Dubai: Pakistan easily beat Sri Lanka inĀ the second testĀ by 9 wickets in Dubai Sports Club ground here on Saturday.
Set 88 to win in their second innings, Pakistan reached their target for the loss of three wickets.
Opener Mohammad Hafeez continued his good performance and made 59 while the century maker of the first inning Azhar Ali 28.
Earlier on the fourth day, Off-spinner Saeed Ajmal took his fourth five-wicket haul in tests to help Pakistan bundle out Sri Lanka for 257 in their second innings and restrict the visitors’ lead to a paltry 93 on day four of the second test on Saturday.
The 34-year old led the Pakistan spinners, who took eight out of the 10 second innings wickets to fall.
Ajmal ran through the Sri Lankan tail, keeping the batsmen guessing with his ‘doosras’, after fellow left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman (2-65) broke a seventh wicket stand by dismissing Dhammika Prasad.
Angelo Mathews (52 not out) and Prasad (33) added 56 for the seventh wicket to take the lead closer to the 100-run mark.
Pakistan dismissed opener Tharanga Paranavitana (72) and wicketkeeper batsman Kaushal Silva (eight) before tea after scalping Sri Lanka’s batting mainstays Kumar Sangakkara (30), Mahela Jayawardene (5) and captain Tillakaratne Dilshan (3) in the morning.
Sangakkara, who scored a double century to save Sri Lanka in the first test in Abu Dhabi, added 73 for the second wicket with Paranavitana before he was given out lbw to left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman.
Captain Dilshan was undone by some superb reverse swing bowling from left-arm seamer Junaid Khan and was struck plum in front of the stumps to a delivery that came in after pitching.
Junaid bowled around the stumps to the right-handers and was able to get the old ball to swing both ways, making life difficult for the batsmen on a wearing pitch.
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