Pakistan on top after Yasir Shah's 4-wicket haul

Pakistan players rejoice after Younis Khan produced a smart catch to dismiss Upal Tharanga of Yasir Shah’s bowling.

Six wickets fell to spin on the opening day of the third and deciding Test match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan, as the hosts crumbled from a commanding 106 for 1 to finish with 272 for 8 at Stumps on Day 1. Dimuth Karunarathne was the pick of the Lankan batsmen with a superb knock of 130 runs, his second Test century. Yasir Shah however handed Pakistan the advantage by the end of the day picking up four wickets, along with good support from Azhar Ali who dismissed the centurion and wicketkeeper Dhammika Prasad in successive balls.

This was the first Test since Sri Lanka faced Bangladesh in July 2002, that neither Kumar Sangakkara nor Mahela Jayawardene featured in the team. With the series level at one-a-piece, Pakistan skipper Misbah Ul Haq chose to bowl first after winning the toss at Pallekele.

Both teams made four changes as Suranga Lakmal and Nuwan Pradeep came in, while Rengana Herath was dropped.Upal Tharanga and Jehan Mubarak was drafted in the batting department, the latter featuring in his first test for over eight years. Pakistan brought in opener Shan Masood and bolstered their pace attack with the addition of Rahat Ali, imran Khan and Eshan Adil.

Following Kaushal Silva’s early dismissal, Karunarathne along with Upal Tharanga, who was playing his first Test match in a year, steadied the ship to ensure a good morning session for the hosts. They guided the score to 85/1 at lunch.

Karunarathne punches the air in delight after notching up his second test ton

Tharanga fell trying to place an expansive shot to bring the 91 run partnership to an end, giving Yasir Shah his first wicket of the day. He picked up two more in the post lunch session as Lahiru Thirimanne and skipper Angelo Mathews both attempted to hit their way out of trouble against the leg-spinner.

Mubarak and Chandimal staged a mini recovery of sorts with a 67-run partnership for the fifth wicket helping Sri Lanka reach 204/4, but yet again Shah proved a menace outfoxing Mubarak with a beauty.

Spin continued to rule proceedings as Azhar Ali’s twin dismissals further pegged back Sri Lanka, giving Pakistan the edge.