction saw Sohail's departure at 72. The off-spinner forced Sohail to sweep and the miscued edge was taken by Mahela Jayawardene at silly point. Sohail's dour 24 lasted 103 minutes and included three boundaries.Haq helped Anwar add another 64 runs for the third wicket as Muralitharan threatened the home batsmen. At tea Pakistan were 88-2, still 83 runs adrift of the visitor's total. Anwar reached his 22nd Test fifty in 162 minutes hitting eight boundaries. He played some exquisitely timed drives on both sides of the wicket.Both Anwar and Youhanna went into groove in the dying minutes when Anwar took 20 balls to score a single and finally played onto his stumps off Chaminda Vaas.Pakistan: (1st innings) 182Sri Lanka: (1st innings, overnight 290-8): M Atapattu c Wasti b Waqar 8, S Jayasuriya c Moin b Waqar 17, R Arnold c Moin b Waqar 26, A de Silva lbw Saqlain 112, M Jayawardene run out 42, A Ranatunga b Razzak 49, R Kaluwitharana lbw Razzak 0, C Vaas not out 53, P Wickremasinghe c sub (Afridi) b Saqlain 0, N Zoysa c Yousuf b Waqar 26, M Muralitharan c Moin b Sohail 7. Extras (b2, lb8, nb3) 13. Total (all out in 123.2 overs) 353Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-38, 3-69, 4-117, 5-246, 6-246, 7-280, 8-280, 9-331Bowling: Akram 2.1-0-8-0, Waqar 30-3-103-4, Razzak 32.5-7-99-2, Saqlain 34-9-78-2, Sohail 23.2-5-55-1, Wasti 1-1-0-0.Pakistan: (2nd innings) A Anwar b Vaas 84, W Wasti c Wickremasinghe b Zoysa 1, A Sohail c Jayawardene b Muralitharan 24, I-ul Haq c sub (Chandana) b Vaas 20, Y Youhana not out 6, Waqar Younis not out 0. Extras: (b4, lb3, nb12): 19. Total: (for 4 wkts in 68 overs) 154Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-72, 3-136, 4-148.Bowling: Vaas 19-5-34-1, Zoysa 15-5-34-2, Wickremasinghe10-3-27-0, Muralitharan 23-7-52-1, Arnold 1-1-0-0.
