Pakistan reached stumps on day two of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi on 327 for four, holding a lead of 123 runs thanks to centuries from veterans Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq.
Younis recorded his 23rd Test century just before the tea break, while Misbah sat on 105 not out at the close, the pair putting on 218 runs after a very slow start and the loss of two wickets in the morning.
The hosts started the day on 46 for one, and were soon down by Mohammad Hafeez’s wicket as Kaushal Silva took a great diving catch in the inner circle. Hafeez had made 11 having started the day on nil.
Shaminda Eranga then removed Ahmed Shehzad, who had advanced to 38 after starting the day on 25. Dimuth Karunaratne took the catch, thus bringing old guard Misbah and Younis together for the rest of the session.
The pair at one stage scored 13 runs in 10 overs, as they chipped away at the 204 runs the Sri Lankans had made on day one. By lunch, Younis was on 23, while Misbah had made 24, both having faced 60 deliveries.
The afternoon was much more fruitful for the veterans as they doubled their session score over the next two hours. Younis was the more aggressive of the two later on, but they initially both scored their fifties off 100 balls and with nine fours.
Younis then picked up the pace somewhat, using 47 balls for his next 50 runs, while Misbah did his usual anchoring job and made just 24 more runs in the next 64 deliveries until tea.
The evening session saw the departure of Younis for 136, bowled by Eranga. It was against the run of play, as the term goes, and he exited with 19 fours to his name, and one six.
This left Asad Shafiq to see out the day with Misbah, who recorded only his fifth Test century. At the close Shafiq sat on 12 off 50 balls, while Misbah had 105 off 250 deliveries, which was par for the course for him.
