Tag: Kumar Sangakkara

Cricket: Williamson and Watling instigate turnaround win

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As far as come from behind victories go, this could easily top the list.  For once, New Zealand’s Black Caps battled back from certain defeat to register an improbable comeback win over Sri Lanka at the Basin Reserve after falling dangerously behind on the first innings, and further behind half way through their second innings.

Instead of collapsing to a limp second innings total and surrendering a series lead, the little pair of Kane Williamson and BJ Watling added 365 runs, in 111.3 overs, over an entire day’s play (in terms of balls faced) to completely transform a match that was in Sri Lanka’s favour for almost every period prior.

There may have been an argument that the Black Caps had some control at 141/2 in the first innings with Williamson and Ross Taylor at the crease, however, they both fell, for 69 and 32 respectively, and both to inside edges as Sri Lanka rampaged their way through the tail to limit NZ to just 221.  The Sri Lankan seamers, led by Nuwan Pradeep, bounced back from the criticism they received in Christchurch with a nice display on surface that did not help as much as predicted.

Just as quickly though Sri Lanka returned the momentum to NZ by collapsing themselves to 78/5 at stumps on day one.  This was the second of many shifts in dominance in the test and it wasn’t the last.  Day two brought with it another surprise and am absolute gem of an effort from Kumar Sangakkara.  He started the day as the key wicket, and handled the responsibility admirably as he expertly shepherded the tail to ensure his side achieved a healthy lead.  In the process he scored 203, including his 12,000th test run.

While the lead was only 135, it was looking exceedingly better than that when the Black Caps suffered from a classic case of the middle order collapse disease they have so often been affected by.  At 159/5 they were effectively just 24 runs in credit and five wickets down; they shouldn’t have won.

The epic unbroken partnership beat the record – only recently set by Brendon McCullum and Watling at the same ground against India last year (McCullum’s 300) – for the highest sixth wicket partnership in all of cricket.  Williamson (242*) made his first double hundred despite gifting upwards of five chances to the fielding team, and Watling (142*) inched his way to a fourth test century.

The partnership also deflated the Sri Lankans.  They spent 172 overs in the field (almost two full days) and were understandably tired as they began a hefty fourth innings chase of 390.  It was inevitably too much for them; bowled out in the second session for 196.  Lahiru Thirimanne got most of those, his 62* a welcome return to form for a key member of the ODI squad and World Cup plans.  Mark Craig continue his rapid ascent in the cricketing stocks by taking 4-53; performing a spinners key fourth innings role diligently.

Kane Williamson was man of the match.  If you need reasons – the first innings, second innings, and a screamer to dismiss Angelo Matthews in SL’s second dig.

ODI’s next.  Starting in Christchurch on 11 January.

New Zealand 221 (Williamson 69, Pradeep 4-63) and 524 for 5 dec (Williamson 242*, Watling 142*) beat Sri Lanka 356 (Sangakkara 203, Chandimal 67) and 196 (Thirimanne 62*, Craig 4-63) by 193 runs

Cricket: Sri Lanka humble England in epic farewell

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Sri Lanka yet again proved too powerful for a disappointing England side in the final one day international in Colombo overnight.  Tillakaratne Dilshan was the cricketing star of the match scoring 101 and taking 3-37, but Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene were the sentimental stars, playing their final match on home soil.  Neither set the World on fire in this particular game but both are so fondly revered in these parts that it hardly mattered, all that mattered was the farewell and the Sri Lankan win.

For the record, Sri Lanka destroyed England in game seven by 87 runs.  Batting first, the hosts amassed 302-6 from their allotment thanks to the aforementioned Dislhan knock and rollicking fifties from Dinesh Chandimal and Thisara Perera.  The old guard and captain Angelo Matthews added useful contributions and in unison with Dilshan always had the home side heading towards a large total.  Sangakkara did not reach the lofty heights of earlier in the series but when he got to 6 he broke Ricky Ponting’s record of most runs in a calendar year across all formats (FYI, Ponting had 2833 in 2005).

