Faisalabad, January 24:

The second cricket Test between Pakistan and India moved towards a tame draw on Tuesday as the bat continued to dominate the ball on a heartbreaking pitch for bowlers.

Younis Khan (64) and Kamran Akmal (59) carried Pakistan to 152-1 at stumps on the fourth day, a lead of 137 and with little to play for on the fifth and final day on Wednesday.

India scored 603 in their first innings to gain a slender 15-run lead over Pakistan’s 588 on a day when bowlers toiled in search of wickets for the second successive Test in the series.

The high-scoring first Test ended in a draw in Lahore. The final Test starts in Karachi on Sunday.

Younis, who scored 83 in the first innings, and Akmal put on 100 for the unfinished second wicket to ensure Pakistan did not collapse after losing Salman Butt (24) early in the post-lunch session.

Akmal and Butt gave Pakistan a brisk start of 52 before Butt miscued an on-drive off leg-spinner Anil Kumble and was caught by Sachin Tendulkar at mid-wicket.

Younis has so far hit eleven boundaries during his 13th Test half-century while Akmal compiled 10 boundaries in his second Test fifty.

For India, Mahendra Dhoni (148) and Irfan Pathan (90) dashed Pakistan’s hopes of gaining a first-innings lead.

The pair carried their overnight sixth wicket stand to 210 before tail-enders Harbhajan Singh (38) and Zaheer Khan (20) gave the tourists the first-innings lead.

Dhoni, 116 overnight, hit Pakistan pace spearhead Shoaib Akhtar out of the attack with four boundaries in the sixth over of the day.

Leg-spinner Danish Kaneria finally provided the breakthrough when he had Dhoni stumped with a well-disguised delivery. Dhoni hit 19 fours and four sixes during his 152-ball knock.

Pathan added another 38 for the seventh wicket with Kumble (15) before he was trapped leg before by Abdul Razzaq 10 runs short of his maiden hundred. Pathan hit nine boundaries and two sixes during his 270-minute stay at the crease.

Harbhajan hit five boundaries and two towering sixes to take India past Pakistan’s total before leg-spinner Shahid Afridi took the last two wickets to finish with 2-91.

SCOREBOARD

PAKISTAN — 1st innings: 588

INDIA — 1st innings: (overnight 441-5)

M Dhoni st Akmal b Kaneria 148

I Pathan lbw b Razzaq 90

A Kumble st Akmal b Kaneria 15

H Singh lbw b Afridi 38

Z Khan not out 20

R Singh c & b Afridi 6

Extras: 44 (b3, lb15, w3, nb23)

Total: 603

FoW: 1-39, 2-236, 3-241, 4-258, 5-281, 6-491, 7-529, 8-553, 9-587

Pakistan bowling: Akhtar 25-7-100-1, Asif 34-6-103-1, Razzaq 28-1-126-2, Kaneria 54-6-165-3, Afridi 24.4-0-91-2

PAKISTAN — 2nd innings

S Butt c Tendulkar b Kumble 24

K Akmal not out 59

Y Khan not out 64

Extras: 5 (lb2, nb3)

Total: 152/1

FoW: 1-52

India bowling: Pathan 9-1-27-0, Rudra 6-1-33-0, Kumble 12-2-56-1, Zaheer 7-3-12-0, Harbhajan 8-2-16-0, Yuvraj 1-0-6-0