Karachi, February 24:

Younis Khan posted an unbeaten 306 to steer Pakistan to 574-5 in reply to Sri Lanka’s 644-7 declared as the first Test meandered to a draw with only a day remaining.

Skipper Khan, only the 20th batsman and third Pakistani to surpass 300 runs in a Test innings, guided the hosts past the follow-on target and within 70 runs of Sri Lanka’s first innings by stumps today.

His patient innings over 12 hours and 11 minutes featured 27 fours and four sixes from 545 balls and a superb range of strokes on both sides of the wicket. It was the first time in Test cricket’s 132-year history that both captains have scored more than 200 in a single Test match. Mahela Jayawardene made 240 and shared in a world record fourth-wicket stand in the first innings.

Khan raised his triple century in the last session when he played a reverse sweep off Muttiah Muralitharan and ran for three runs. Khan is now aiming for Pakistan’s Test-best of 337 made by Hanif Mohammad against the West Indies at Barbados in 1958. Inzamam-ul-Haq is the only other Pakistani triple century-maker. He scored 329 against New Zealand at Lahore in 2002.

Khan featured in two century stands after Pakistan resumed their first innings at 296-3 and still needed 149 runs to avoid the follow on. He put on 174 runs with Faisal Iqbal (57) after adding 130 for the fourth wicket with Misbah-ul-Haq (42).

Khan, who came out to bat late on the second day, frustrated the Sri Lanka bowlers on a flat wicket. Muralitharan (1-165) and Ajantha Mendis (1-135) have succeeded in getting just one wicket each as only 12 wickets have fallen in the game with only one day remaining.

Khan, 149 overnight, raised his double century in the afternoon session when he drove Dilhara

Fernando through the covers for three runs. He also became the sixth Pakistani batsmen to complete 5,000 Test runs, joining Miandad, Inzamam, Khalid Ibadulla, Mohammad Yousuf, Salim Malik and Zaheer Abbas.

Sri Lanka could get only two wickets today. Fernando (1-107) trapped Misbah-ul-Haq (42) leg before wicket shortly before lunch. As the wickets dried up for Sri Lanka’s strike bowlers, Jaywardene bowled his gentle medium pace in the last session and got the only other breakthrough when he trapped Iqbal LBW.