Moeen Ali and Chris Jordan – as he has done through most of the series – were the pick of the England bowlers.  Unfortunately, Ali couldn’t bring the bowling form to his bating.  His premeditated swipe at a straight, innocuous Dilshan ball set the tone for a collapse that would soon become 78-5.  Only Joe Root – again, as he has done all series – showed some fight.  Only the lack of partners got in the way of him putting up another ODI century.  His performances along with those of Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes (notwithstanding the tap he got in this game), and Chris Jordan are the major triumphs of England’s series.

Still of major concern is the form of Alastair Cook.  BBC analyst Simon Hughes commented after the game that the Sri Lankan players appeared to “feel sorry” for the England captain when he was dismissed after a scratchy 32, and even Cook himself has softened his position on whether he’ll captain at the World Cup.  He has hinted that he can have “no complaints” if he is stood down as he has not scored the runs or had the wins he would have liked.

To cap off the farewell and to send the crowd into a fits of joy, Jayawardene and Sangakkara combined to have James Tredwell stumped in the final act of the game.  It wasn’t his first ODI wicket but will probably go down as the most memorable.

Sri Lanka 302 for 6 (Dilshan 101, Chandimal 55*, T Perera 54) beat England 215 (Root 80, Prasanna 3-35, Dilshan 3-37) by 87 runs

Cricket: Sangakkara too good for awful England

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If Kumar Sangakkara’s scores in the four prior matches against England were anything to go by he was destined to eventually reach three figures in the series.  Scores of 67*, 63, 86 and 91 were just the precursor to a breathtaking hundred, scored at a rapid pace in game six of the seven match series.  His innings was at all times controlled, allowing him to effortlessly toyed with the England field and captain.  That he was dropped by the England captain in the midst of the manipulation when on 41 was as fitting as it was cruel.     His run a ball 112 the backbone of his sides impressive total of 292.  With an uncharacteristically controlled support hand from  Tillakaratne Dilshan (68) and a late contribution from the returning Dinesh Chandimal (35), Sri Lanka were able to register a total that asked England to be at their very best if the wanted to take the series to a Colombo decider.

England were not at their best.  Their chase never really threatened Sri Lanka’s total and none of their players could match Sangakkara’s heroics.  The chase started in the worst possible fashion when out of sorts and under-pressure captain Alastair Cook played around a straight one in the third over.  James Taylor arrival at the crease gave reason for England to be hopeful given his strong performances in the series thus far, but he too fell to the impressive Sachithra Senanayake after walking past one.  When Moeen Ali fell to a Dilshan ripper the series was all but over at 50/3.  Joe Root got some time in the middle with a circumspect 55, Chris Woakes blazed 41 – outlining his improving credentials as a handy limited overs cricketer – and Sangakkara also grabbed four catches behind the sticks.

Despite suffering his fourth successive defeat at the helm of the ODI team Alastair Cook remained staunch when his ability to lead the side was questioned.  While there are chorus’ for the man to give up the captaincy, it seems unlikely give the proximity to the World Cup, but coach Peter Moores offered less support than he usually does by suggesting, “It would be wrong of me as a selector and coach not to review things at the end of this series”.

Sri Lanka 292 for 7 (Sangakkara 112, Dilshan 68) beat England 202 (Root 55, Woakes 41, Lakmal 4-30, Senanayake 3-33) by 90 runs

Cricket: Sri Lanka restore two game lead with well-timed chase

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The result seemed inevitable throughout much of the game, however, the closeness of the finish was slightly unexpected.  After England made a total that, to the majority of critics, was twenty runs below par, the classy Sri Lankan lynchpins guided a chase effortlessly but didn’t quite close it out until two balls to spare.

Kumar Sangakkara (84) led most of the chase for 266 and it seemed likely he would go on to register a 20th international ODI cricket century.  His surprise exit though, sent a few ripples through the local batsmen; needing captain Angelo Matthews (51*) to steer them home, and in the process record a half-century of his own.

The win, Sri Lanka’s third of the cricket series, was finally delivered by Matthews and Lahiru Thirimanne who enjoyed a stand of 53 that reinforced the good work of Sangakkare and Mahela Jayawardene (44).

