Sri Lankan batsman Prasanna Jayawardene plays a shot during the final day of the first cricket Test match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on January 4, 2014. PHOTO: AFP
Openers Khurram Manzoor and Ahmed Shezad were unbeaten on eight and 12 respectively. They have 62 overs left to achieve their target or bat out for a draw.
Pakistan have never chased more than 314 - against Australia in Karachi in 1994 - to win a Test match.
Earlier, Sri Lanka declared their second innings at 480-5 after batting an hour and 30 minutes.
Skipper Angelo Mathews, who batted brilliantly for his second Test hundred and a career best score on Friday to pull Sri Lanka out of trouble, remained not out on 157 while Prasanna Jayawardene was 63 not out.
The two shared an unbroken 156-run stand for the sixth wicket to put Sri Lanka in a position from where they harboured hopes of an unlikely win.
Mathews batted for 457 minutes, hit 16 boundaries and a six in an extraordinary display of patience and fight.
Prasanna ably supported his skipper during his 169-ball knock, hitting six boundaries and a six.
Pacemen Junaid Khan finished with 3-93, while Bilawal Bhatti took 2-146.
Off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, who took 18 wickets in Pakistan's 1-0 win over Sri Lanka here in 2011, finished wicket-less in his 49 overs, conceding 115 runs - only the fifth time that he failed to get a wicket in an innings in his 31 Tests.
The second Test starts in Dubai from January 8.
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misleading title, we haven't won the game... pakistan need to chase ET
Target of 302 to win in 67 overs, I think Pak should go for it