Pakistan’s leading side will be looking to pick up wickets against Sri Lanka, who resume their second innings on the fourth day of the first Test in Galle on Wednesday.
The home side took a 149-run lead against the hosts on Tuesday thanks to middle-order batsman Saud Shakeel’s maiden double century.
In the final session, Pakistan were bowled out for 461 after a disappointing ninth-wicket partnership of 94, Shakeel, who remained unbeaten on 208, and Naseem Shah, who hit sixes off 78 balls.
Earlier, the 27-year-old Shakeel, who is playing his sixth Test, got a standing ovation after hitting Dhananjaya de Silva for a boundary to reach his double century.
“When Naseem Shah joined me, he said there is a chance for me to score a double century,” Shakeel told reporters after the marathon knock.
“A lot of credit to him for backing me up and not letting me panic.”
The hosts finished the day 14-0 after play was stopped due to poor light.
Nishan Madushka, eight, and skipper Dimuth Karunaratne, six, were batting at the stumps.
Spinner Ramesh Mendis took five wickets but Shakeel joined the tailenders in a seventh-wicket partnership of 52 runs with Nauman Ali, who scored 25 runs.
But it was his 177-run partnership with Agha Salman, who scored 83, that brought Pakistan back into the game after Sri Lanka slipped to 101-5 in reply for 312.
“When I went in to bat, I wanted to attack. If I had tried to defend, we would have been bowled out for 150,” Shakeel said.
“That’s why I attacked and was able to take the game deep.”
Sri Lanka coach Chris Silverwood said: “I don’t think we were at our best with the ball. It was good to see Ramesh get the five wickets he deserved as a unit. We were that good. We weren’t as good as we could have been.”
“We were able to control their run-rate to a certain extent today but unfortunately, we missed a few key opportunities which hurt us.”
