Pakistan tightened their grip on the opening test with a commanding all-round performance, leaving Sri Lanka reeling at 114/3 by stumps on Day 2 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

Resuming the morning session at 281/5, Pakistan’s lower-order continued to torment the visitors. Saud Shakeel spearheaded the charge, pushing seamlessly toward a century with a patient 93 before being undone by Asitha Fernando, who celebrated his 100th Test milestone with the breakthrough. Shakeel found an able partner in Ghazi Ghori, who fell agonizingly short of a debut half-century on 48. However, another white-ball debutant, Arafat Minhas, stepped up aggressively, playing a proactive knock of 52 to push Pakistan to a formidable first-innings total of 434/9 before Babar Azam declared.

Sri Lanka’s reply got off to a disastrous start against a highly disciplined Pakistan pace attack. Veteran seamer Mohammad Abbas struck early by dismissing opener Pasindu Sooriyabandara for a duck. Shortly after, Saqib Khan claimed his maiden Test wicket by removing Dinesh Chandimal, leaving the visitors in deep trouble early in the evening session. Lahiru Udara offered a brief counter-punch with a rapid 42, but his departure left the responsibility squarely on Kamindu Mendis (40*) and captain Dhananjaya de Silva (22*) to grind out the remaining overs and preserve wickets heading into Day 3.

Brief scores at Stumps (Day 2)

Pakistan: 434/9d (106.3 ov): Saud Shakeel 93, Tayyab Arif 57, Arafat Minhas 52, Mohammad Taha 51, Babar Azam 50, Asitha Fernando 3/107, Dilshan Madushanka 3/108

Sri Lanka: 114/3 (27.1 ov): Lahiru Udara 42, Kamindu Mendis 40*, Dhananjaya de Silva 22*, Saqib Khan 2/54, Mohammad Abbas 1/23