LAHORE // Thilan Samaraweera scored his second double hundred in a row and Tillekaratne Dilshan stroked a fluent century as Sri Lanka amassed 606 on the second day of the second Test against Pakistan today. Pakistan were 110 for one in reply at the close with Salman Butt run out in the final over of the day for 48. Fellow opener Khurrum Manzoor is unbeaten on 59. Samaraweera scored a majestic 214 and Dilshan 145, overshadowing career-best Test figures of six for 135 by Umar Gul. Samaraweera, who scored 231 in the drawn first Test in Karachi, batted for almost seven hours to score his second Test double hundred, facing 338 balls and hitting 32 fours. He was run out when he called for a sharp single to cover from where Shoaib Malik relayed the ball to the wicketkeeper via Danish Kaneria with both batsmen stranded in the middle. His dismissal ended a record 207-run fifth wicket stand with Dilshan, the best for the wicket by Sri Lanka against Pakistan, surpassing the 143 between Russell Arnold and Romesh Kaluwitharana set at Lahore in 1999. Dilshan, who was also run out after tea, raced to his eighth Test hundred from just 109 balls, cutting Kaneria for a four to reach the milestone. He also completed 3,000 career runs.
*Reuters
Samaraweera, 32, continued to bat fluently and played sweetly timed drives on both sides of the wicket. Debutant fast bowler Mohammad Talha, who bowled just 11 overs on the first day, was given a four-over spell with the second new ball in the morning but failed to make any impact. Gul took three wickets on the opening day. The leg-spinner Danish Kaneria, the most experienced bowler in the side, struggled to trouble the batsmen although the pitch offered some bounce and turn.
*Reuters
