Sri Lanka’s prospects of winning their first away series since 1999-00 (excluding those in Bangladesh and Zimbabwe) improved significantly after their captain Angelo Mathews and debutant Dilruwan Perera, picked primarily for his offspin, batted vast periods of time on the second day in Sharjah.

Both batsmen were dismissed in the 90s, and because of their slow run rate Sri Lanka scored only 428 despite batting nearly two days, but Pakistan’s inability to take ten wickets deprived them of precious time in a Test they need to win to level the series.

The day’s centrepiece was the seventh-wicket stand between Mathews and Perera that spanned 53.2 overs and produced 112 runs. But their resistance would not have reached such proportions if Pakistan had better luck. They had been on the wrong end of four reviews on the first day – three umpire’s-call decisions went Sri Lanka’s way and the trend continued.

Perera missed becoming the fourth Sri Lankan batsman to score a Test century on debut, but his innings ensured Sri Lanka were on their way to a series win.