The Hindu : Sport : Sangakkara and Mathews deny Pakistan victory

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Sangakkara and Mathews deny Pakistan victory

Sri Lanka’s first series win at home against Pakistan after five unsuccessful attempts

COLOMBO: Kumar Sangakkara hit an unbeaten century to steer Sri Lanka to a draw in the final Test against Pakistan here on Friday and win his first series as captain.

The left-hander made 130 not out as Sri Lanka, faced with a world record target of 492, defied the Pakistani bowlers to finish with 391 for four on the final day at the Sinhalese Sports Club.

Sangakarra’s 19th Test century featured a fourth-wicket stand of 122 with Thilan Samaraweera (73) and an undefeated 114 for the fifth wicket with Angelo Mathews (64 not out).

Sri Lanka clinched the series 2-0, its first at home against Pakistan after five unsuccessful attempts, and provided Sangakkara with a winning start as captain after he took over from Mahela Jayawardene in April.

Sangakkara hung on for nearly seven hours on a placid pitch to frustrate Pakistan’s bid to record a face-saving win ahead of the five-match one-day series starting at Dambulla on July 30.

No team has achieved this high a target in the fourth innings to win a Test match. The highest successful chase so far is 418 for seven by the West Indies against Australia in Antigua in 2003.

The two teams went into the last session of the match with Sri Lanka needing 154 runs from a possible 38 overs to clinch a record-breaking win while Pakistan required six wickets for a face-saving win after losing the first two Tests.

The host gave an indication it would prefer to settle for a draw when it made just 76 runs from 26 overs in the two hours after lunch.

The final session, watched by some 3,000 home fans, provided dull cricket from both sides as the batsmen plodded along and the bowlers set defensive fields to ensure the run-rate did not pick up.

Play was finally called off when 15 overs remained with Sri Lanka needing a further 101 runs.

It was the first time in the series that play went into the fifth day after the tourist lost the first Test in four days and the second in three.

Sangakkara and Samaraweera, who resumed at 183 for three, batted through the morning session to take Sri Lanka to 262 without further loss by lunch.

The pair made a cautious start in the morning, scoring 50 runs in 21 overs before Pakistan captain Younus Khan took the second new ball as soon as it was due in the 81st over.

Samaraweera welcomed the change by driving the first delivery from Umar Gul to the cover fence and executing another perfect off-drive from the last ball of the over.

Sri Lanka suffered a setback soon after lunch when Samaraweera strained a hamstring while taking a single and called for a runner.

The injury did not seem to bother him as he hit the first ball from pace bowler Mohammad Aamer for a boundary, but then was smashed on the helmet by a rising ball later in the same over.

Samaraweera was dismissed in the following over when he failed to read a straighter one from off-spinner Saeed Ajmal and nicked an easy catch to wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal.

Fairytale finish

Sri Lanka’s most successful medium-pacer Chaminda Vaas left the SSG after playing his final Test. It was a befitting end to an illustrious career as Sri Lanka, with its back to the wall, eked out a draw.

Sri Lanka’s most successful bowler after Muttiah Muralitharan, Vaas’s natural ability to swing and seam the ball and his grasp of reverse-swing made him a lethal bowler.

Vaas did not have much success with the ball in his Test swansong, managing just the wicket of Khurram Manzoor in Pakistan’s first innings and going wicketless in the second essay.

“It has been a long haul and I always had the backing of my friends and family,” an emotional Vaas said after the match.

“It’s an emotional moment for me,” he added.

His kids, wife and parents were present on the occasion. — Agencies

SCOREBOARD

Pakistan — 1st innings: 299.

Sri Lanka — 1st innings: 233.

Pakistan — 2nd innings: 425 for nine decl.

Sri Lanka — 2nd innings: T. Paranavitana c Alam b Malik 73, M. Warnapura c Malik b Kaneria 31, K. Sangakkara (not out) 130, M. Jayawardene c Akmal b Kaneria 2, T. Samaraweera c Akmal b Ajmal 73, A. Mathews (not out) 64; Extras (b-1, lb-7, nb-9, w-1): 18; Total (for four wkts. in 134 overs): 391.

Fall of wickets: 1-83, 2-139, 3-155, 4-277.

Pakistan bowling: Gul 12-0-65-0, Aamer 21-5-46-0, Younus 8-0-25-0, Ajmal 43-9-95-1, Malik 14-1-38-1, Kaneria 36-3-114-2.

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