Debutant Fawad Alam and skipper Younus Khan put on a record stand of 200 as Pakistan consolidated their position in the second cricket Test against Sri Lanka here on Tuesday.
The overnight pair batted a major part of the morning session of the third day to take Pakistan to 294-2 in their second innings by lunch, a lead of 144 runs with eight wickets in hand.
Left-handed Alam, who reached his century on Monday evening, continued in the same vein to reach 164 not out at the end of a profitable session for the batsmen at the P. Sara Oval.
The 23-year-old has so far hit 14 fours and a six in the highest score by a Pakistani batsman on Sri Lankan soil, surpassing the 151 by Salim Malik at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo in 1997.
Younus, who was on 35 overnight, moved to a confident 82 when he gifted away his wicket 10 minutes before lunch, top-edging an ambitious reverse sweep off part-time spinner Tharanga Paranavitana to the wicket-keeper.
New batsman Mohammad Yousuf was unbeaten on six at the break.
The partnership between Alam and Younus was Pakistan's highest for the second wicket against Sri Lanka, surpassing the 151 by Mohsin Khan and Majid Khan at Lahore in 1982.
It has been a remarkable fightback so far by Pakistan, trailing 1-0 in the three-match series, after they were shot out for a paltry 90 soon after lunch on the first day.
The bowlers, led by four wickets each from Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal, hit back to dismiss Sri Lanka for 240 before the batsmen made light of a first innings deficit of 150 runs.
Alam and Younus batted steadily in the first hour on Tuesday to add 50 runs from 14 overs by the drinks break.
Alam hit three boundaries in that period, the best being a rasping square-drive off left-arm seamer Thilan Thushara that raced to the point fence.
Younus should have departed on 64, but Mahela Jayawardene at first slip failed to grasp a sharp chance off spinner Rangana Herath.
The ball carried to the third man fence to bring up Pakistan's 250 and take the lead past the 100-run mark.
| Pakistan 1st innings | 90 | Shoaib Malik 39 not out, N. Kulasekera 4-21, A. Mendis 3-20 |
| Sri Lanka 1st innings | 240 | K. Sangakkara 87, Umar Gul 4-43, Saeed Ajmal 4-87 |
| Pakistan 2nd innings | overnight 178-1 |
| Khurram Manzoor | c Dilshan b Herath | 38 |
| Fawad Alam | not out | 164 |
| Younus Khan | c Dilshan b Paranavitana | 82 |
| Mohammad Yousuf | not out | 6 |
| Extras | b2, lb1, nb1 | 4 |
| Total | for 2 wkts, 81 overs | 294 |
| Kulasekera 13-3-31-0, Thushara 13-0-48-0, Mathews 6-0-20-0, Mendis 17-0-81-0 (nb1), Herath 27-2-89-1, Paranavitana 5-0-22-1 |
| Match position | Pakistan lead by 144 runs with eight wickets in hand |
