Dasun Shanaka completed a century against Leicestershire on Saturday’s second day of the islanders’ final warm-up match before next week’s first Test against England.
But at stumps, Leicestershire were well-placed on 304 for five in reply to Sri Lanka’s first innings 367, a deficit of 63 runs heading into Sunday’s third and final day at Grace Road.
Shanaka was 91 not out in an overnight total of 318 for eight and the first 7.1 overs of Saturday’s play saw the tourists add 49 runs.
The scoring included Shanaka completing a 122-ball century, while Rangana Herath — who showed his worth as a lower-order batsman during Sri Lanka’s victorious tour of England in 2014 — made a fifty as the pair took their ninth-wicket stand to 174.
Left-arm spinner Herath then struck with the ball, removing openers Angus Robson and Lewis Hill.
But a fifth-wicket partnership of 128 between Michael Burgess (98) and Tom Wells (53 not out) checked Sri Lanka’s progress,
Burgess was in sight of his maiden first-class hundred when he gave a return to Milinda Siriwardana that ended an innings of 124 balls which included 13 fours.
