Offspinner Tharindu Kaushal and pacer Dhammika Prasad carved out Pakistan's batting order, bowling the visitors out for 138 on the first day of the second Test at P Sara Oval. Pakistan had gone into lunch at a promising 70 for 2, with Mohammad Hafeez and Younis Khan at the crease but an implosion in the second session - which was extended past the regular tea break after a 55-minute rain interruption - saw Pakistan lose eight wickets for 68. All this was done without an over from Rangana Herath, who had tormented Pakistan last year.
Kaushal, who made his Test debut against New Zealand in December last year was picked for the second Test in place of the injured Dilruwan Perera. He was given only one over before lunch, but he owned the second session with a spell of nine overs, conceding 35 runs for five wickets. He tossed up the ball, extracted sharp turn and also made use of the bounce on offer from the track.
He deceived both Mohammad Hafeez and Asad Shadiq with turn, and the former's wicket, coming close on the heels of Younis Khan's dismissal, left Pakistan in a position similar to their first innings of the Galle Test. There was to be no rescue act from Pakistan. The 31st over, cleaved in half by a rain break, saw two wickets fall - Kaushal trapped Shafiq plumb in front, and then Misbah-ul-Haq was run-out by a mile, a result of poor calling between the Pakistan captain and Sarfraz Ahmed.
Sarfraz nudged, nurdled and tried to get a revival going with the lower order but he fell to a tossed up delivery from Kaushal, lobbed to Angelo Mathews at first slip. Pakistan's innings lasted only four overs after that and a great catch from Sangakkara at long-on, fittingly capped off Kaushal's five-for.
If the second session belonged to Kaushal, the first had been set up Sri Lanka's quick bowlers, Prasad and debutant Dushmantha Chameera, who responded to the challenge of having to bowl first.
Prasad struck early with Ahmed Shehzad's wicket, bending his back to extract all the help he could find from the pitch, but just as impressive was the Test debutant Dushmantha Chameera, who harried Pakistan's batsmen with speeds of 145kph in his first spell, and even reached close to the 150kph mark in the second session.
There was swing on offer, too, and his pace and accuracy discomfited Azhar Ali and Hafeez during their 46-run, second wicket partnership. The pair found themselves squared up and often late on defensive and pull shots, besides having to fend accurate, swinging yorkers from the young pacer.
Just as the pair had seen off the toughest period of play, Prasad returned in the 16th over and got a wicket off his first ball, with umpire Paul Reifell overturning the on-field umpire's decision and declaring Azhar out caught behind.
Hafeez's innings had held most of the first session together, and he hit some pleasing shots during his stay - the straight drive off Chameera to bring up Pakistan's 50 was one of them. A partnership between him and Younis could have left Pakistan in a very different situation, but the latter struggled in his 100th Test appearance, surviving a few lbw calls on 0. In the first over after lunch, he tried dropping his wrists to what appeared to be a short delivery off Prasad. The ball didn't sit up as much as he anticipated and he only ended up lobbing it to Dinesh Chandimal behind the stumps, setting off the implosion.
Chameera also got among the wickets towards the end of Pakistan's innings, when Zulfiqar Babar chopped a quick delivery on to his stumps.
(ESPN Cricinfo)
