Pakistan removed Sri Lanka’s top five in a little over a session, but had given up so much ground in the first innings that they remain in a desperate situation. They are 323 runs back at the end of day three, with five Sri Lanka wickets still remaining.
On a day curtailed by bad light, the hosts took the visitors’ last four wickets for 40 runs, obtaining a 147-run first innings lead thanks to Ramesh Mendis’ five-wicket haul. Pakistan’s bowlers then did their best to keep Sri Lanka in check by having the hosts 117 for 5 in the second innings, before a 59-run unbeaten stand between Dhananjaya de Silva and Dimuth Karunaratne re-established Sri Lanka’s dominance.
Although Karunaratne was clearly struggling with a lower-back injury that had kept him off the field for much of Pakistan’s first innings and prevented him from coming in any earlier than at No. 6, he had moved to 27 off 51 balls before the teams went off for bad light. De Silva was on 30 off 52.
Pakistan had begun the day well, though perhaps unambitiously. Yasir Shah and Hasan Ali batted out almost 14 overs, but struck only one boundary when Hasan came down the track to launch Prabath Jayasuriya over midwicket, and made just 30 runs together for the eighth wicket.
Sri Lanka’s spinners had occasionally threatened with the old ball, but when they took the new one – just before the first hour of play was up – they were consistently menacing.
Jayasuriya broke the stand, as Hasan could only get an under-edge on to the stumps as he tried to sweep. Soon after, Nauman Ali had his outside edge taken by a big-turning Ramesh delivery, before Yasir was trapped in front by the same bowler to wrap the innings up for 231. Ramesh got 5 for 47 – his third five-wicket haul in Tests – while Jayasuriya took 3 for 80.
As Karunaratne could no earlier than 2.20pm local time since he had been off the field too long, Niroshan Dickwella opened the innings for Sri Lanka, but without substantial success. He survived the five overs he and fellow opener Oshada Fernando faced before lunch, but was out in the first over of the afternoon, nicking a Naseem Shah ball that was angled across him on 15.
Three other Pakistan bowlers took the three remaining wickets to fall in that session. Yasir had Oshada lbw less than five overs after Dickwella’s dismissal. Mohammad Nawaz got Kusal Mendis lbw trying to sweep very soon after that.
