Hosts started their first inning in a frenzy of outside edges, none of which carried. Upul Tharanga was the first and only man to be dismissed. He lasted only 15 deliveries and went leg-before wicket ou off Junaid Khan after scoring 19 runs.
Kumara Sangakkara (36*) and Kaushal Silva (38) stabilize the inning with the partnership unbeaten 75.
Sangakkara began with an edged boundary through the slips as well, but tightened up later. Pakistan did not refer an lbw appeal against him when he was on 13, and replays showed Saeed Ajmal’s delivery would have hit leg stump. Sangakkara went without a boundary for 57 balls before he pulled and drove Junaid for two in an over just before stumps. Pakistan ended the day still comfortably ahead, but this is one wicket they will want early next morning.
Earlier, Pakistan posted their second-highest total in the first innings of a Test in the past eight years as the lower middle order weighed in after Younis Khan’s 177.
When Pakistan resumed the inning on Day-2, the overnight batsmen Younis and Asad Shafiq add only 32 on the day before the latter was taken out by Rangana Herath.
But Younis hung around to add 66 with wicket keeper Sarfraz Ahmed, who came in with a Test average of 18.58 and batted positively scoring 55 runs.
At the end of Pakistan’s inning, the No.8, Abdur Rehman tipped Pakistan over 450 with his vital 50 runs.
Dilruwan Perera was the pick of Sri Lankan bowlers with a 5-wicket haul while Rangana Herath and Dhammika Prasad took 3 and 2 wickets respectively.
