Pakistan clinched the three-Test series against Sri Lanka 1-0 after the third and final Test ended in a draw at Sharjah Stadium here yesterday.
Pakistan clinched the three-Test series against Sri Lanka 1-0 after the third and final Test ended in a draw at Sharjah Stadium here yesterday.
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 61 overs.
By tea, Sri Lanka had taken three early wickets and were pressing for a win. Pakistan lost a further wicket when opener Taufiq Umar fell for 39, before they finished at 87-4 when umpires called off the match four overs early due to bad light.
Skipper Misbah-ul Haq (9) and Asad Shafiq (7) 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.
Misbah said the victory meant a lot to Pakistan cricket, in the news for the wrong reasons after the spot-fixing scandal. "It is a great win," said Misbah. "That (scandal) happened last year but we have kept our focus and this is a great win for us."
ADVERTISEMENT