The Pakistan spinners got in on the act after pace duo Umar Gul and Junaid Khan ripped through the Sri Lankan top order to bundle out the tourists for 239 in their first innings on day one of the second Test Wednesday. Pakistan openers Taufeeq Umar (20) and Mohammad Hafeez (18) scored 42 runs in the remaining nine overs to trail Sri Lanka by 197 at the close. Gul extracted enough movement off the pitch to trouble the batsmen throughout his marathon 10-over opening spell, picking up three wickets before lunch. Left-armer Junaid kept up the pressure and took the remaining two wickets to fall before the interval after Sri Lanka captain Tillakaratne Dilshan won the toss. Kumar Sangakkara was dropped on 27 off Saeed Ajmal by Taufeeq Umar and added 54 for the sixth wicket with debutant wicketkeeper-batsman Kaushal Silva (20) to stop the rot, after being reduced to 73-5. Off-spinner Ajmal (3-45) and fellow left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman (2-40) combined to take the last five wickets in the remaining two sessions. Sangakkara, who turns 34 Thursday, said the Sri Lankans were disappointing in batting. “It was just a case of getting through that new ball without losing too many wickets,” said Sangakkara, whose epic 211 helped Sri Lanka salvage a draw in the first of three Tests in Abu Dhabi last week. “But, having said that, I thought Pakistan used that new ball very well. There wasn't too much in that wicket, so it was a bit disappointing from our side, but again it was a great fightback to get to 240-odd runs at the end,” he added. Pakistan is playing “home” Tests in the Gulf region because of security fears back home. The third and final match will be played in Sharjah from Nov. 3.
