Replying to Sri Lanka’s first innings total of 312, Pakistan were reduced to 101-5 as left-arm tweaker Prabath Jayasuriya wreaked havoc in Galle, picking up three important wickets, including batting lynchpin Babar Azam.
The tourists’ middle order did some damage control after the early collapse as they are well placed at a respectable score of 221-5 at the end of the second day’s play, with a 91 runs deficit still to overcome.
Saud Shakeel and Agha Salman played a key role in the repair job as the duo stitched a 120-run-partnership for the sixth wicket, resorting to audacious strokeplay, never letting the Lankan spinners settle down.
Pakistan’s SOS men made sure that a brisk run rate of 4.91 per over was maintained when they were batting. Their nimble footwork against the Sri Lankan spinners was the hallmark of their rescue act. Both Agha and Shakeel wrapped up the day not out at 61 off 84 balls and 69 off 88 deliveries, respectively.
Rain played a spoilsport as only 75 overs of the specified 98 overs could be bowled in the day.
The hosts tried all sorts of tricks in the bag but failed to impregnate the watertight partnership.
Shakeel, who donned Pakistan’s Test colours eight months back for the first time, has already made a mark in his brief international career. Piling up runs at an average of 72.5, the southpaw already has one century and six fifties under his belt.
Jayasuriya, who’s instrumental in the collapse, teased opener Abdullah Shafique to play in the front, inducing an edge of his bat which carried to De Silva at first slip. He was dismissed for 19 off 28.
Skipper Babar Azam failed to trouble the scorers significantly, as he was caught behind by gloveman Sadeera Samarawickrama for 13 off 16. Azam fell to an arm-ball ball by Jayasuriya as he tried to play it on the on-side, getting an inside edge.
Shan Masood returned to the pavilion for 39 while Imam ul-Haq managed a single of 19 balls.
The Galle International Stadium has become the finger spinner's lucky charm as he has 49 scalps from six Test matches in the venue.
In the first innings, Dhananjaya De Silva catapulted the island nation’s score to 312, courtesy of a 214 ball 122, including 12 boundaries and three over-boundaries. Dimuth Karunaratne's deputy struck his 10th Test century, his third against Pakistan.
The Pakistan pace duo of Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi took three wickets each along with spinner Abrar Ahmed, who also contributed to the same number of dismissals. However, the spinners failed to replicate the Lankan’s success on a spin-assisting Galle pitch.
