Ramesh Mendis led the Sri Lanka fightback at Galle with a six-wicket haul to bowl out the West Indies, but the hosts stumbled after returning to bat in the second Test on Wednesday.

Sri Lanka were 46-2 at stumps on day three, trailing by just three runs. But they lost Dimuth Karunaratne, who made six before he was run out in a superb piece of fielding by Kyle Mayers.

Karunaratne was man of the match in the first Test with scores of 147 and 83 but paid the price for attempting a quick early single as Mayers ran in and found him well short of the crease. 

Oshada Fernando too was run out after being turned back by non-striker Pathum Nissanka. 

With Angelo Mathews out with a hamstring injury, losing two early wickets was a massive blow for Sri Lanka. They have never lost a home Test to West Indies.

Earlier, off-spinner Mendis belatedly found his line and length, dismissing Nkrumah Bonner to end his 75-run stand with West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite.

It broke a two-session drought for Mendis, who then ran through the tourists' middle order, ending with figures of 6-70 as the West Indies were all out for 253 after tea -- a lead of 49.  

The West Indies fell apart against the bounce of the new ball, though Mendis was denied a seventh wicket when wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal dropped Kemar Roach on eight.

Left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya dismissed Brathwaite with a ball pitched on leg-stump that turned away sharply from the right-hander to clip the top of off-stump. 

The West Indies, who have yet to win a Test match in Sri Lanka, were looking at a decent total and a considerable first-innings lead when they finished on 145-2 at lunch.

Brathwaite's straightforward footwork and impregnable defence were a vital bulwark for the West Indies after two top-order collapses in the first Test. 

The skipper cashed in when loose balls were on offer and was relentless against Sri Lanka's two left-arm spinners, forcing the hosts to recalibrate to boundary protection.

But the afternoon collapse saw the visitors hand the initiative back to Sri Lanka on a fast-deteriorating wicket.

The second Test has been plagued by inclement weather and bad light, and Wednesday was the first full day played.

Sri Lanka lead the two-Test series 1-0. 

Sri Lanka v West Indies 2nd Test scoreboard

Scoreboard at the end of day three of the second Test between Sri Lanka and the West Indies in Galle on Wednesday:

Sri Lanka first innings: 204 (Nissanka 73, Karunaratne 42; Permaul 5-35, Warrican 4-50)  

West Indies first innings (overnight 69-1)  

Kraigg Brathwaite b Embuldeniya              72  

Jermaine Blackwood lbw b Jayawickrama        44  

Nkrumah Bonner lbw b Mendis                  35

Shai Hope lbw b Mendis                       22

Roston Chase c Asalanka b Mendis             10

Kyle Mayers not out                          36

Jason Holder lbw b Mendis                     4

Joshua Da Silva b Mendis                      0

Kemar Roach c de Silva b Jayawickrama         8

Veerasammy Permaul b Embuldeniya             15

Jomel Warrican c sub (Karunaratne) b Mendis   1

Extras: (nb 6)                                6  

Total: (all out, 104.2 overs)               253  

Fall of wickets: 1-62 (Blackwood), 2-137 (Bonner), 3-166 (Brathwaite), 4-180 (Hope), 5-191 (Chase), 6-197 (Holder), 7-197 (da Silva), 8-208 (Roach), 9-246 (Permaul), 10-253 (Warrican).    

Bowling: Suranga Lakmal 9-3-22-0 (nb 2), Lasith Embuldeniya 35-13-94-2 (nb 4), Ramesh Mendis 34.2-8-70-6, Praveen Jayawickrama 25-4-59-2, Dhananjaya de Silva 1-0-8-0.  

Sri Lanka second innings

Dimuth Karunaratne run out (Mayers)           6

Pathum Nissanka not out                      21

Oshada Fernando run out (Blackwood/da Silva) 14

Charith Asalanka not out                      4

Extras: (lb 1)                                1

Total: (two wickets, 21 overs)               46

Fall of wickets: 1-7 (Karunaratne), 2-39 (Fernando).

To bat: Dhananjaya de Silva, Dinesh Chandimal, Ramesh Mendis, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Embuldeniya, Praveen Jayawickrama, Angelo Mathews.

Bowling: Veerasammy Permaul 9-2-20-0, Roston Chase 5-1-8-0, Jomel Warrican 7-1-17-0.