Sri Lanka post 378, remove Pakistan’s top order before tea

Sri Lanka’s Dhananjaya de Silva (R) celebrates  with teammates after taking the wicket of Pakistan’s Imam-ul-Haq (not  pictured) during the second day of the second cricket Test match between  Sri Lanka and Pakistan at the Galle International Cricket Stadium in  Galle 

By Shehan Daniel at the Galle International Stadium  

Sri Lanka dismissed Pakistan’s top four batsmen to surge ahead in the second Test in Galle yesterday, after the hosts were bowled out for 378 earlier on day two.  

At tea the visitors were 111 for 4, with Fawad Alam on 18, and Agha Salman, 13, attempting to fashion a recovery.  
Fast bowler Asitha Fernando struck on the second ball of the Pakistan innings, tempting first Test centurion Abdullah Shafique into a drive outside off-stump only for the batsman to play down the wrong line and drag the ball onto his stumps.  

Fellow opener Imam ul-Haq and Babar Azam negotiated the remaining four pre-lunch overs, reaching the break on 15 for 1.  

The partnership would add only another 20 runs to the Pakistan total however before Prabath Jayasuriya took the crucial wicket of Babar Azam, the Pakistan captain reaching out to a delivery outside off-stump, and in similar fashion to Shafique dragged a cover drive onto his stumps.   

Ul-Haq was bowled by Dhananjaya de Silva for 32 nine overs later, playing for turn and leaving a gap between bat and pad which the bowler was able to snake the ball through, Pakistan on 65 for 3 at that point.    Mohammad Rizwan’s innings was ended 23 runs later, playing on the backfoot and missing, trapped leg before wicket for 23.   
An aggressive spell from fast bowler Nasheem Shah removed both overnight batsmen, though Ramesh Mendis held the lower order together to ensure Sri Lanka’s innings didn’t implode.  

Shah squared up Dunith Wellalage with a bouncer in the fourth over of the day, the debutant ducking but unable to get his hands out to the way, lobbing a catch towards second slip while being felled to the floor.  
Niroshan Dickwella extended his dubious record for the second most Test runs without a hundred, caught behind chasing a delivery going down the leg side and sending a faint edge through to wicket-keeper Rizwan.  

Mendis then frustrated Pakistan with partnerships of 20 and 25 with Jayasuriya and Fernando respectively, hitting four boundaries and a six before he was the last man out for 35.