Sri Lanka on top in second Test as Pakistan batters struggle

Spinner Ramesh Mendis took three wickets to put Sri Lanka in command of the second Test on Monday despite a fighting 62 by Pakistan batsman Agha Salman.

Tourists Pakistan, who lead the two-match series 1-0, ended day two on 191-7, still trailing Sri Lanka by 187 runs in their first innings in Galle.

Salman resisted the bowling attack with his maiden Test fifty but fell to Prabath Jayasuriya's left-arm spin in the final moments of play before stumps were called.

Jayasuriya got Salman caught at slip with a drifter coming into the right-handed batsman.

Salman, who made his debut in the previous match, put on 46 runs with Yasir Shah, batting on 13, to lift Pakistan from 145-6. He expects the lower order to fire come day three.

"The way the partnership was going, we wanted to see off the day and come back tomorrow to start afresh, but it's cricket, and it happens," said Salman.

"Disappointed, but still we have enough batters who can utilise the situation and add to the total," he added.

"They were bowling well, to be very honest, and they were not giving runs, that's why they took the wickets. They were playing patient games, and we lacked that."

Pakistan suffered from a lack of partnerships after losing first-match hero Abdullah Shafique for a duck and skipper Babar Azam for 16 on either side of the lunch break.

Jayasuriya, who took 21 wickets in his first two Tests, bowled Azam on a turning delivery that got the edge of the dangerman's bat to crash onto the stumps.

Imam-ul-Haq attempted to rebuild the innings with Mohammad Rizwan, but Dhananjaya de Silva broke through with his off-spin to send back Imam on 32.

De Silva is standing in as captain in place of Dimuth Karunaratne, who did not take the field in the Pakistan innings because