Pakistan will pin their hopes on their two most experienced batsmen - Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq - as the designated hosts look to pull themselves out of a hole against Sri Lanka in the second Test in Dubai.
Where to Watch Live
The second day of the second Test is scheduled for a 11.30 am IST and 11 am PST start with live coverage on Sony Six and Geo Super in India and Pakistan respectively. The match can be watched via free live streaming online in Pakistan HERE. Catch the action in the US HERE, while Sri Lanka viewers can go HERE. Audience in Africa can live stream the match HERE.
Sri Lanka finished their first innings on 388, to take a lead of 223, which was then cut down to 91 runs thanks to an unbeaten 113-run partnership between Younis (62 n.o.) and Misbah (53 n.o.), after Pakistan's hopes were hanging by a thread at 19 for three.
"I tried to fight back," Younis said. "In the end, it was good that I had a partnership with Misbah. The seniors always perform whenever the team needs them to, so that's good.
"What was needed was to keep it simple on the pitch and play according to the situation. It's always good whenever Misbah plays with me as we just take singles and we try to cash in on easy deliveries. It was the same when I was with Yousuf, with whom I had a big partnership.
"The first target is that we get a lead of around 220. Something like 200-300 runs on the board will be good for us. One thing that happened in Abu Dhabi was that the ball was seaming, but they [Sri Lanka] took the match away from us.
"So I thought if we played correctly and according to the situation, we could be in a similar position. If we cashed in on one or two sessions and stayed there together, you never know. Anything can happen on the last day."
A lead of over 200 would be quite difficult for Pakistan, with their batting relying entirely on the two stalwarts. If Sri Lanka find a way through either of them on Day 4 morning, then the visitors could scythe through the rest of the lineup pretty quickly.
"Hopefully early tomorrow there will be a bit more in the wicket after the overnight freshness, and hopefully we can get something going our way," Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford said on Friday. "If we can get two quick ones it's a different game. Tomorrow morning's first session is going to be a very, very big for both teams.
"Pakistan bowled very well this morning. There were a couple of good deliveries early on that got our players out. That's what we've got to strive for tomorrow morning, to get some good deliveries in place."
