You can never stop Kumar Sangakkara when he is hungry for runs. Sri Lanka's vice-captain has a knack to go for big scores and he provided proof for it yet again when he scored his sixth Test double hundred and put Sri Lanka in command in the third and final Test Match here at the Asgiriya International Cricket Stadium in Kandy. Against an hapless bowling attack, which hardly threatened the batsmen, all what a player of Sangakkara's class had to do was to not to lose his concentration. And he did that for over six hours and was rewarded with an unbeaten 222, the sixth double hundred of his Test career.
His double hundred and Mahela Jayawardene's 165 helped Sri Lanka to a massive 500 for four and the hosts now have a lead of 365 runs with eight wickets in hand. Sri Lanka would probably declare overnight and will be looking to wrap things up and seal yet another clean sweep.
Sangakkara, who also scored an unbeaten double hundred in the previous Test, emulated the greatest of them all Sir Don Bradman, who also had scored back to back Test double centuries. In all, four other players, Walter Hammond, Vinod Kambli, Graeme Smith and Ricky Ponting have scored back to back 200s.
Sangakkara's sixth double ton equaled the Sri Lankan record for the highest number of double hundreds held by Marvan Atapattu. Only three other players, Bradman (12), Brian Lara (09) and Hammond (07) have scored more double hundreds than Sangakkara.
The weather was at its best on day three after lengthy rain breaks held up play for hours on the opening two days and the Sri Lankan batsmen made the most of it.
The early wicket of Upul Tharanga, who struggled during his knock, introduced Sangakkara to the crease and he showed no respite to the Bangladeshi bowlers, who had yet another long day on the field after being bowled out for 131 on the second day. The Sri Lankans scored 470 runs in 99 overs on day three and their run rate was an impressive 4.77 and that's enough proof for the standard of bowling on show.
Left arm spinner Mohammad Rafique, the most experienced of the Bangla bowlers, is yet to take a wicket in the series and Sri Lanka's middle order treated him with scant respect scoring more than five runs an over off him. He bowled 14 overs and wasn't called upon to bowl after tea with the batsmen having no problem against him.
Captain Mohammad Ashraful's figures were worse. He went for over six runs an over as Sri Lanka scored 74 runs in his 12 overs.
Sangakkara's efforts overshadowed Jayawardene's hundred, who treated the best crowd of the series with audacious stroke play. The Sri Lankan captain was lucky to get the benefit of the doubt of a loud leg before wicket shout before he had opened the account, but from thereon, there was no looking back.
Jayawardene was the first to get to three figures when he dabbed a Mohammad Ashraful delivery to short third man. His 18th Test hundred came in 132 balls with ten fours and a six and he reached 150 with a trade mark Sanath Jayasuriya shot, a cut over point for six.
He added 311 runs for the third wicket with Sangakkara a new record against Bangladesh by any team for any wicket. The previous best stand against Bangladesh for any wicket was the 280 run stand between Tillekeratne Dilshan and Thilan Samaraweera for the fifth wicket at the P. Saravanamuttu Stadium.
Sangakkara reached his 13th Test hundred when he went on the back foot to Mohammad Ashraful and dispatched a short ball through the covers sweetly for four. The 150 came when he flicked Shahadat Hossain off his pads for a couple to complete his ninth score over 150.
It was effortless stuff by both batsmen and when they were on the middle it reminded you of their effort the previous year when they put on that world record stand against South Africa at the SSC.
A brief shower after the evening drinks break held things up and as the players were trying to leave the field the umpires realized it's only a passing shower and called them back. That probably would have broken Jayawardene concentration as two balls later he fell for Syed Rasel, the only Bangladeshi who threatened to take a wicket.
The batsman tried to hit Rasel over mid-off, but the ball hit the high part of the bat and spooned back to Ashraful at mid-off and the Bangla captain took the catch comfortably.
Chamara Silva joined Sangakkara and added 60 runs for the fourth wicket and played a cameo of 25 before he was dismissed in the most unfortunate manner.
Sangakkara came down the track and smashed the ball back at the bowler, Ashraful failed to hold onto the tough chance, but managed to flick it back to the stumps and Silva was just short of the crease.
On 197, Sangakkara got full toss on leg stump and the batsman couldn't have asked for a better delivery and he pulled it to the square leg fence to complete his double hundred.
Sri Lanka's 500 came off the last ball of the day when Tillekeratne Dilshan signed things off in style by pulling Ashraful for yet another four.
SCOREBOARD
Bangladesh 1st Innings 131 all out
Sri Lanka 1st Innings
(Overnight 30 for no loss)
Michael Van Dort b Rasel 43
Upul Tharanga lbw b Rasel 12
Kumar Sangakkara not out 122
Mahela Jayawardene not out 130
Extras: (nb7, lb2) 9
TOTAL: (For two wickets) 316
Overs: 73
Fall of wickets: 1-47 (Tharanga), 2-74 (Van Dort).
Still to bat: Chamara Silva, Tillekeratne Dilshan, Prasanna Jayawardene, Farveez Maharoof, Lasith Malinga, Sujeeva de Silva, Muttiah Muralitharan.
Bowling: Mashrafe Mortaza 15-2-57-0, Syed Rasel 20-0-71-2 (5nb), Shahadat Hossain 13-1-52-0 (1nb), Mohammad Rafique 14-1-72-0 (1nb), Mohammad Ashraful 7-0-36-0, Tushar Imran 4-0-26-0.
Umpires: Suresh Shastri, India, and Rudi Koertzen, South Africa .
TV Umpire: Ranmore Martinez, Sri Lanka. Match Referee: Jeff Crowe, New Zealand.
Toss: Won by Sri Lanka
Series: Sri Lanka leads 2-0 |
