Pakistan edged ahead of Sri Lanka on the third day of the ongoing first Test in Galle on Tuesday after a fantastic double hundred by Saud Shakeel.
At stumps, Sri Lanka were 14-0 and trailed by 135 runs.
The visitors were dismissed for 461, taking a lead of 149 runs, with middle-order batter Saud Shakeel scoring a superb unbeaten double century.
Shakeel stunned the audience with his excellent batting, scoring 208 runs with the help of 19 fours.
The left-hander found able support in Naseem Shah, who stood firm with six run in 78 balls, on the third day as the duo added crucial 94 runs for the ninth wicket.
Pakistan lost two wickets, Nauman Ali (25) and Shaheen Afridi (9) during the second session but kept the scoreboard ticking which helped stretch their lead in the first innings.
Ramesh Mendis bagged a five-wicket haul for Sri Lanka, meanwhile Prabath Jayasuriya claimed three wickets.
Earlier, Pakistan only lost one wicket during the morning session while also scoring 92 runs.
Agha Salman was sent back to the hut by spinner Ramesh Mendis after scoring 83 runs with the help of nine fours and a six.
Shakeel added 177 runs for the sixth wicket with Salman as Pakistan recovered after losing early wickets.
Shakeel was on 119, with the help of 10 fours, and Nauman Ali on 13 as players headed back to the pavilion for a breather.
The third day of the first Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Galle began after nearly an hour-long rain delay.
What happened on day two?
On day two, an unbeaten century stand between Saud Shakeel and Agha Salman rescued Pakistan from a precarious 101-5.
In response to Sri Lanka´s 312, Pakistan reached 221-5 when rain stopped play with the tourists still 91 runs behind.
Sri Lanka´s left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya took three wickets, including skipper Babar Azam.
Sri Lanka batter Dhananjaya de Silva had earlier made 122 to hand the hosts a respectable total.
"I know I can absorb the pressure with my experience of having played in 50 Tests and can control the game," said De Silva. "That is why the captain and management has trusted in me and given me the number six spot to bat."
But De Silva said they still fell "100 runs short" after they elected to bat first at the start of the two-match series.
Pakistan faltered in their reply before Shakeel, on 69, and Salman, on 61, put on 120 runs to steady the innings and thwart the Sri Lankan spinners.
The left- and right-hand batting combination of Shakeel and Salman mixed the right dose of caution and aggression, with 12 boundaries and a six between them.
The pair showed maturity in tackling the spinners by using their feet to get to the pitch of the ball, with Pakistan scoring at nearly five runs an over.
"Coming into these conditions one thing Sri Lanka does really well is hold opposition to miserly run rates and they get the wickets in between as well," Pakistan batter Shan Masood told reporters.
"We lost wickets but the way we played allowed us to stay in the game and once we got that healthy partnership going the two teams are in an even-steven position."
Sri Lanka had come out roaring when pace bowler Kasun Rajitha got Imam-ul-Haq out for one and Jayasuriya sent back Abdullah Shafique for 19.
The left-handed Masood hit back as he smashed 39 off 30 balls but fell lbw to Ramesh Mendis, who was denied the wicket by the on-field umpire before Sri Lanka successfully reviewed.
Azam fell when he got an inside edge onto his pads and the ball looped to short leg, taken by wicketkeeper Sadeera Samarawickrama.
De Silva earlier moved from his overnight 94 to register his 10th Test ton in his 50th match to bolster Sri Lanka´s position from a shaky 54-4 on Sunday.
Pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi, fellow quick Naseem Shah and leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed ended on three wickets each to bowl out Sri Lanka and lunch was called.
The second day´s play began early with revised timings for each of the three sessions and de Silva soon got to his hundred off Shaheen.
De Silva, who smashed 12 fours and three sixes, got useful runs with the lower order before he finally fell to Naseem, who struck twice after Pakistan took the second new ball.
— Additional input from AFP