Tharanga, Jayawardene lift Sri Lanka to 235-7

Opener Upul Tharanga and Mahela Jayawardene notched fighting half-centuries to propel Sri Lanka to 235-7 in the second day-night international against Pakistan at Dubai stadium here on Monday.

Tharanga scored 77 while Jayawardene returned to form with 50 as they shared a fourth wicket stand of 85 to lift Sri Lanka, who won the toss and were restricted in the middle overs by a disciplined Pakistan bowling.

The total reflected a big improvement in Sri Lanka's batting after they were bowled out for a mere 131 during their eight-wicket defeat in the first of a five-match series here last Friday.

Tillakaratne Dilshan and Tharanga gave a solid 56-run start to their team by the 12th over when leg-spinner Shahid Afridi, man-of-the-match in the first match for his 3-27, provided Pakistan with a breakthrough.

Afridi bowled Sri Lanka captain Dilshan with a sharp googley after he had threatened to score big by hitting four attractive boundaries. He fell for a 40-ball 28.

Kumar Sangakkara, who scored 516 in the preceding three-Test series which Pakistan won 1-0, managed just five before paceman Abdul Razzaq caught him off his own bowling, leaving Sri Lanka at 65-2.

It became 3-94 when Dinesh Chandimal (15) fell to off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, leaving Tharanga and Jayawardene to give the innings some respectability.

Tharanga hit eight boundaries during his 120-ball knock before he was caught off Afridi.

Jayawardene, who was lacklustre in the Tests as well as in the first one-dayer, hit five boundaries during his 57-ball knock before he was bowled by Ajmal.

Ajmal finished with 3-61 while Afridi bagged 2-35.

Pakistan kept an unchanged side, but Sri Lanka brought in Thissara Perera and Jeevan Mendis in place of Suranga Lakmal and Kosala Kulasekara.