Pakistan?s Shoaib Akhtar in action during the opening day of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Faisalabad on Wednesday. (AFP)

Faisalabad: Thilan Samaraweera was batting on three runs short of a well-compiled hundred as Sri Lanka recovered from a shaky start to reach 233 for seven at the end of the opening day?s play, in the first Test against Pakistan on Wednesday.

The 28-year-old?s innings (97) spanned over 325 minutes and 230 balls, enabling Sri Lanka to recover from nine for three after they decided to bat.

Pakistan fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami took three wickets apiece. Batting with a runner and in pain owing to cramp in his legs in the final session, Samaraweera shared in three significant partnerships.

He was closing on his fourth hundred in his 23rd Test when the batsmen accepted the umpires? offer of bad light with five overs remaining in the day.

The tall right-hander from Colombo added 68 runs in 168 balls with Sanath Jayasuriya (38), 55 with Jehan Mubarak (34) and an unbroken 53 with Rangana Herath (28).

Jayasuriya, in his 93rd Test, also became the second Sri Lankan after Aravinda de Silva to score 6,000 runs.

Sri Lanka, opting to bat, were in trouble early in the first Test played between the two countries since March 2002.

Getting plenty of bounce and some movement, Shoaib and Sami rocked them with the wickets of captain Maravan Atapattu (0), Kumar Sangakkara (2) and Mahela Jayawardene (0) in the first four overs.

Shoaib trapped Atapattu leg before the wicket and had Sangakkara caught by Imran Farhat at third slip. While Sami got Jayawardene to nibble at a ball in his second over.

Samaraweera, who scored a hundred in his Test debut against India in 2001, looked confident from the start as he notched up his highest score outside Sri Lanka.

He and Jayasuriya, who was twice dropped off Abdul Razzaq?s bowling, took the score to 58 at lunch.

Jayasuriya perished soon after reaching 6,000 Test runs, hitting a drive straight to Asim Kamal in the covers off Sami. Sri Lanka had progressed to 142 for four at tea with Samaraweera getting good support from Mubarak, who edged Sami to Inzamam-ul Haq at first slip soon after the interval.

Despite losing three wickets in the last session, Sri Lanka managed to lift their run-rate and scored 91 runs after tea.

Leg-spinner Danish Kaneria held on to a return catch from Romesh Kaluwitharana (4) to leave Sri Lanka in trouble again on 147 for six.

Shoaib then returned to force Chaminda Vaas to miscue a pull shot to Yousuf Youhana at mid-on after a cameo innings of 22 from 28 balls including five fours.

Shoaib finished with figures of three for 55, while Sami returned with three for 66.