The Hindu : Sport : Sangakkara in majestic touch

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Saturday, Dec 16, 2006
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Sangakkara in majestic touch

Sri Lankan bowlers hit back to reduce New Zealand to 66 for four

WELLINGTON: Kumar Sangakkara made an unbeaten 156 to guide Sri Lanka to 268, after it chose to bat, on the opening day of the second Test against New Zealand at the Basin Reserve here on Friday. The Kiwis were 66 for four in reply.

Sangakkara strode to the wicket in the second over of the day even before his team had scored, and batted through the remainder of the innings to score his second unbeaten century off successive innings.

The Sri Lankan top-order failed again and the team slipped to 81 for four. Sangakkara and Chamara Silva (61) rebuilt the innings, adding 121 runs for the fifth wicket.

Sangakkara put on a further 37 for the sixth wicket with Prasanna Jayawardene, who made 25, before the Sri Lankan tail folded up and the last five wickets fell for 29 runs.

Tough test

New Zealand slumped to 66 for four, losing Nathan Astle two balls before stumps. Astle and Mathew Sinclair had endured a torrid time against Lasith Malinga and Muttiah Muralitharan in the last hour of the day in their attempt to shield the Kiwis from further loss.

Malinga peppered Sinclair with bouncers while Muralitharan tested both batsmen with his variety and flight. Astle and Sinclair survived with difficulty until the shadow of stumps when the former was bowled by Malinga for 17 to give the fast bowler his third wicket of the innings. Sinclair was unbeaten on six at close.

Malinga ended the day with three for 37 off 9.4 overs, removing opener Jamie How (26), Fleming (0) and Astle. Maharoof castled the other opener Cumming for 13.

The day belonged to Sangakkara who made his 12th Test century. The Sri Lankan left-hander batted majestically, driving powerfully and pulling gracefully while hitting 21 fours and a six. He went from 97 to 101 with a swept four, and said later that he had misread the scoreboard and thought he was only 87.

``It's strange. I don't think I would have played the sweep on 97 but maybe it helped not knowing the score. It didn't curb my tempo or play with my mind,'' Sangakkara said.

Sanath Jayasuriya, captain Mahela Jayawardene, Chaminda Vaas, Malinga and Muralitharan were all out for ducks. — AP

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