Steady Silva shines on shortened day
Day two of the first Test between Sri Lanka and Pakistan managed to see 64 overs played before bad light stopped play in Galle, with opener Kaushal Silva holding steady on 80 for the hosts.
After most of the morning was lost due to rain, adding to day one being washed out, Pakistan won the toss and opted to bowl. Silva led Sri Lanka to 178 for three at the close, Wahab Riaz bagging two wickets.
The day began with the ever-present covers hiding the grass, and despite the fact that the rain had stopped earlier in the morning, it took hours to clear the field of the water puddles that had accumulated.
They got underway with 16 overs to play before lunch, and in that time Sri Lanka lost the wicket of Dimuth Karunaratne. He was caught behind off Wahab for 21, having faced 42 balls. Silva had faced the same number for eight runs.
The afternoon, truncated, saw Silva and Kumar Sangakkara put on a century stand as they picked up the pace slightly. Sangakkara was unable to see out the day though, falling for 50 on the dot to Wahab as well.
Lahiru Thirimanne was the third and final scalp of the day, out to Mohammad Hafeez for eight, leaving Silva and skipper Angelo Mathews to navigate the fading light. The umpires eventually called it a day with eight overs left in the day.
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