All-rounder Abdul Razzaq took a career best five for 35 as the depleted Pakistan attack dismissed Sri Lanka for 208 on the opening day of the second Test in Karachi on Thursday.
Razzaq, playing in his 30th match, fully compensated for the absence of injured strike bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami to give his side a great opportunity to square the two-match series.
A defiant ninth-wicket stand of 44 between Romesh Kaluwitharana (54) and Rangana Herath (12) restored some respectability to the scorecard before the visitors were dismissed in the final over of the day.
Kaluwitharana held the innings together with his 104-ball innings, which included four fours and one six, after Sri Lanka had slipped to 164 for eight after tea.
He fell in the penultimate over before the close, caught behind off leg spinner Danish Kaneria. In the next over Razzaq had Herath caught behind to wrap up the innings.
Razzaq who recorded his best bowling figures in 12 Tests after his four for 25 against the West Indies in Sharjah in February, 2002, accounted for first Test centurion Thilan Samaraweera, Jehan Mubarak, Chaminda Vaas and Farveez Maharoof.
He followed up the good work by Kaneria, who took two for 11 before lunch, and 19-year-old debutant pace bowler Riaz Afridi, who captured two for 15 after the interval to reduce Sri Lanka to 106 for four.
Pakistan took the bold decision to field first despite missing their main bowlers.
The move paid off on a lively pitch due to some disciplined bowling after openers Marvan Atapattu (44) and Sanath Jayasuriya (26) had put on 66 runs.
Pitching the ball in the right areas, Razzaq and the other bowlers made life miserable for the batsmen.
Kaneria trapped Jayasuriya leg before wicket in his first over and than in the final over before lunch had Atapattu caught at slip off an inside edge to start the roll of wickets.
Jayasuriya who scored a match winning 253 in the first Test completed 1,000 runs in the calendar year when he scored three.
He also won a record 94th cap, one ahead of Arjuna Ranatunga and Aravinda de Silva.
After lunch Afridi, in his second spell, induced Kumar Sangakkara (13) to miscue a pull shot to long on and beat Jayawardene (16) with a beautiful leg cutter.
Razzaq stepped into the fray, getting rid of Samaraweera and Mubarak before tea and Vaas and Maharoof after resumption to leave the innings in tatters on 164 for eight.
Pakistan have lost just one Test at this southern port city in 36 matches and have 18 wins, including three over Sri Lanka.
Scoreboard:
Sri Lanka innings:
Sanath Jayasuriya lbw Kaneria 26
Marvan Atapattu c Younis b Kaneria 44
Kumar Sangakkara c Kaneria b Afridi 13
Mahela Jayawardene c Inzamam b Afridi 16
Thilan Samaraweera c Farhat b Razzaq 13
Jehan Mubarak c Yasir b Razzaq 13
Romesh Kaluwitharana c Akmal b Kaneria 54
Chaminda Vaas c Farhat b Razzaq 7
Farveez Maharoof c Akmal b Razzaq 2
Rangana Herath c Akmal b Razzaq 12
Dilhara Fernando not out 0
Extras (lb-3, b-4, w-1) 8
Total (all out, 82.1 overs) 208
Fall of wickets: 1-66, 2-79, 3-97, 4-106, 5-126, 6-140, 7-158, 8-164, 9-208.
Bowling: Rana Naved 17-2-52-0, Riaz Afridi 19-7-42-2, Abdul Razzaq 23.1-9-35-5 (1-w), Danish Kaneria 23-3-72-3.
