Sri Lankan fast bowler Chaminda Vaas grabbed six wickets to bowl West Indies out for 148 and the hosts took a firm grip on the second Test by racing to 122-2 at tea on the second day on Saturday.
Play was abandoned in the last session due to rain and will resume on Sunday 30 minutes earlier
Sri Lanka, dismissed for 150 in their first innings, wrestled the initiative away from the tourists during the afternoon, extending their lead to 124 by the break.
Kumar Sangakkara was unbeaten on 36 and Mahela Jayawardene, who was hit on his top hand by a fierce Tino Best bouncer, was 30 not out at tea having added 65 for the third wicket.
Vaas was in ominous form in the morning, snapping up the wickets of Denesh Ramdin and Daren Powell in his first over of the day to add to the four he claimed on Friday, finishing with 6-22.
Left-arm spinner Sanath Jayasuriya broke through in the opening over of the day as Narsingh Deonarine, the sheet anchor with 36 not out the previous evening, was caught and bowled for 40.
Vaas needed just three balls to trap wicketkeeper Ramdin lbw for 13 with an inswinger. Three balls later Powell (0) ended up chopping on to his leg stump.
West Indies had lost three wickets in 12 balls to leave them in danger of conceding a significant first innings deficit on 101-8.
But off spinner Omari Banks and Best frustrated Sri Lanka after Vaas left the field for treatment and added 21 runs in 46 balls for the ninth wicket.
Off spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, still struggling with a flu virus and not bowling at his best, eventually had Banks caught at short leg for 17.
Best, though, continued to frustrate the hosts with an aggressive 26 not out that included five boundaries, adding 26 for the last wicket before Jermaine Lawson was bowled.
Marvan Atapattu (19) and Sanath Jayasuriya (36) survived a potentially tricky 23-minute session before the lunch break and then played confidently in the afternoon, adding 55 in 73 balls.
Jayasuriya cracked seven boundaries in his 43-ball knock and Atapattu stroked a couple of imperious strokes off the back foot to suggest a return to form.
But Atapattu then creamed a square cut straight to Banks at backward point and Jayasuriya was surprised by some extra bounce and caught in the slips off Lawson to leave Sri Lanka 57-2.
Scorecard
Sri Lanka 1st innings 150 (D. Powell 5-25)
West Indies 1st innings (Overnight: 92-5)
X. Marshall c Atapattu b Vaas 4
R. Ramdass run out 3
R. Morton b Vaas 1
S. Chanderpaul lbw b Vaas 13
S. Joseph c Dilshan b Vaas 18
N. Deonarine c&b Jayasuriya 40
D. Ramdin lbw b Vaas 13
O. Banks c Dilshan b Muralitharan 17
D. Powell b Vaas 0
T. Best not out 26
J. Lawson b Muralitharan 3
Extras (b-4 lb-2 nb-4) 10
Total (all out, 58.1 overs) 148
Fall of wickets: 1-9 2-9 3-12 4-27 5-75 6-97 7-101 8-101 9-122 10-148
Bowling: Vaas 15 - 6 - 22 - 6, Malinga 9 - 3 - 22 - 0 (nb-3), Wijekoon 5 - 2 - 9 - 0 (nb-1), Muralitharan 9.1 - 0 - 37 - 2, Herath 9 - 0 - 26 - 0, Jayasuriya 11 - 3 - 26 - 1
Sri Lanka 2nd innings
S. Jayasuriya c Morton b Lawson 36
M. Atapattu c Banks b D. Powell 19
K. Sangakkara not out 46
M. Jayawardene not out 38
Extras (b-4 nb-3) 7
Total (for 2 wickets, 41.1 overs) 146
Fall of wickets: 1-55 2-57
To bat: T. Samaraweera, T. Dilshan, C. Vaas, G. Wijekoon, R. Herath, M. Muralitharan, L. Malinga
Bowling: D. Powell 12 - 0 - 45 - 1,Lawson 9 - 1 - 36 - 1, Best 9 - 2 - 27 - 0 (nb-1), Banks 7 - 2 - 19 - 0, Deonarine 1 - 0 - 6 - 0, Morton 3.1 - 0 - 9 - 0 (nb-2)
