Sri Lanka’s openers Tillakaratne Dilshan and Tharanga Paranavitana compiled their best stand of the series to frustrate Australia in the second Test on Sunday.
Sri Lanka, trailing by 237 runs on the first innings, moved to 83-1 in their second knock by lunch on the fourth day at the Pallekele International Stadium.
Australia captain Michael Clarke, worried over forecasts of bad weather over the last two days of the match, declared his team’s first innings at their overnight score of 411-7.
Skipper Dilshan and Paranavitana, whose previous partnerships in the series were four, zero and two, finally broke the shackles with a fluent opening stand of 81.
Under bright skies they warded off the early threat from the Australian seamers on a good batting wicket.
Paranavitana took two successive boundaries off Harris and Dilshan drove the same bowler past mid-on for another four.
But Dilshan undid the good work just before lunch with a wild heave soon after a five-minute stoppage due to bad light.
The captain, who looked settled in after making 36, drove at a wide ball outside the off-stump from seamer Ryan Harris and only managed to edge a catch to Shane Watson at first slip.
Left-hander Paranavitana was unbeaten on 33 at the break and Kumar Sangakkara had yet to score.
The tourists are looking to clinch the three-match series on their first Test tour of Sri Lanka since 2004 after winning the opening contest in Galle by 125 runs.
