GALLE, Sri Lanka, (Reuters) – Mohammad Yousuf celebrated his return to international cricket with a century yesterday to give Pakistan a 50-run lead on the second day of a  delicately balanced first test against Sri Lanka.

At the close, Sri Lanka were nought for no wicket in their  second innings after Pakistan had been dismissed for 342.
Yousuf, recalled to the national team after his ban for  playing in the unofficial Indian Cricket League was lifted,  scored 112 from 185 balls before he was run out. His innings  included 10 boundaries and was his 24th test century in a  80-test career.
The 34-year-old right-hander was supported by Misbah ul-Haq,  who scored 56 and helped add 139 runs for the fifth wicket, the  most productive partnership of the match to date.

Resuming the day on 15 for two, Younus Khan (25) and Abdur  Rauf (31) started Pakistan’s recovery after the loss of their  openers on Saturday evening with a 50-run stand for the third  wicket.

However, paceman Nuwan Kulasekara (4-70), the pick of the  Sri Lanka bowlers, claimed the first victim of the day with the  dismissal of nightwatchman Rauf, who edged to wicket-keeper  Tillakaratne Dilshan.

All-rounder Angelo Mathews then snared a wicket in his first  over in test cricket, finding the outside edge of Younus’s bat  with an outswinger to dismiss the Pakistan skipper. Yousuf steadied the innings in partnership with Misbah  either side of the lunch interval.

The tourists appeared to enjoy some good fortune when umpire  umpire Darryl Harper rejected a confident bat-pad appeal off  left-arm spinner Rangana Herath when Yousuf was on 57.

Herath did eventually strike as Misbah tried to work a  delivery through the leg-side and was caught at slip.
Yousuf built a 75-run partnership with former captain Shoaib  Malik (38) to frustrate Sri Lanka further before Dilshan seized  on some hesitant running with a direct hit at the non-strikers’  end.

The second new ball also worked for Sri Lanka with  Kulasekara producing a perfect leg-cutter to knock back Malik’s  off stump and then producing a similar delivery to bowl Umar Gul  (7).

Kamral Akmal counter-attacked after a shaky start, crashing  six fours in his 35-ball 31 before he was run out by a brilliant  throw from Angelo Mathews on the boundary.