Pakistan progressed slowly to 57-1 at lunch off 25 overs after being put in to bat on the opening day of the second Test against Sri Lanka today.
Ahmed Shehzad was dismissed for three in the tenth over, leg-before to paceman Nuwan Pradeep, after Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews won the toss and decided to bowl in hopes of extracting some life from the Dubai stadium pitch.
At the break, Khurram Manzoor was not out on 36 and Mohammad Hafeez unbeaten on 13.
Contrary to expectations, the Sri Lankan paceman got no help from the pitch and the fielders were sloppy, dropping two catches.
Skipper Mathews floored Shehzad in the slips off paceman Suranga Lakmal with the batsman still to get off the mark but the lapse did not prove costly.
Mahela Jayawardene dropped Hafeez off the first ball he faced from paceman Shaminda Eranga, leaving Hafeez still there at the break.
The first of the three Tests ended in a draw in Abu Dhabi last week.
Pakistan resisted the temptation to bring in second spinner Abdul Rehman, keeping their attack to three pacemen and one regular spinner in Saeed Ajmal.
They brought in wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed after Adnan Akmal returned home following a finger fracture in the first Test.
Sri Lanka strengthened their pace attack, replacing spinner Sachitra Senanayake with Pradeep.
