The Hindu : Sport : Sri Lanka rides on Sangakkara’s brilliance

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Sri Lanka rides on Sangakkara’s brilliance

K.C. Vijaya Kumar

— Photo: AP

ALL CLASS: Kumar Sangakkara’s century enabled Sri Lanka post a huge total.

Karachi: Minimum fuss, maximum runs might well be Kumar Sangakkara’s motto. The Sri Lankan’s 112, rich in nips and tucks and topped with the odd big hit, helped his side post 302 for seven in 50 overs against Pakistan in the STAR Cricket Asia Cup semifinal league match at the National Stadium here on Sunday evening.

The southpaw’s ninth ODI hundred (112, 110b, 10x4, 1x6) and second in the current tournament, anchored the visitor after Shoaib Malik opted to field on a placid track.

Sohail Tanvir rapped Sanath Jayasuriya’s pads in the first over but the close call was negated. However, the left-arm seamer had his reward later with the dapper batsman caught plumb on the crease.

Sangakkara and his skipper and friend Mahela Jayawardene pushed the score with some deft touches. Jayawardene, however, failed to keep his square-drive down and fell on 29. Sangakkara meanwhile caressed one straight down the ground past a flailing Tanvir in his follow-through.

Kapugedera (43) joined forces with Sangakkara and stoked his appetite, swatting Wahab Riaz into the stands. And Sangakkara got his geometry correct, bisecting deep backward square-leg and fine leg with a feather-touch flick. Meanwhile, Kapugedera entered the record books as debutant leg-spinner Mansoor Amjad’s maiden ODI wicket.

Sangakkara for a split-second threatened to get out as he started for a single after tapping one to point but he recouped and regained the crease and the bandwagon rolled on. He got his hundred with the single to square-leg of Tanvir while Chamara Silva (46) gave him company.

Sangakkara deposited Mansoor over the ropes before succumbing to a persevering Tanvir, who also got rid of Chamara earlier. Tanvir’s five-wicket haul was complete when an on-the-run Wahab caught Thushara near the square-leg fence. A clutch of dismissals in the last five overs did leave the Sri Lankans short of breath but by then Sangakkara’s knock ensured that the 300-plus mark was breached with ease.

The visitor fielded a full-strength team with Jayasuriya, Vaas and Muralitharan back in the eleven after being rested in the Group ‘A’ match against UAE at Lahore last week.

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