Share

Sangakkara rallies Sri Lanka

London - Kumar Sangakkara's first century at Lord's saw Sri Lanka bounce back in the fourth one-day international against England on Saturday.

Just days after they'd been shot out for 67 at Old Trafford, Sri Lanka made 300/9 after being sent into bat.

Sangakkara's 112 - his first hundred at Lord's in any format - was the centrepiece and together with Tillakaratne Dilshan (71), he put on 172 for the second wicket.

The duo had managed just 15 runs between them during the course of a 10-wicket defeat in Manchester on Wednesday that left England 2-1 up in the five-match series.

This innings also represented a reversal of fortune for England paceman Chris Jordan, who took a career best 5-29 at Old Trafford.

But his 10 overs, including eight wides, on a typically good Lord's pitch cost 67 runs as he struggled to bowl the correct length.

And Jordan's two wickets Saturday only came during his final over as Sri Lanka hit out.

Sangakkara's 19th ODI century had an unpromising start as the 36-year-old took 13 balls to get off the mark.

But such was the composure and experience of the left-hander, playing his 373rd match at this level, the number three batsman never looked flustered.

Kusal Perera, in for the dropped Dinesh Chandimal, signalled Sri Lanka's intention to put their Old Trafford nightmare behind them with two boundaries in the first over, from James Anderson.

Perera also pulled Harry Gurney for six.

But left-arm seamer Gurney, who took career-best figures of four for 55 in his fifth ODI, had his revenge when Perera (19) was late on a pull and Jordan held a diving slip catch.

Sangakkara found his touch in the 18th over with three boundaries in successive balls from Joe Root.

He drove the occasional off-spinner straight down the ground and next ball lofted him over mid-on before cover-driving him for a superb four.

Dilshan fell when he was bowled leg stump by Anderson attempting a trademark 'Dilscoop' shot.

Sangakkara's two off Jordan then saw him to a perfectly-paced 95-ball hundred with 13 fours.

England finally saw the back of Sangakkara when off-spinner James Tredwell had him stumped by opposing wicketkeeper Jos Buttler.

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews then chipped in with a run-a-ball 30 before he holed out off Jordan.

Gurney struck twice in the final over off the innings but, off the very last ball, Ajantha Mendis late cut him for four to take Sri Lanka to exactly 300.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
How much would you be prepared to pay for a ticket to watch the Springboks play against the All Blacks at Ellis Park or Cape Town Stadium this year?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
R0 - R200
32% - 1843 votes
R200 - R500
32% - 1810 votes
R500 - R800
19% - 1100 votes
R800 - R1500
8% - 470 votes
R1500 - R2500
3% - 193 votes
I'd pay anything! It's the Boks v All Blacks!
5% - 261 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE