Mohammad Hafeez scored an undefeated 57 to give Pakistan a lead of 174 runs at close of play on the third day of the final Test against the West Indies on Wednesday.
Pakistan reached 130 for two after plodding along in the final two sessions having bowled out West Indies for 260 runs at the stroke of lunch for a first-innings lead of 44.
The home side lost Younis Khan, celebrating his 29th birthday, leg before for 20 three overs from the end and Hafeez was joined by Mohammad Yousuf who requires 46 to break West Indian Vivian Richards's record of 1,710 test runs in a calendar year, set in 1976.
Opener Imran Farhat went before tea, caught behind by keeper Denesh Ramdin off Daren Powell for a torturous 20 runs.
Younis tried to break the shackles after an opening stand of 43 in 23 overs by hitting four boundaries and a big six from 99 deliveries.
He added 79 runs from 159 balls with Hafeez for the third wicket but proceedings remained slow.
The West Indian bowlers made the batsmen work hard on a slow pitch and kept the scoring rate down to under three an over.
Pakistan, who lead the series 1-0, were frustrated in the morning by a defiant 44-run partnership between last-wicket pair Denesh Ramdin and Corey Collymore.
Ramdin was run out by a throw from Yousuf from the deep five minutes before lunch after scoring his fourth fifty in his 15th test.
He nursed Collymore (eight not out) through the partnership, which came after Pakistan struck early blows to reduce the visitors to 216-9 from their overnight 191-6.
Pakistan dismissed Daren Ganga in the fifth over of the day when he was caught behind off Abdul Razzaq for 81.
After taking the second new ball, Umar Gul bowled Powell (one) for his fourth wicket and Shahid Nazir had Jerome Taylor caught behind.
Scorecard
Pakistan (1st innings): 304
West Indies (1st innings): (Overnight: 191-6)
C. Gayle c Razzaq b Gul 40
D. Ganga c Akmal b Razzaq 81
B. Lara b Gul 0
R. Sarwan b Gul 0
S. Chanderpaul c Farhat b Kaneria 36
R. Morton c Farhat b Kaneria 21
D. Bravo c Akmal b Kaneria 8
D. Ramdin run out 50
D. Powell b Gul 1
J. Taylor c Akmal b Nazir 1
C. Collymore not out 8
Extras: (b-4 lb-3 nb-7) 14
Total: (all out, 96 overs) 260
Fall of wickets: 1-51, 2-51, 3-51, 4-114, 5-153, 6-190, 7-204, 8-213, 9-216, 10-260.
Bowling: U Gul 24-5-79-4 (nb-3), S Nazir 17-3-58-1 (nb-2), D Kaneria 35-12-62-3, A Razzaq 16-5-44-1 (nb-2), M Hafeez 4-1-10-0.
Pakistan (2nd innings):
M. Hafeez not out 57
I. Farhat c Ramdin b D. Powell 20
Y. Khan lbw b Gayle 38
M. Yousuf not out 1
Extras: (b-4, lb-10) 14
Total: (for 2 wickets, 52 overs) 130
Fall of wickets: 1-43, 2-122
To bat: Inzamam-ul-Haq, S. Malik, A. Razzaq, K. Akmal, S. Nazir, U. Gul, D. Kaneria
Bowling: J. Taylor 11-4-23-0, C. Collymore 7-5-5-0, D. Powell 12-3-35-1, D. Bravo 10-1-24-0, C. Gayle 10-2-23-1, R. Sarwan 2-0-6 0.
