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

Sri Lanka Enter World Twenty20 Final

Discipline Sri Lankan bowlers powered the hosts to the final of the 2012 World Twenty20 as they beat 2009 champions Pakistan by 16 runs in a low-scoring thriller at Premadasa stadium in Colombo on Thursday.

Sri Lanka will meet the winner of second semifinal between Australia and West Indies in the summit clash on Sunday.

Rangana Herath derailed Pakistan's chase as he dismissed danger man Mohammad Hafeez and Shahid Afridi in quick succession to reduce Pakistan to 91 for 6.

Earlier, Ajantha Mendis gave Sri Lanka first breakthrough as he bowled out Imran Nazir (20) after a steady start by Pakistan in their chase of 140.

Angelo Mathews then trapped Nasir Jamshed leg before wickets and got Kamran Akmal caught behind the stumps to hurt Pakistan's chase.

Herath then joined the party by getting rid of Shoaib Malik.

Herath stretched the show further in the 15th over by quick wickets of Hafeez and Afridi.

Pakistan restricted Sri Lanka to a modest 139/4 in their semifinal clash at the R Premadasa stadium on Thursday.

Some 35,000 fans at the Premadasa stadium watched Sri Lanka struggle to force the pace after Mahela Jayawardene elected to take first strike on a sluggish pitch that hampered stroke-making.

Sri Lanka plodded to 123-4 in 19 overs when Thisara Perera smashed three boundaries in the final over bowled by seamer Umar Gul which realised 16 runs.

Openers Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan put on 63 in 10 overs, a slow start by Twenty20 standards but crucial nevertheless for Sri Lanka still had all their wickets in hand.

Jayawardene liberally employed the reverse sweep during his knock of 42 off 36 balls, but was caught at fine-leg while attempting the same shot off leg-spinner Shahid Afridi.

Kumar Sangakkara made a promising 18 from 11 balls when he was snapped up on the long-on fence as he tried to hit Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez out of the ground.

Gul was unlucky to see the TV umpire declare a no-ball after he had Jeevan Mendis given out leg-before in the 18th over.

But Gul removed Dilshan two balls later with another leg-before decision that made Sri Lanka 117-3.

Dilshan was unusually subdued during his innings, taking 43 balls to score 35 with the help of three boundaries.

Brief scores

Sri Lanka 139 for 4 (Jayawardene 42, Dilshan 35)

Pakistan 123 for 7 (Hafeez 42, Umar Akmal 29*, Herath 3-25)

Result Sri Lanka won by 16 runs

MOM Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka)

Sangakkara Double Deny Pakistan Win

Kumar Sangakkara compiled his eighth double hundred in Tests and with able support from Prasanna Jayawardene salvaged a draw for Sri Lanka on the final day of the opening Test against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
Sri Lanka survived some nervous moments at the closing stages of their second innings before being all out for 483 to set Pakistan a victory target of 170 from 21 overs.
Pakistan decided against the chase and reached 21/1, with the loss of double centurion in first innings, Taufeeq Umar, when stumps were drawn.
Sangakkara (211) and Jayawardene (120), both unbeaten overnight, batted resolutely to add 201 for the sixth-wicket as Pakistan were left to rue Friday's dropped chances.
Stylish left-hander Sangakkara, who was dropped on 56 by Younis Khan off Mohammad Hafeez, got past the 200-run mark with a glance to the fine-leg boundary.
The former Sri Lanka captain, who also survived a run-out chance on 190, hit 18 boundaries during his 431-ball knock, before he fell lbw in the last over before tea to give part-time leg spinner Azhar Ali his first Test wicket.
Pakistan's last hopes of forcing a victory after the mammoth partnership between Sangakkara and Jayawardene ended when an easy catch from Rangana Herath (23 not out) off Junaid Khan was dropped by Umar Gul at mid-off.
Jayawardene, who also received a life on Friday when substitute fielder Wahab Riaz put down an easy catch off Gul, completed his fourth Test hundred with a lofted drive over spinner Saeed Ajmal's head.
The right-handed wicketkeeper-batsman fell to the third new ball of the innings when he edged paceman Aizaz Cheema behind the stumps.
Gul wiped off the Sri Lankan tailenders, finishing with 4/64.
The Pakistan pacemen managed to extract a bit of reverse swing with the old ball in dry conditions at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium and troubled the batsmen on a number of occasions but failed to get the crucial wickets.

Brief scores
Sri Lanka 197 (Mathews 52*, Junaid 5-38) and 483 (Sangakkara 211, P Jayawardene 120, Gul 4-64)
Pakistan 511 for 6 dec (Taufeeq 236, Hafeez 75, Ali 70) and 21 for 1
Results Drawn
MOM Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka)

Ton-up Sangakkara Keeps Pakistan on Bay

Kumar Sangakkara put his wealth of experience on show with a pugnacious unbeaten hundred to keep Pakistan's victory bids on hold in the first Test here on Friday.
The 33-year-old left-hander notched 161 for his 26th Test hundred to help Sri Lanka, trailing by 314 runs in the first innings, reach 298-5 in their second knock at close on the fourth day at Abu Dhabi stadium.
They need only 16 runs to make Pakistan bat again, and will look to bat out at least two of the three sessions on the fifth and final day to salvage an unlikely draw.
 Sangakkara found an able ally in Prasanna Jayawardene (25 not out) to fight off the second new ball, with which paceman Umar Gul struck with the first delivery to remove Angelo Mathews (22).
Sangakkara-Jayawardene stand for the sixth wicket has so far yielded 65 runs.
Playing his 101st Test, Sangakkara took the fight to the Pakistani bowlers, adding an invaluable 153 runs for the second wickets with opener Lahiru Thirimanne who made a career-best 68.
Walking into bat after Sri Lanka lost opener Tharanga Paranavitana off the very first ball of their second innings on Thursday, Sangakkara batted with resolve as Sri Lanka, resuming at 47-1, reached 125-1 by lunch.
Pakistan then hit back by dismissing Thirimanne soon after lunch, run out after the opener, taking a second run but failed to beat a throw from the fine-leg by Azhar Ali.
Seven runs later, Mahela Jayawardene (four) played on to off-spinner Saeed Ajmal before paceman Junaid Khan bowled skipper Tillakaratne Dilshan through the gate for nine, leaving Sri Lanka at 191-4.
Despite losing partners, Sangakkara kept his cool, hitting Khan for his 11th boundary to reach three-figure mark, his sixth against Pakistan. He has so far hit 16 boundaries during his 295-ball stay at the pitch.
Pakistan spilled as many as six catches in the day but their first innings, three off Thirimanne, which helped Sri Lanka fight back.
Khan, who destroyed Sri Lanka with 5-38 in their first innings of 197, was the unlukcy bowler on three occasions as Mohammad Hafeez grassed two regulation catches in the slip off Thirimanne when he was on 40.
Much to Khan's disappointment Younis Khan held a sharp edge off Sangakkara but the catch was disallowed by the umpires as the ball had bounced before getting into the hands of the slip fielder.
Pakistan again let off Sangakkara when Younis failed to hold onto a sharp edge when a Saeed Ajmal's delivery surprised the left-handed batsman batting on 56.
Pakistan also let off Prasanna when substitute fielder Wahab Riaz failed to catch a miscued hook off Gul when the batsman was 12.

Brief scores
Sri Lanka 197 and 298 for 5 (Sangakkara 161*, Thirimanne 68)
Pakistan 511 for 6 dec
Status Sri Lanka trial by 16 runs