rediff.com: Sri Lanka win Test and series

Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by 57 runs on the fifth day of the second cricket Test to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series in Peshawar on Thursday.

The tourists needed only nine balls to skittle Pakistan out for 236 on the final morning to win their third straight Test series.

Sri Lanka have now won nine of their last 19 Tests, while Pakistan lost their fifth Test in a row after being defeated three-nil by Australia in November last year.

Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan finished with six for 71 and a total 10 wickets in the match.

On Wednesday, Muralitharan snared five wickets to put Sri Lanka on the victory track. Pakistan's chances of an improbable win were severely jolted by the off-spinner with his glaring eyes who put an end to a magnificient innings of 88 by Yousuf Youhanna in the dying minutes to bury the home team.

When bad light curtailed play by five overs Pakistan were 222 for eight with captain Saeed Anwar fighting on 32 not out, the home team needing another 72 runs to level the series.

Earlier on Wednesday, Sri Lanka were dismissed for 222 on the stroke of lunch in their second innings with left-hander Russel Arnold making 99.

Youhanna, in company with debutant Atiq-uz Zaman, added 63 for the sixth wicket and 45 with Abdul Razzak for the fifth wicket to raise victory hopes from a precarious 103 for four. The 25-year-old played fluently and hit glorious shots to all parts of the ground, sending a vociferous crowd of 8,000 to their feet.

Muralitharan though had the last laugh when he trapped Youhanna leg before wicket for 88, ending a spectacular 171-minute innings spiced with three sixes and eight fours.

The Sri Lankan off-spinner had Waqar Younis next ball for nought to bring his 18th five-wicket haul in Test cricket.

"I enjoyed bowling and hopefully will get 10 wickets in the match tomorrow but I am more concerned about the win than any personal achievement," he said.

"The new ball helped me a lot to gain extra bounce but there was a fright when Youhanna batted so positively. At one stage we thought we were losing."

Pakistan, chasing 294 to win with the session and a full day's play left, were given a rousing start of 59 by Shahid Afridi and Anwar, who both played positively in the run chase.

Afridi, who holds the record for fastest century in one-day internationals, hit two fours and two sixes in his 31 but was stumped in his attempt to hammer Murilatharan out of the attack.

Muralitharan dismissed Inzamam-ul Haq in his seventh over, caught bat-pad for nine.

Pakistan lost its third wicket in the last over before tea when Sanath Jayasuriya forced Aamir Sohail to edge to silly mid-off for naught leaving the home team struggling at 82-3 at tea.

Soon after the interval the home team received a cruel blow when captain Saeed Anwar collided with umpire Mohammad Nazir while completing a sharp single. Anwar, who was 30 not out, badly hurt his neck and was rushed to hospital for a medical examination. Nazir, who turned 54 Wednesday, remained unhurt.

Yousuf Youhanna posted Pakistan's 100 with a rasping cover drive to the boundry off Chaminda Vaas but the pacer avenged by dismissing Younis Khan for six.

Muralitharan returned in his second spell and with his first ball trapped Razzak leg before wicket for five, leaving half the side back at 142.

Youhanna threw caution to the wind by taking on the bowling and when on 45 completed his 1,000 runs in his 17th Test. He hit Jayasuriya for a straight six and pulled him for four next ball to reach his 10th Test half-century in 94 minutes. Youhanna and number eight batsman Atiq-uz-Zaman, who took Pakistan to from 145-5, had luck on their side. Zaman, on 13 was ruled not out by TV umpire Ikram Rabbani when Romesh Kaluwitharana snapped him one bounce off Wickremasinghe.

Earlier in Sri Lanka's 2nd knock, left-hander Russel Arnold fell one short of a well-deserved century but helped Sri Lanka tighten their grip.

Arnold, 26, was unlucky to fall victim to the nervous nineties when he was caught at silly mid-off by Yousuf Youhanna off Arshad Khan for 99 in 299 minutes.

Sri Lanka resumed Wednesday's second innings at 129 for five with Arnold and Aravinda de Silva consolidating their position by taking the total to 188.

Left-armer Sohail finally broke the partnership and De Silva, batting with a runner due to a hamstring problem, was caught on 31.

The tourists added another 23 runs on the last three wickets with Ravindra Pushpakumara hitting a six and a four in his 14. Sri Lanka had made 268 in their first innings and Pakistan replied with 199.

Pakistan (1st innings): 199 (Saeed Anwar 74, Inzamam-ul Haq 58 not out, M Muralitharan 4-77).

Pakistan (2nd innings): overnight 222 for eight
Saeed Anwar c Wickremasinghe b Vaas 36, Shahid Afridi st Kaluwitharana b Muralitharan 31, Inzamam-ul Haq c Jayawardena b Muralitharan 9, Aamir Sohail c Jayawardena b Jayasuriya 0, Yousuf Youhana lbw Muralitharan 88, Younis Khan c Arnold b Vaas 6, Abdur Razzaq lbw Muralitharan 5, Atiq-uz Zaman b Vaas 25, Waqar Younis c Jayawardena b Muralitharan 0, Arshad Khan c Jayawardena b Muralitharan 5, Shoaib Akhtar not out 4.
Extras (b9, lb6, nb12) 27. Total (all out) 236

Fall of wickets: 1-59, 2-77, 3-82, 4-103, 5-145, 6-208, 7-222, 8- 222, 9-226

Bowling: Vaas 16-3-69-3 (nb8), Pushpakumara 10-1-31-0 (nb3), Wickremasinghe 12-5-22-0, Muralitharan 27.1-4-71-6 (nb1), Jayasuriya 5-1-28-1.

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Sri Lanka win second Test and series