Babar leads Pakistan recovery after Jayasuriya's haul

Captain Babar Azam stood firm amid a batting collapse to compile his seventh Test hundred on Sunday and lead Pakistan's fightback against hosts Sri Lanka on the second day of the series opener in Galle.

Sri Lanka's left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya continued his dream start in Tests by picking up his third five-wicket haul in as many innings and helped the hosts, who made 222 after batting first, reduce Pakistan to 7-85 midway through the morning session.

But Pakistan added 133 for their last three wickets to reach 218, courtesy of Babar's heroic 119 before the 27-year-old became the final wicket to fall for the touring side.

Sri Lanka extended their overall lead to 40 at the close of play, reaching 1-36 after losing captain Dimuth Karunaratne for 16 in their second innings.

Babar curbed his attacking instincts and farmed most of the strike to shield his tail-end partners, adding 27 for the eighth wicket with Yasir Shah (18), another 36 for the ninth with Hasan Ali (17) and a further 70 for the last with Naseem Shah, who made only five.

The stylish right-hander, who during his knock became the fastest Pakistan batter to complete 10,000 international runs, leapt and punched the air as he scampered for a single off spinner Maheesh Theekshana (2-68) to get to his century.

Naseem scored his first run on the 39th ball he faced, showing resolute defence to support his skipper during his unbeaten 52-ball stay.

Sri Lanka have won 22 of their 39 previous tests matches at the Galle International Stadium, where the pitch offers a lot of turn and bounce for the spinners, and the hosts' slow bowlers once again put them in a dominant position.

The 30-year-old Jayasuriya, who took 12 wickets on debut against Australia at the same ground last week, spun a web around Pakistan's middle-order batters with figures of 5-82.

The off-spin duo of Theekshana, who dismissed Babar, and Ramesh Mendis provided able support by picking up two wickets each.

It was announced by Sri Lanka Cricket on Sunday that the second and deciding Test of the series due to be played in Colombo from July 24-28 will instead be moved to Galle, meaning the picturesque seaside ground will have hosted four Tests in the space of a month.

SLC said in a statement the decision had been made to ease the logistical challenges faced by stakeholders in carrying out tour related operations due to the escalating political and economic crisis facing the country.