De Silva, Mathews help Sri Lanka fight back in Galle Test

Dhananjaya de Silva and Angelo Mathews hit half-centuries as Sri Lanka fought back from 54-4 before lunch to 185-5 at tea on day one of the first Test against Pakistan on Sunday.

De Silva (74 not out) and Mathews (64) put on a partnership of 131 before Pakistan leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed broke the stand and umpires called tea in Galle.

Pakistan pace ace Shaheen Shah Afridi claimed three wickets to rattle the hosts on a rain-hit opening day's play.

Mathews, playing his 105th Test, raised his 39th half-century in the five-day format, while de Silva completed his fifty with a six.

But, with the pair looking comfortable and de Silva starting to take on the bowlers with boundaries, Abrar got former captain Mathews caught behind.

Sri Lanka looked in trouble at lunch, which was put back by an hour after officials adjusted the length of the three sessions to make up for a rain delay of nearly 90 minutes.

Shaheen, a left-arm quick playing his 26th Test, moved from 99 to a century of wickets on his return from injury when he sent back Nishan Madushka caught behind for four in his second over.

The 23-year-old Pakistani star injured his knee at the same venue a year ago.

Rain soon arrived in Galle to interrupt play but Shaheen took another wicket when action resumed as he got Kusal Mendis out for 12.

Skipper Dimuth Karunaratne hit back with a few boundaries before Shaheen got him out for 29, caught behind attempting a glance down the leg side.

Fast bowler Naseem Shah soon joined in to get Dinesh Chandimal out for one with a quick delivery as skipper Babar Azam pulled off a tough catch at third slip.

Earlier, Sri Lanka won the toss and chosen to bat first against Pakistan in the first Test of the two-match series.

Sri Lanka, who finished fifth but just missed out on playing the final of the championship in the previous cycle, have picked two regular spinners including Ramesh Mendis and Prabath Jayasuriya.

Babar Azam's team have not won a Test since their victory at the same venue last year. The previous series ended 1-1 after the hosts bounced back to win the second Test, also in Galle.

Playing XI

Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), Nishan Madhushka, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva, Sadeera Samarawickrama (wk), Ramesh Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Kasun Rajitha, Vishwa Fernando

Pakistan: Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Babar Azam (capt), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel, Agha Salman, Nauman Ali, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi

"Really excited to be back in red-ball format and all eyes are on the Galle Test as we are prepared and ready for the challenge," Azam told reporters on Saturday.

The batsman is the only cricketer in the world ranked in the top three in all three formats -- third in Tests, first in ODIs and second in T20 internationals.

But his side's form is a marked contrast: they have won none of their last six Tests, and last year's Galle fixture was their only long-format victory since the start of 2022.

"We are taking one step at a time, but we have to be consistent across all formats," Azam said.

"One of the positives going into the Galle Test is that 13 of our players were here 12 months ago."

The two-match series marks the start of their ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 participation, and Azam was delighted to have Shaheen Shah Afridi back in the side.

The fast bowler is sitting on 99 Test wickets and will aim to become the fourth-fastest Pakistan quick to complete a century of wickets.

He has been waiting to reach the mark for a year, after being injured at the same Galle ground.

"Besides his wicket-taking abilities, his presence always motivates and lifts the side. I know Shaheen has badly missed red-ball cricket and is hungry for Test cricket," the captain added.

Pakistan will make full use of newly appointed team director Mickey Arthur -- a former Sri Lanka coach -- as a source of information about the opposition.

"Like any host country, Sri Lanka will like to play to their strength, which is spin bowling," said Azam.

"We have had good feedback about the Sri Lanka side from their former coach and I think we are well prepared to take them on."

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Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne said his main aim was to win all the home matches in the ICC World Test Championship and a few away from home, to ensure they have a chance of qualifying for the finals.

"It's good to start the World Test Championship with a home series," he said.

"We know the teams we are up against. We could have easily been in the finals if we had won the two Tests against Australia and Pakistan last year.

"We've learnt from our mistakes and we are well prepared for the first Test."

Sri Lanka are putting out almost the same side that beat Ireland 2-0 in a two-match series in April, the only change being Kasun Rajitha replacing Asitha Fernando.

Karunaratne said it was crucial that the openers negotiate Shaheen's overs.

"Once the ball gets old and with the wind, he can reverse the ball as well," he said.

"If you look at the Pakistan side they are well equipped in all departments," he added.

"Both teams are confident but we are looking at winning every session and dominating the match."