Angelo Mathews Foils Pakistan Again as Sri Lanka Turns the Screw in Pallekele

With Angelo Mathews at the helm, Sri Lanka are on course to win the third and final Test against Pakistan in Pallekele.

The hosts closed Day 3 of the series decider on 228 for five in their second innings, meaning a lead of 291.

Captain Mathews made 77 not out to steer his side towards glory. The biggest obstacle that may yet stand in their way is not the opposition, but inclement weather.

Rain and then bad light meant Sunday's play was cut to 71.4 overs, though the game is at such an advanced stage ,that it might take a few serious downpours to deny Sri Lanka.

Pakistan had sensed an opportunity to bowl themselves back into the contest when they had the home team 80 for four.

Upul Tharanga's departure for a breezy 48 left Sri Lanka teetering, particularly after they had collapsed from 133 for two to 248 for seven in their first innings.

Martin Hunter/Getty Images

Mathews, though, made sure his side did not surrender their grip on proceedings.

He combined with team-mates Jehan Mubarak (35) and Dinesh Chandimal, who was 39 not out at stumps, to put on half-century stands that slowly sunk Pakistan's slim hopes.

Mathews had fallen cheaply in his first trip to the crease, one of five wickets to fall to leg-spinner Yasir Shah, but was not going to make the same mistake second time around.

The all-rounder’s score of three on day one was a rare failure against Pakistan.

In 16 previous Tests against Misbah-ul-Haq’s side, the right-hander had made eight scores of 50 or more, the best of them being an unbeaten 157 that spared Sri Lanka from defeat in Abu Dhabi in a match that straddled 2013 and 2014.

Another century is within sight—it would be his first three-figure score in 2015 but his fifth overall, with all but one of them coming as captain.

As pointed out by Cricketopia on Twitter, the 28-year-old continues to show that leadership has been a blessing for his batting, rather than a burden:

"

Highest Test batting-average as captain (min 1000 runs) #SLvsPAK pic.twitter.com/qbTTJ997sy

— Cricketopia.com (@Cricketopia) July 5, 2015"

Sri Lanka's response since being comprehensively beaten in the opening Test in Galle has been impressive.

In the last match in Colombo, they successfully chased down a target of 153 to triumph, and now, despite being without the services of Kumar Sangakkara, they have batted themselves into a position to complete the comeback from a 1-0 deficit in the series.

The three previous matches played at Pallekele International Stadium have all ended in draws—Sri Lanka are in a fabulous position to end that run, weather permitting, of course.

All stats used in the article were from ESPN Cricinfo