RAWALPINDI: Dhananjaya de Silva gave Sri Lanka a foothold in the first Test on Wednesday, carrying the visitors to 221-4 at lunch on the third day with an unbeaten 87.
The former Sri Lanka captain left his side 213 runs behind Pakistan’s first-innings 434-9 declared, with six wickets in hand. Sri Lanka reached the interval after 60 overs at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
The score reflected a recovery rather than a rescue. Pakistan began the day with a large advantage over a Sri Lanka side resuming at 114-3, and the visitors added 107 runs in the morning session while losing only one wicket.
The Washington Post described de Silva’s innings as a gritty comeback. His unbeaten 87 kept Pakistan from turning their first-innings total into a quicker collapse of the Sri Lankan middle order.
Pakistan, led by Babar Azam, still held the stronger position at lunch, because the deficit remained substantial. The afternoon session was left to decide whether de Silva could narrow it further.
This report covers the lunch interval on Day 3; play continued afterward.
