Misbah, Younis resist after early losses

Lunch Pakistan 121 for 3 (Misbah 24*, Younis 23*) trail Sri Lanka 204 (Mathews 91, Junaid 5-58, Bhatti 3-65) by 83 runs

Sri Lanka picked up two wickets, including that of in-form Mohammad Hafeez, in the first hour of play on the second day, but Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan put up a stiff resistance to keep the bowlers at bay in an attritional second hour. By lunch, Pakistan had reduced the deficit to 83 runs even though only 75 runs came in the session.

Hafeez, fresh from his success in the ODIs, started off the day with a couple of crisp straight drives as Suranga Lakmal strived for swing with fuller deliveries, but the same shot lead to his downfall. After caressing a half-volley past the non-striker's stumps in the fourth over of the morning, Hafeez went for a repeat to one which wasn't as full. He ended up pushing it slightly in the air towards cover, but Kaushal Silva dived full-length low to his left to pluck the ball from nowhere, leaving Hafeez shocked. 

While Hafeez had appeared in supreme touch during his brief stay, Shehzad struggled to find fluency. In the 31 balls he faced on the second morning, he was not able to increase his boundary count and managed just 13 runs before falling to a poorly executed pull shot. The credit for the wicket though stayed with Shaminda Eranga, who surprised the batsman with a perfect bouncer. 

Eranga was able to generate pace throughout his spell, but with no obvious help from the pitch, he was easily handled by the batsmen. Then when it appeared all too easy, he delivery a nasty short ball - one of the only five he bowled in his six overs - which sucked Shehzad into the pull. 

The early wickets helped Sri Lanka keep the run flow in check as Younis and Misbah went into slow-accumulation mode. The two added 38 in 15.4 overs and Pakistan's run rate dipped well below three. However, Misbah didn't let the loose deliveries go unpunished and hit five boundaries in his 24.