Live Cricket Scores - Mathews Ton Hands Sri Lanka Advantage

Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews hit a pugnacious hundred to pull Sri Lanka out of trouble on the fourth day of the first Test against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi on Friday.

Mathews notched up 116 not out under pressure for his second Test hundred and put on invaluable 138-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Dinesh Chandimal (89) and 99 for the unfinished sixth wicket with Prasanna Jayawardene (48 not out) to take Sri Lanka to 420/5 at close at Sheikh Zayed Stadium.

Sri Lanka resumed the day at 186/4, but Mathews' career-best score and resolute innings by Chandimal and Prasanna helped Sri Lanka add 234 runs for the loss of only one wicket.

They now lead by 241 runs and with five wickets intact can harbour hopes of an unlikely win on the fifth and final day or at least salvage a draw.

Mathews batted with resolve, blunting off-spinner Saeed Ajmal and had the better of Pakistan's three-pronged pace attack, reaching his hundred in the final session, taking two off Bhatti. His hundred came off 239 balls.

In all the Sri Lankan captain batted for 370 minutes, hitting 12 boundaries and six off Ajmal, who conceded 96 runs in 42 wicket-less overs.

Neither Mathews nor Chandimal were bothered at all and even the second new ball, taken at 249/4, failed to benefit Pakistan with a wicket as Sri Lanka reached 285/4 at lunch.

Pakistan had one chance to dismiss Chandimal in the second over after lunch when a edge off Bilawal Bhatti flew close to Ahmed Shehzad's outstretched hands in the second slip when the batsman was 71.

Finally, Junaid broke the stand at 324 when he had Chandmial caught at deep fine-leg off a miscued hook. Chandimal batted for 251 minutes and hit a dozen boundaries.

But even after Chandimal's exit, Mathews and Prasanna batted without any problems to leave Pakistani bowlers frustrated.

Mathews's previous best of 105 not out came against Australia at Colombo in 2011 and followed up his 91 in Sri Lanka's first innings total of 204. Pakistan had made 383 in their first knock.

Prasanna has so far hit five fours and six in his able assistance of Mathews.

Left-arm paceman Junaid was the best Pakistani bowler with 3-81 while fellow fast bowler Bilawal Bhatti took 2-131.

Pakistan started the day on a wrong note when wicket-keeper Adnan Akmal was ruled out of the three-Test series with a fractured finger and Younis Khan had to keep wickets.

Sarfraz Ahmed has been summoned as Akmal's replacement for the next two Tests, second in Dubai (January 8-12) and Sharjah (January 16-20).

Brief scores
Sri Lanka 204 (Mathews 91, Junaid Khan 5-58)) and 420 for 5 (Mathews 116*, Chandimal 89)
Pakistan 383 (Younis Khan 136, Misbah-ul Haq 135, Eranga 3-38, Herath 3-93)
Status Sri Lanka lead by 241 runs

Ton-ups Smith, De Villiers punish Pak

Graeme Smith smashed a double century and AB de Villiers hit a robust hundred to guide South Africa to an imperious position in the must-win second Test against Pakistan in Dubai on Thursday.
South African skipper made 227 not out for his fifth double ton while De Villiers -- dropped off the first delivery by wicket-keeper Adnan Akmal off paceman Mohammad Irfan -- was unbeaten on 157 for his 17th Test century.
The duo plundered a hapless Pakistan attack to take South Africa to 460-4 at close on the second day, giving them a big 361-run lead with three full days to play to force a series-levelling win.
Pakistan won the first Test by seven wickets in Abu Dhabi last week. Smith and De Villiers have set an all time South African record for the fifth wicket in Tests with 326, beating the previous best of 267 set by Jacques Kallis and Ashwell Prince against the West Indies at Antigua in 2005.
The experienced duo plundered Pakistan's spin-cum pace attack on Dubai stadium pitch which gave little help to the bowlers who only managed to dismiss nightwatchman Dale Steyn (seven) in the first hour.
Smith reached his fifth double hundred with a couple off spinner Zulfiqar Babar towards mid-wicket, also completing 9,000 runs in 112 Tests.
He is the 12th batsmen in all Test cricket to reach 9,000 and second behind team-mate Jacques Kallis who so far has 13,140 runs in 164 Tests.
The South African captain, seeking to keep his team's unbeaten run away from home since losing to Sri Lanka in 2006, raised his arms to the applause of his teammates.
In all Smith has hit 16 boundaries off 367 deliveries of complete domination. De Villiers was in more punishing mood, having hit 16 boundaries and a six off 262 balls.
Pakistan keeper faltered once more when he dropped Smith off spinner Zulfiqar Babar when the batsman was on 202, capping a miserable day for his team.
Smith hit spinner Saeed Ajmal for three consecutive boundaries to reach his 9th score of 150 plus.
Smith, overnight 67, anchored the innings and reached his century with a straight drive off Ajmal for his only sixth boundary. It took Smith 204 balls to reach the milestone.
Pakistan took the new ball straightaway after the 80th over but it only upped the scoring rate with de Villiers hitting Irfan for two successive boundaries and one off Babar to bring up his fifty.
He also completed 1,000 runs against Pakistan in 12 Tests. Resuming at 128-3, South Africa lost Steyn in the seventh over of the day, bowled for seven as he offered no stroke to a Irfan delivery.
Irfan, who bowled at good pace, could have had De Villiers off the very next ball but Akmal failed to hold on to a edge towards his right.


