Pakistan clinched the three-Test series against Sri Lanka 1-0 after the third and final match ended in a draw at Sharjah Stadium yesterday.
Persistent rain wiped out play in the pre-lunch session — a 2 hour, 35 minute 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 their fourth wicket when opener Taufiq Umar fell for 39, before they finished at 87-4 when the umpires called off the match four overs early because of 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 sixth in the Test rankings, as they needed a 2-0 victory to jump one place and replace Sri Lanka in fifth.
Pakistan started positively before losing Mohammad Hafeez (13), Azhar Ali (7) and Younis Khan (11) in the space of 37 runs.
Hafeez had struck a boundary in the first over by Chanaka Welegedara, but he fell in an unwise manner, run out after taking a sharp single as he failed to beat a direct throw from midwicket by substitute Lahiru Thirimanne.
Ali, who scored a maiden century in the second Test, was trapped leg before wicket by left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, before Younis played an uppish drive off Welegedara and was caught at mid-on.
Umar miscued a drive off spinner Suraj Randiv and was caught by Kumar Sangakkara at point, leaving Pakistan on 77-4.
Sri Lanka, who have now gone 13 Tests without a win since beating India in Galle in 2009, had hoped to score some quick runs in order to set Pakistan a target and then get their rivals out for a victory, but overnight rain and constant drizzle forced the umpires to keep the teams off the ground.
When play finally resumed 35 minutes after lunch, Sri Lanka lost Kosala Kulasekara (7), before declaring the innings at 181-6.
Opener Tharanga Paranavitana remained 76 not out, made off 168 balls with five boundaries and a six.
Off-spinner Saeed Ajmal finished with 3-50 and paceman Umar Gul took 2-44.
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