By Shehan Daniel at the Galle International Stadium

A breakthrough at the end of the second day’s play underscored Sri Lanka’s strong position in the second Test, as Pakistan were reduced to 191 for 7 at stumps, still 187 runs adrift for the hosts’ first innings score.

Off-spinner Ramesh Mendis was the best of Sri Lanka’s bowlers yesterday, taking 3 for 42 – all his wickets coming during a 16-over spell that stretched either side of the tea break – with Prabath Jayasuriya accounting for two wickets and one each for Fernando and Dhananjaya de Silva.

The pitch was not yet offering the usual fares associated with Galle pitches, evident not just in the 46-run partnership between Agha Salman and Yasir Shah during which neither batsman looked particularly under threat, but also right through Pakistan’s innings, though their batsmen could not convert on good starts.

The only exception was Salman, the last batsman to be dismissed yesterday, who scored his first half-century in his second Test.

Coming to the crease shortly before tea, Salman watchfully played through the first 68 balls of his innings, after which he charged Jayasuriya and powered a six over long off, following it up immediately with a sweep that found the square boundary.

He collected two boundaries off Mendis, the spinner too full on both occasions, adding another boundary off Jayasuriya.

Sri Lanka tightened the screws, albeit without success, Salman and Yasir playing out 11 overs without a boundary.

Even if that passage of play was devoid of boundaries, Salman grafted his way to a half-century in 93 balls and pushed Pakistan passed the follow on mark -- Yasir ending that 66 boundary-less deliveries with a six off Mendis.

It was in the next over that Salman pushed forward to Jayasuriya, sending an outside edge catch to de Silva, Sri Lanka’s stand-in captain, at slip.

Captain Dimuth Karunratne did not take the field with a lower back injury, making his participation in Sri Lanka’s second innings doubtful.

Pakistan reached tea precariously placed on 111 for 4, first Test centurions Abdullah Shafique and Babar Azam removed cheaply.

Shafique was tempted into a drive off the second ball of the innings but played the wrong line and dragged the ball onto his stumps.

Having seen Pakistan to lunch on 15 for 1, opener Imam ul-Haq and Babar Azam added another 20 runs, before Jayasuriya claimed the prized wicket of Azam – the Pakistan captain, in similar fashion to Shafique, reaching out to a delivery outside off-stump to drag a cover drive onto his stumps.  

Ul-Haq was bowled by 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. 

Another partnership appeared to be blossoming between Mohammed Rizwan and Fawad Alam, but Mendis had his first scalp when he trapped Rizwan leg before wicket playing on his back foot.

Mendis also accounted for Alam and Mohammad Nawaz after the tea break, both having stitched short partnerships with Salman, as the hosts made huge gains in the final session of the day.

An aggressive spell from fast bowler Nasheem Shah removed both overnight batsmen, though Mendis held the lower order together to ensure Sri Lanka’s innings didn’t fully implode.

Naseem squared up Dinuth 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’s wait for a Test century continued, caught behind chasing a delivery going down the leg side, sending a faint edge through to wicketkeeper 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.