Resuming play on the second day of the second Test, Sri Lanka set their eyes on a big score, pinging their hopes on the young centurion, Dhananjaya de Silva, who notched up his second Test ton on Sunday. And by the end of the first session on Monday (November 7), the tourists had mustered 124 runs, losing a couple of wickets, including the centurion. Asela Gunaratne (64 not out) continued to hold the fort for them with a stodgy fifty as Zimbabwe spilled a few chances to let Sri Lanka go ahead, perhaps a little too far for their comfort.

On a pitch that looked supreme for batting with not-so-wide cracks and a wafer thin blade of grass, Zimbabwean pacer Donald Tiripano emphasised on bowling in the right areas and creating pressure on the batsmen early in the day's play. But with the sun beating down hard at the Harare Sports Club, there was hardly any movement off the deck as it was all too easy for the overnight batsmen, de Silva and Asela Gunaratne, who played themselves in comfortably.

de Silva got into his own when he clipped a leg-sidish ball for the first boundary of the day, following it up with a single the very next ball to raise the 300 for Sri Lanka in the 94th over. A couple of overs later though, Zimbabwe had their first 'close' moment when Carl Mumba nipped one back into Gunaratne, only to strike him high. Skipper Graeme Cremer asked for a review which reiterated the same. A slip in concentration came calling for de Silva in the 97th over as he drove one straight back at Mumba who fluffed a sharp chance, only to attempt a loose drive on the next delivery for a thick edge to fly just over second slip.

While de Silva hogged all the attention in the first hour with the Zimbabwean bowlers going after him, Gunaratne quietly went about his business, batting patiently before pulling a short ball into the widish long-on fence for his first boundary, in the tenth over of the day.

With the pacers hardly getting any purchase from the wicket or lady luck, Cremer introduced himself into the attack to set the ball turning immediately. The skipper created a chance soon, with a sharp turner almost gushing through the defence of de Silva in the 103rd over. In the next over, there was another half-a-chance with a firm flick going straight into the ankle of the bat-pad fielder, albeit a tough one.

de Silva finally ran out of luck when he miscued a flick back towards Cremer who went low to his right to snaffle a sharp catch. The centurion was sent back for 127, bringing an end to the 87-run sixth wicket partnership.

Post the dismissal of de Silva, Gunaratne took charge as he dispatched a couple of balls beyond the ropes in back-to-back overs, before settling in for his second Test fifty in the 116th over. Just when Dilruwan Perera and Gunaratne looked all set to bat safely till lunch, Cremer produced a sharp turning delivery to trap Perera on the backfoot to have him out leg-before on 34 in the 117th over.

While the hosts have gone into the Lankan tail, they have conceded few runs too many to the visitors. It remains to be seen if captain Cremer can continue to inspire his boys with an extended spell and bowl Sri Lanka out quickly after lunch.

Brief scores: Sri Lanka 414/7 (Dhananjaya de Silva 127, Asela Gunaratne 64*; Graeme Cremer 3-91) vs Zimbabwe.

(Cricbuzz)