Debutants Mohammad Aamer and Saeed Ajmal combined to wreck Sri Lanka's batting and put Pakistan on the road to victory in the first cricket Test here on Monday.
The pace-spin duo grabbed three wickets each as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 217 in their second innings on the third day, leaving Pakistan a modest victory target of 168 runs.
The tourists, who have never lost a Test series in Sri Lanka, ended the day at 71-2 and have two days to score the remaining 97 runs with eight wickets in hand for a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Sri Lanka removed Khurram Manzoor and skipper Younus Khan in the space of three runs to make Pakistan 39-2, but opener Salman Butt (28 not out) and veteran Mohammad Yousuf (12 not out) saw out the day.
Teenage left-arm fast bowler Aamir broke the back of Sri Lanka's batting with three wickets for two runs, before off-spinner Ajmal polished off the tail in front of some 5,000 stunned home fans at the Galle International Stadium.
The 17-year-old Aamer followed his three wickets in the first innings with a hostile burst soon after lunch.
He had Tharanga Paranavitana, Mahela Jayawardene and skipper Kumar Sangakkara caught by wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal in the space of 16 deliveries on a lively wicket freshened up by early morning rain.
Paranavitana, top scorer in Sri Lanka's first innings with 72, once again held the innings together with 49, but found little support from the top order.
Jayawardene failed to score and Sangakkara, leading Sri Lanka for the first time in a Test series, made nine and 14 in the two innings.
Sri Lanka were reduced to 101-5 when Thilan Samaraweera (34) and Tillakaratne Dilshan (22) put on 37 for the sixth wicket
Sri Lanka's last three wickets added 61 valuable runs after the seventh wicket had fallen at 156 with the hosts just 106 runs ahead.
Angelo Mathews hit 27, Nuwan Kulasekera chipped in with 25 and Thilan Thushara remained unbeaten on 15.
Ajmal removed the dangerous Samaraweera to a catch in the slips before taking the last two wickets of Kulasekera and Mendis.
When the day's play started 30 minutes late due to a wet outfield, Pakistan broke through off the second ball when Malinda Warnapura edged Umar Gul to a diving Younus at second slip before a run had been scored.
Left-handed Paranavitana and Rangana
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Herath defied the Pakistani seamers to put on 68 for the second wicket before nightwatchman Herath was trapped leg-before-wicket by Younus just before lunch.
The three-match series is the first between the two nations since gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan team bus in the Pakistani city of Lahore on March 3 while the squad was en route to resume a Test match.
The attack left seven Sri Lankan players injured and eight Pakistani security forces dead.
The two teams recently contested the World 1\venty20 final in England, in which Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by eight wickets.
SCOREBOARD
Scoreboard at stumps on the third day of the first Test
between Pakistan and Sri
Lanka at the Galle International Stadium on Monday.
SRI LANKA: First innings 292 (Paranavitana 72, Mathews 42, Kulasekera 38; Aamer 3-74, Rauf2-59)
PAKISTAN: First innings 342 (Yousuf 112, Misbahul 56; Kulasekera 4-71, Thushara 2-77)
SRI LANKA: Second innings (overnight 0-0)
Herath lbw b Younus 15
WarnapuracYounusbGul 0
Paranavitana c Akmal b Aamer 49
Sangakkara cAkmal bAamer 14 Jayawardenec Akmal b Aamer 0 SamaraweeracMisbahb Ajmal 34 DiIshancManzoorb Younus 22 Mathews c Butt b Rauf 27 Kulasekera lbw b Ajmal 25
Thushara not out 15
Mendisb Ajmal 1
Extras: (lb-7,nb-7,w-l) 15
Total: (All out in 56.2 overs) 217
Fail of wickets: 1-0,2-68,3-86, 4-88, 5-101, 6-138, 7-156, 8-191,9-211,10-217.
Bowler O M R W
Aamer 11 2 38 3
Gul 10 2 62 1
Rauf 13 1 49 1
Younus 10 1 27 2
Ajmal 12.2 0 34 3
PAKISTAN: Second innings ManzoorcJayawardenebMendis 15 Buttnotout 28
Younus lbwb Mathews 3
Yousufnotout 12
Extras: (b-12,w-l) 13
Total (For2wkts in 19 overs) 71 To bat: Misbahul, Malik, Akmal, Gul, Ajmal, Aamer, Rauf.
Fall of wickets: 1-36,2-39.
Bowler O M R W
Kulasekera 5 1 14 0
Thushara 4 0 9 0
Mathews 4 0 13 1
Mendis 5 0 17 1
Herath 10 6 0