By Shehan Daniel at the Galle International Stadium

It may have been a day for Angelo Mathews to celebrate a rare milestone, but it was Dinesh Chandimal who starred for Sri Lanka in the second Test against Pakistan in Galle on Sunday.

Sri Lanka piled on 315 runs in 86 overs before bad light brought an early end to day one, though the six wickets lost would have brought some satisfaction for Pakistan who toiled on a pitch that was not particularly helpful to their bowlers.  

Contributions also came from Oshada Fernando, scoring his seventh Test fifty, along with Dimuth Karunaratne and Mathews, who joined an illustrious list of former cricketers in becoming the sixth Sri Lankan to play 100 Tests.

The hosts will be wary that their most recent victory at this venue, when they bowled out Australia for 364 and scored 554 in response before winning by an innings and 39 runs, came on a pitch that played along similar lines to this, making a total in excess of 400 imperative for Sri Lanka, having elected to bat first, in order to consolidate their position in the Test.

Leading Sri Lanka’s charge towards that total will be Niroshan Dickwella, whose inconsistent performances as batsman and wicket-keeper have put him under scrutiny, continuing from an unbeaten 42 off 43 deliveries, and debutant Dunith Wellalage on 6 not out.

Chandimal scored his fourth consecutive fifty-plus score, taking on the Pakistan spinners on his way to 80, and was especially dismissive of leg spinner Yasir Shah, off whom he scored five boundaries and two sixes.  

A 75-run partnership between Chandimal and Mathews carried the hosts through the afternoon session, Sri Lankan having found themselves on 120 for 3 soon after the lunch break.

Mathews survived an early chance when Yasir Shah drew his outside edge, but the ball flew wide of Babar Azam at first slip, running down to third man to give former Sri Lanka captain his second boundary.

Mathews would benefit from another respite on 36 when he drove through the offside and perfectly picked out Azam at cover, only for the Pakistan captain to drop an easy catch.  

That missed chance didn’t prove too costly though, Mathews caught behind for 42 when Nauman Ali spun a delivery across the batsman, to take the outside edge through to keeper Mohammad Rizwan.

Adding 63 with Dhananjaya de Silva, Chandimal took on Mohammad Nawaz, but the turn and the lack of pace on the delivery resulted in a top edge to short third man.

De Silva was bowled by Nasheem Shah, beaten by a ball that seamed into him, to end a 32-run stand with Dickwella, who went on to score a majority of the 25 runs scored alongside Wellalage.

Three wickets in the space of 28 runs either side of lunch had opened the door for Pakistan, following a 92-run opening wicket partnership between Fernando and Karunaratne meant much of the morning session belonged to the hosts.

Chief to that was Fernando, who thrice charged Pakistan’s spinners and cleared the boundary straight down the wicket, the last of which took him to his seventh Test fifty.

The enterprising innings would lead to nothing more however, Fernando prodding forward to the next ball from Nawaz to be caught behind.

Mendis faced ten balls and added three runs to Sri Lanka’s score before he was found out of the crease when Karunaratne’s straight drive took a deflection off the bowler Agha Salman and crashed into the stumps.

Karunaratne then fell soon after lunch attempting to reverse sweep Yasir Shah, but instead picking Naseem Shah at point – seemingly placed in that position for just that shot – to see the hosts slip to 120 for 3.