Spinners Saqlain, Kaneria send minnows reeling

Pakistani spinners Saqlain Mushtaq and Danish Kaneria shared nine wickets to leave Bangladesh in the dumps on the opening day of the second and final Test here Wednesday.

Off-spinner Saqlain captured 5-35 and leg-spinner Kaneria 4-62 as Bangladesh were bowled out for 148, failing to last two full sessions after electing to bat on a good batting wicket.

Pakistan, in reply, were 99-1 at close, with opener Taufiq Umer and Younis Khan batting on 47 apiece.

Saqlain, who went wicketless in the first Test at Dhaka, struck in his second over and continued to torment the batsmen with turn and bounce.

It was Saqlain's 12th haul of five or more wickets in an innings and marked the 25-year-old's return to form after a lean period last year.

Saqlain began by surprising opener Javed Omar with steep bounce to claim his first wicket to a catch at silly-point.

Habibul Bashar was caught down the leg side, while Sanwar Hossain was claimed leg-before as Saqlain stuck to a tidy line and length.

Kaneria pegged away at the other end, having Enamul Hoque, Aminul Islam and Fahim Muntasir caught in the close-in field. However his best wicket was that of Mehrab Hossain, who failed to read a googly and was bowled while shaping to cut.

The 21-year-old Kaneria now has 25 wickets in three Tests against Bangladesh, having taken nine in the first Test at Dhaka and 12 in the Asian Test Championship tie at Multan last year.

Opener Al Sahariar was the only batsman to fall to a seamer, caught behind while trying to drive Waqar Younis.

Bangladeshi captain Khaled Masud (28) and Aminul Islam (25) were the only ones to offer some resistance.

In reply, Pakistan lost an early wicket of Shadab Kabir for four, but Taufiq and Younis batted through till close, hitting eight boundaries each.

Pakistan included controversial fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar in place of the injured Wasim Akram from the side that won the first Test at Dhaka by an innings and 178 runs.

Shoaib is under scrutiny from the International Cricket Council after his action was questioned for a third time in four years. The 26-yearold faces a one-year ban if he is reported again for throwing.