Rain forces draw in final Test,Pakistan win series 1-0

Pakistan clinched the three-match series against Sri Lanka 1-0 after the third and final Test ended in a draw at Sharjah stadium

Pakistan clinched the three-match series against Sri Lanka 1-0 after the third and final Test ended in a draw at Sharjah stadium on Monday.

Persistent rain wiped out play in the pre-lunch session a two hours and 35 minutes delay which left Sri Lanka with little time to enforce a win despite declaring their second innings at 181-6,setting Pakistan a target of 255 in a possible of 61 overs.

By tea,Sri Lanka had taken three early wickets and were pressing for a win. Pakistan lost a further fourth wicket when opener Taufiq Umar fell for 39,before they finished at 87-4 when umpires called off the match four overs before time due to bad light.

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Skipper Misbah-ul Haq (nine) and Asad Shafiq (seven) survived some anxious moments to salvage a draw. Pakistan won the second Test in Dubai by nine wickets after the first in Abu Dhabi ended in a draw.

The result kept Pakistan on the sixth ranking,as they needed a 2-0 victory to jump one place up and replace Sri Lanka on fifth.

Pakistan started positively before losing Mohammad Hafeez (13),Azhar Ali (seven) and Younis Khan (11) in the space of 37 runs. Hafeez had struck a boundary in the first over by Chanaka Welegedara but fell in an unwise manner,run out after taking a sharp single as he failed to beat a direct throw from mid-wicket by substitute Lahiru Thirimanne.

Ali,who scored a maiden hundred in the second Test,was trapped leg-before wicket by left-arm spinner Rangana Herath before Younis played an uppish drive off Welegedara and was caught at mid on.

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Umar miscued a drive off spinner Suraj Randiv and was caught by Kumar Sangakkara at point,leaving Pakistan at 77-4. Sri Lanka,who have now gone 13 Tests without a win since beating India at Galle in 2009,had hoped to score some quick runs in order to set Pakistan a target and then get their rivals out for a victory. But overnight rain and constant drizzle forced the umpires to keep the team away from the ground,part of which remained covered during the morning session.

When play finally resumed 35 minutes after lunch,Sri Lanka lost Kosala Kulasekara (7) before declaring the innings at 181/6. Opener Tharanga Paranavitana remained not out 76 while for Pakistan,Saeed Ajmal finished with 3-50 and Umar Gul took 2-44.

Brief scores: Sri Lanka 413 (T Dilshan 92,K Sangakkara 144) & 181/6 decl (T Paranavitana 76 n.o.,K Sangakkara 51); Pakistan 340 (Y Khan 122,M Haq 89; C Welegedara 5/87) & 87/4

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