First Test ends in a tame draw :

Angelo Mathews the hero

Honours to Sri Lanka :

Elmo Rodrigopulle Reporting from UAE

In a First of Three Tests that saw fluctuating fortunes, the Sri Lankans turned the game on its head from being hunted to hunters to hold Pakistan to a draw and walk off the field with their heads held high at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, here today.

The Lankans who called off their second innings massacre at 480 for 5 with Angelo Mathews and Prasanna Jayewardene 157 and 68 unbeaten and a stand of 156 for the 6th wicket, set the Pakistanis 302 to win in 67 overs. Scores- Sri Lanka 204 and 420 for 5 declared. Pakistan 383 and 158 for 2. Mathews was the man of the match.

To recap – Sri Lanka started the fourth day on Friday, with defeat looming what with having lost four wickets and only 7 runs ahead and the Pakistani pace bowlers Junaid Khan, Bilawal Batti and Rahat Ali threatening to ruin the innings.

Media briefing

At the media briefing on Thursday after the day’s play, off spinner Sachitra Senenayake who faced the media said that he Sri Lankans were not unduly worried, because with batsmen of the calibre of Dinesh Chndimal, Angelo Mathews and Prasanna Jayewardene still there a lead of 250 is possible and from which point victory could be attempted. The buzz in the media box was that the Test could end early on the fourth day. It would have amused sportspeople when they read that statement. But that was exactly the script, as Chandimal and Mathews and later Jayewardene set about their task with diligence to first get on top, frustrate and then attack the Pakistanis and obtain a lead of 241 when play ended on day 4. The Lankans owe their revival to Mathews who played what is described as a captain’s knock. He was unfortunate to lose his wicket in the first innings 9 runs short of a century.

Mathews showed guts

But in the second innings with defeat likely for his side, he showed guts required of a captain and shouldering responsibility, and by example he guided Chandimal and Jayewardene and can take credit for the amazing revival. His unbeaten 116 was an innings in the manner born. Mathews, Chandimal and Jayewardene never cringed.

They proudly stood up to the blistering pace of Junaid, Bhatti and Ali and the wiles of Ajmal and Hafeez and skipper Misbah was confused. When play resumed on the final day with Sri Lanka on 420 for 5 with Mathews on 116 and Jayewardene on 48, the question was: at what time and lead will Sri Lanka declare and bid for victory?

No terrors in bowling

Mathews and Jayewardene did not find any terrors in the bowling or on the wicket and continued from where they left and kept on piling the agony on the Pakistan bowlers who were huffing and puffing for that elusive wicket.

Lead stretched

Mathews added to his stature making an unbeaten 157, the highest score in Tests for him. He was concentration personified, as he played probably the innings of his career as captain.

From the time he arrived at the wicket, with his team looking down the barrel, he exuded confidence and saw that it rubbed off on vice captain Chandimal and Jayewardene as they began to reconstruct and repair the innings that was threatening to collapse.

With the recalled Jayewardene reaching his 5th fifty in Tests and the lead stretched to 301, Mathews called off the agony the Pakistanis were suffering when he closed the innings at 420 for 5, leaving the Pakistanis 302 to win in 63 overs or sink or swim. Mathews’ marathon knock lasted 393 minutes and it was studded with 16 fours and a six. His defiance, concentration and stroke play was amazing and should give him the confidence to repeat in the remaining two Tests. Jayewardene who was inexplicably dropped and recalled for this series, hit back at his detractors and played an innings that helped rescue the team and which innings should help cement his place in the team. He faced 169 balls, hit 6 fours and a six.

Nervous looking

A nervous looking Pakistani openers Kurram Manzoor 8 and Ahmed Shehzad 12, saw the five overs bowled before lunch by Suranga Lakmal and Shamindra Eranga and put 20 on the board. The Pakistanis lost Kurram Manzoor caught behind by Prasanna Jayewardene off the hard working Suranga Lakmal for 8 at 24 after lunch. That was a wicket that was badly needed to lift the Lankan spirits in their search for an unlikely victory. Then Mohammad Hafeez joined Shehzad and put on a stand of 101 for the second wicket, playing the bowling untroubled, until Shehzad attempting the ungainly cross bat and trying to sweep Rangana Herath was adjudged LBW for 55 - a debut half ton.

Nothing in the wicket

There was nothing in the wicket for the bowlers – both pace and spin – with the wicket paying true on all five days, and with Hafeez on 80 ad Khan on 13 batting with no likely result in the game saw Pakistan save face and pocket a draw when the umpires with the captains agreeing called off play with 15 overs to go.

Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi, Saturday.

SCOREBOARD
		
Sri Lanka - 1st innings 204
(A. Mathews 91; Junaid Khan 5-58, Bilawal Bhatti 3-65)
Pakistan - 1st innings 383
(Younis Khan 136, Misbah-ul Haq 135; S. Eranga 3-80, R. Herath 3-93)
Sri Lanka - 2nd innings
(overnight 420-5)
D. Karunaratne b Junaid				24
K. Silva c Akmal b Junaid			81
K. Sangakkara c Younis b Bhatti			55
M. Jayawardene c Shafiq b Bhatti		00
D. Chandimal c Ali b Junaid			89 
A. Mathews not out		   	       157
P. Jayawardene not out				63
Extras: (b4, lb7)				11
Total: (five wkts dec; 168.3 overs)	       480

Fall of wickets: 1-47 (Karunaratne), 2-146 (Sangakkara)
		 3-150 (Jayawardene), 4-186 (Silva)
		 5-324 (Chandimal) 
Bowling: Junaid 36-3-93-3
	 Ali 38.3-9-92-0
	 Bhatti 36-8-146-2
	 Ajmal 49-10-115-0
	 Hafeez 9-1-23-0

Pakistan 2nd innings
Khurram Manzoor c Prasanna  b Lakmal		08
Ahmed Shehzad lbw b Herath			55
Mohammad Hafeez not out				80
Younis Khan not out				13
Extras: (b1, nb1)				02
Total: (for two wkts; 52 overs)		       158

Fall of wickets: 1-24 (Manzoor), 2-125 (Shehzad) 
Bowling: Lakmal 13-1-43-1
	 Eranga 11-0-38-0 (1nb)
	 Herath 21-8-37-1
	 Mathews 2-0-9-0
	 Senanayake 5-0-30-0

Result: Match drawn 
Toss: Pakistan 
Umpires: Richard Kettleborough (ENG) and Bruce Oxenford (AUS) 
TV umpire: Sundaram Ravi (IND)