Sri Lanka take series after aborted chase
Sri Lanka's focus turned to securing their 1-0 lead and they changed their approach to a chase of 270 after tea to settle for a draw
08/07Result
3rd Test, Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka at Kandy, Jul 8-12 2012
-
![Pakistan]( "Pakistan")
226 & 380/8d -
![Sri Lanka]( "Sri Lanka")
337 & 195/4 (62 ov)
Player of the Match
08/07Result
3rd Test, Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka at Kandy, Jul 8-12 2012
-
![Pakistan]( "Pakistan")
226 & 380/8d -
![Sri Lanka]( "Sri Lanka")
337 & 195/4 (62 ov)
Player of the Match
Day 5
Day 4
Sri Lanka in control despite Ali ton
On a day that began with Pakistan needing to bat positively to set a competitive target, Sri Lanka surged ahead with a strong chance of winning the series 2-0
Day 3
Attacking Perera gives Sri Lanka control
Sri Lanka took a significant step in their attempt to thwart Pakistan from levelling this rain-affected series, through a combination of dogged batting on a testing pitch, a fair amount of luck, and aggression
Day 2
Rain ruins follow-up to exciting first day
Rain returned to haunt this Test series on day two in Pallekele, after the first day's promise of an exciting game
Day 1
Match even after bowlers dominate
Misbah-ul-Haq and Asad Shafiq put up a solid resistance against the Sri Lankan seamers but the hosts retained the edge at tea, having broken that partnership after inflicting significant damage in the pre-lunch session
Others
Didn't want to jeopardise our hard work
Mahela Jayawardene on why Sri Lanka decided to settle for a draw in Pallekele, and the factors that helped his side beat Pakistan
Hafeez's lapse and Fernando's strikes
Plays of the Day from the fourth day of the third Test between Sri Lanka and Pakistan in Pallekele
Should Pakistan play three seamers?
Mohammad Hafeez, the Pakistan vice-captain, didn't rule out the possibility of playing three seamers on a Pallekele pitch that is expected to have more bounce and seam movement
Paranavitana comes through when it counts
The Pallekele Test was one last chance for Tharanga Paranavitana to end the season with confidence, and he grabbed it
Misbah encouraged by youngsters' show
The batting of Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq, the gutsiness of Adnan Akmal and the swing of Junaid Khan in the series pleased the Pakistan captain
Pakistan fumbles, Thisara flourishes
Plays of the Day from the third day of the third Test between Sri Lanka and Pakistan in Pallekele
Draw takes shine off Sri Lanka victory
Mahela Jayawardene made sure he achieved that elusive Test series win for Sri Lanka, but critics will always argue that the hosts should have finished better
Adnan Akmal beats the pain
Plays of the Day from the fifth day of the third Test between Sri Lanka and Pakistan in Pallekele
'It's fairly even, but we are slightly ahead' - Ford
Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford said that the home team will need to "work hard" on the fifth day, as the Test is evenly poised at the end of the fourth
Adnan Akmal suffers hairline fracture
Adnan Akmal, the Pakistan wicketkeeper, has suffered a hairline fracture on his left ring finger
Perera gives Pakistan a headache again
After troubling Pakistan in the Twenty20s and the one-dayers, Thisara Perera wrecked their top order in his first chance in the Test series
Azhar shows off his Test skills, again
The search for young batsmen who display the virtues of patience, concentration and lengthy attention spans has gathered steam, and Azhar Ali, so far in his two-year career, has shown signs that he is one such player
Whatmore disappointed Pakistan didn't 'capitalise'
Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore has said his side has conceded the advantage they had coming into the third day of the Pallekele Test