Pakistani spinners led by Saeed Ajmal (2-132) bowled tirelessly but failed to exploit any turn on a pitch that was expected to give slow bowlers help.

Irfan had figures of 84-1 in 27 overs, while Babar had figures of 1-112. 

Brief scores
Pakistan 99 (Tahir 5-32, Steyn 3-38)
South Africa 460 for 4 (Smith 227*, de Villiers 157*) 
Status South Africa lead by 361 runs

Moin Khan Appointed Chief Selector

Pakistan's cricket bosses on Monday appointed former captain Moin Khan as chief selector, a post he said he took on as a challenge.
The 41-year-old takes over from Iqbal Qasim, who stepped aside earlier this month in a move seen as a reaction to the team's miserable performance in the Champions Trophy in England.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said Khan held discussion with interim chairman Najam Sethi and accepted the role.
"Former captain and wicket-keeper Khan will take over as chief selector while the rest of the members of the committee will remain the same," a PCB release said.
Former left-arm paceman Salim Jaffer, Test batsman Azhar Khan, Farrukh Zaman and Asif Baloch are the other selectors.
Moin Khan said he accepted the role as a challenge.
"It is an honour and a privilege to be offered the position of chairman of national selection committee -- a position held by many greats in the past and most recently by legendary spinner Qasim," he was quoted as saying in the release.
Khan played 69 Tests and 219 one-day internationals for Pakistan in 1990s and was also a member of World Cup winning team in 1992.
Last week the Islamabad high court ordered Sethi to hold elections for the PCB chairman within 90 days.

Pakistan Bowl in Warm-up at The Oval

Pakistan have won the toss and have elected to bowl first in Champions Trophy warm-up against South Africa at The Kensignton Oval, London. 
Misbah said: "Looks a good surface, pretty dry, a little bit of grass. Looks a good pitch, a dry pitch." 
AB de Villiers said "I think we are going to give all the guys a bit of a go today. The sun is out and we are all looking forward to playing some ODI cricket."

Both teams are playing with all 15-players.

Pakistan Squad for Champions Trophy

The national selection committee on Monday, as expected, axed experienced all-rounder Shahid Afridi and batsman Umar Akmal for the ICC Champions Trophy in England in June.
Chief selector Iqbal Qasim announced the 15-member squad in Lahore after lengthy deliberations although the selectors had finalised the squad last week and submitted it to the PCB chairman for approval.
At the end of the day, it transpired that the selectors made two changes to their submitted squad replacing the injured middle order batsman Haris Sohail with Umar Amin and preferring to pick left arm pacer Wahab Riaz to Aizaz Cheema.
The rest of the squad remained the same and Qasim said that Afridi was dropped because of his recent poor bowling form.
The same set of players with the addition of a few more are expected to get the central contracts for 2013.
The PCB also announced that Australian Trent Woodhill would be the batting coach of the team for the Champions Trophy and would join them in England.
Pakistan first play a one-day series in Scotland and Ireland in May before going to England for the Champions Trophy.

This will be their first visit to England since the 2010 spot fixing scandal.

Pakistan squad:

• Misbah-ul-Haq (captain)
• Abdur Rehman
• Asad Ali
• Asad Shafiq
• Ehsan Adil
• Imran Farhat
• Junaid Khan
• Kamran Akmal (wk)
• Mohammad Hafeez
• Mohammad Irfan
• Nasir Jamshed
• Saeed Ajmal
• Shoaib Malik
• Umar Amin
• Wahab Riaz