The prolific wicket-taker took 2-25 as Sri Lanka struggled to 69-4, needing a rearguard action to save the Test. Pakistan will be expecting to push for victory in the opening match of a two-Test series on the fifth and final day.
It was tough to negotiate spin on a fourth-day Sheikh Zayed Stadium pitch, but despite a 32nd Test five-wicket haul for veteran Sri Lankan spinner Rangana Herath, Pakistan posted 422 to take a slender three-run lead.
Sri Lanka had made 419 in their first innings.
At the close, Kusal Mendis was batting on 16, with nightwatchman Suranga Lakmal on two, after a day of fluctuating fortunes.
Herath’s 5-93 in 40 overs were well foiled by a brilliant 76 by Test debutant Haris Sohail, as initially it looked as though Sri Lanka would take a first-innings lead. Pakistan then hit back in the second innings through Shah, who first had opener Dimuth Karunaratne caught for 10 and then dismissed first-innings centurion Chandimal, caught at slip, for seven. Sohail followed his responsible knock by claiming Kaushal Silva’s wicket, whom he trapped leg before for 25, while part-timer Asad Shafiq had Lahiru Thirimanne for seven. The 28-year-old Sohail’s impressive Test bow has come despite a career-threatening knee injury which required surgery in 2015. “The last two years were tough for me as there was a lot of talk on my injury,” he said. “But thankfully I am here and played a responsible knock. I was under pressure because we needed to take the lead, so I had to play a responsible knock which I did.”
Earlier in the day, Pakistan too were struggling at 316-6 and were in danger of conceding a healthy lead with Herath using all his experience and guile.
The 39-year-old left-arm spinner, who now has 394 wickets in 84 Tests, gave his team the much-needed wicket of a resolute Azhar Ali, luring him into an uppish drive which was brilliantly caught at short mid-wicket by a diving Mendis.
Azhar’s defiant knock of 85 lasted more than five hours and included four boundaries, but with his dismissal Pakistan’s hopes of building a lead looked slim. But Sohail had other ideas as he added an invaluable 50 for the ninth wicket with tail-ender Hasan Ali to lift Pakistan from 340-8. Sohail hit seven fours and two sixes before holing out to paceman Nuwan Pradeep, who finished with 2-77. Hasan’s whirlwind 25-ball 29 featured three sixes and two fours. The second and final Test - a day-night affair - will be played in Dubai from October 6.
SCOREBOARD
Sri Lanka 1st innings 419
Pakistan Ist innings (overnight 266-4)
Shan Masood b Herath 59
Sami Aslam lbw b Perera 51
Azhar Ali c Mendis b Herath 85
Asad Shafiq c Thirimanne b Herath 39
Babar Azam c Dickwella b Pradeep 28
Haris Sohail c Lakmal b Pradeep 76
Sarfraz Ahmed b Lakmal 18
Mohammad Amir lbw b Lakmal 4
Yasir Shah c Thirimanne b Herath 8
Hasan Ali st Dickwella b Herath 29
Mohammad Abbas not out 1
Extras: (b5, lb9, nb8, w2) 24
Total: (all out, 162.3 overs) 422
Fall of wickets: 1-114 (Aslam), 2-116 (Masood), 3-195 (Shafiq), 4-266 (Azam), 5-294 (Ali), 6-316 (Ahmed), 7-326 (Amir), 8-340 (Shah), 9-390 (Hasan)
Bowling: Lakmal 22-5-42-2 (1nb, 1w), Pradeep 25.3-1-77-2 (6nb, Perera 37-10-92-1 (1nb), Sundakan 35-7-98-0 (1w), Herath 40-12-93-5, Karunaratne 3-1-6-0
Sri Lanka 2nd innings
D. Karunaratne c Masood b Shah 10
K. Silva lbw b Sohail 25
L. Thirimanne c Sarfraz b Shafiq 7
K. Mendis not out 16
D. Chandimal c Shafiq b Shah 7
S. Lakmal not out 2
Extras: (b1, nb1) 2
Total: (for four wkts; 40 overs) 69
Fall of wickets: 1-20 (Karunaratne), 2-33 (Thirimanne), 3-51 (Silva), 4-65 (Chandimal)
Bowling: Amir 7-2-14-0, Abbas 6-2-7-0 (1nb), Shah 14-2-25-2, Hasan 4.2-0-8-0, Shafiq 3.4-0-7-1, Sohail 5-2-7-1
Match situation: Sri Lanka lead Pakistan by 66 runs with six second-innings wickets remaining.