Saeed Ajmal puts Pakistan 1-0 up after Second Test win against Sri Lanka

• Sri Lanka 239 & 257; Pakistan 403 & 94-1
• Pakistan win by nine wickets and lead three-match series 1-0

Pakistan's Saeed Ajmal (second left) celebrates after dismissing Sri Lanka's Suranga Lakmal. Photograph: Lakruwan Wanniarachchi/AFP/Getty Images

The off-spinner Saeed Ajmal took his fourth five-wicket haul in Tests as Pakistan completed a nine-wicket win in four days in the Second Test against Sri Lanka on Saturday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Needing 94 for victory, the opener Mohammad Hafeez scored a quickfire unbeaten 59 and knocked off the runs with Azhar Ali (29) after Pakistan lost Taufeeq Umar early.

When Pakistan bundled out Sri Lanka for 257 in their second innings the 34-year-old Ajmal, with five for 68, led the Pakistan spinners, who took eight out of the 10 wickets to fall.

Ajmal ran through the Sri Lanka tail, keeping the batsmen guessing with his doosras, after Abdur Rehman (two for 65) broke a stubborn 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 removing Sri Lanka's batting mainstays Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and their captain, Tillakaratne Dilshan, 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 Rehman. A fuming Sangakkara stormed back to the pavilion, clearly unhappy with the decision, and was soon followed by Jayawardene, who struggled during his 34-ball stay before being bowled around his legs while trying to sweep Ajmal.

Dilshan was undone by some superb reverse swing bowling from the left-arm seamer Junaid Khan and was struck right in front 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.

Pakistan are playing "home" Tests in the Gulf region because of security fears in their own country. The final match of the series is at Sharjah from 3 November.