Sri Lanka took control of the third day of the Rawalpindi Test against Pakistan after an unbeaten 193-run partnership between Dhananjaya de Silva and captain Kusal Mendis left the hosts struggling to contain the visitors’ batting attack.
Sri Lanka resumed their first innings at 114 for three and continued to build their total against a Pakistan bowling attack featuring only two specialist bowlers.
At 155, Mohammad Abbas dismissed Kamindu Mendis, ending his 90-run partnership with Dhananjaya de Silva. However, Pakistan failed to take another wicket for the remainder of the day.
De Silva remained unbeaten on 167, while Kusal Mendis was not out on 117. Their partnership took Sri Lanka to 404 for four at stumps, leaving the visitors just 31 runs behind Pakistan’s first-innings total.
Pakistan Struggle with Limited Bowling Options
All four Sri Lankan wickets to fall were taken by Pakistan’s specialist fast bowlers Mohammad Abbas and Saqib Khan, raising questions about the team’s decision to field with only two specialist bowlers.
Razaullah, who made his debut in the final match of the series against England, has played only 10 first-class matches. Meanwhile, all-rounder Arafat Minhas, included as a specialist spin option, has taken just 22 wickets in 17 first-class appearances.
Pakistan’s limited bowling resources became increasingly evident as the Sri Lankan batters dominated the later stages of the day without further interruption.
Pakistan Declare First Innings at 434
Pakistan had declared their first innings at 434 for nine on the previous day.
Saud Shakeel led the scoring with 93 runs, while Tayyab Arif made 57, Arafat Minhas scored 52, Muhammad Taha contributed 51 and captain Babar Azam added 50.
For Sri Lanka, Asitha Fernando and Dilshan Madushanka were the leading bowlers, taking three wickets each.
With Sri Lanka reaching 404 for four, Pakistan now face the challenge of breaking the visitors’ remaining batting resistance and preventing them from building a substantial first-innings lead.