In all honesty Sri Lanaka should have been chasing more than 266.  England overcame the early loss of Alex Hales (0) to find themselves in a strong position at 164/3 at the beginning of the batting power play.  That proved the downfall for England who then failed to press on and put the game beyond doubt.  18 from the bat of Eoin Morgan was needed off Tillakaratne Dilshan’s final over just to make the target competitive.  The return to form for Eoin Morgan was one of the bright spots for England.  We anticipated / hoped for his return to form earlier in the week.

The other bright spot was undoubtedly the innings of diminutive right hander James Taylor (90).  After a two year one day cricket hiatus and a nervy start, Taylor settled in for an excellent knock where he manipulated the field nicely and challenged the bowlers to find a length that fit his small stature.  Amongst his and Morgan’s efforts Joe Root added a useful 36 but the others failed to find a suitable scoring method off the stifling Sri Lankan spin.  Chris Woakes and Ben Stokes in particular continue to look like fish out of water against spin.

Looking more comfortable against the spin of Moeen Ali and Joe Root is the entire Sri Lankan order.  Even the short of runs Kusal Perrera (31)  was able to find some form.  They’re also not struggling against seam either.  Steven Finn continues to struggle and only Chris Jordan (2-35) was penetrating in these Colombo conditions.

Significant improvement is needed from England when cricket returns for game 5.  While publicly they will claim they are still in the series, they’re not, and the remaining games will mainly be used to test top order combinations when Alastair Cook’s returns.

England are now at $13 to win the series at Bet365.  A 6-1 series score is at $3.50.

Sri Lanka 267 for 4 (Sangakkara 86, Mathews 51*) beat England 265 (Taylor 90, Morgan 62, Herath 3-36) by six wickets

Cricket: Buttler and Root deliver much needed win

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Buttler and Root sounds a bit like a law firm, but instead of saving clients, this twosome saved their country from utter panic, and did an excellent job at rejuvenating the one day international cricket series against Sri Lanka.   Facing a difficult target in a rain-reduced match England desperately needed to avoid going three nil down in the best of 7 series.  They achieved that thanks to a calm Joe Root innings (48 off 48) and a rapid Jos Buttler cameo (57 off 37).  Also deserving of a mention is Moeen Ali who again provided early impetus to the England innings by racing to 58 from 39 balls before being dismissed.

Earlier in the day Sri Lanka had responded well to early wickets (and early rain delays) as they amassed a challenging total of 242/8 from 35 overs.  The total was constructed around a patient 63 from Kumar Sangakkara with support from Thirimanne and Prasad.  The latter pair piled on 62 runs from the final five overs to set up the challenging total; a total that could have been more imposing but for Duckworth-Lewis.  Chris Jordan justified his inclusion in the side, playing his first cricket for some time the seamer took 2 important wickets (Sangakkara and Angelo Matthews).  Chris Woakes (3-41) also ensured that Sri Lanka’s total was not completely out of sight and a series lifeline was on offer.  The one downside to England’s fielding effort was a potential slow over rate penalty incurred by captain Alastiar Cook.  The under-pressure skipper could miss the next game of cricket, which will make things super interesting if his replacement makes runs.

The tone of England’s chase was again set by Moeen Ali.  The left hander made his fifty from 29 balls; slightly slower than his feat in game one but still quick.  Hales and Cook contributed too to a balanced pace before Hales contributed to Ali’s demise, running him out when the score was 103.  Mid chase wobbles threatened to derail the England momentum when series star Ravi Bopara and the out of sorts Eoin Morgan were out.  However, the unbroken 84 run partnership between Buttler and Root settled the match and saw England home by 5 wickets.

Hopefully you got in on our prediction with Centrebet paying out an England win at $1.95.

England 236 for 5 (Moeen 58, Buttler 55*, Root 48*) beat Sri Lanka 242 for 8 (Sangakkara 63, Thirimanne 62*, Woakes 3-41) by 5 wickets (D/L method)

Cricket: Sri Lanka go two up after emphatic win

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England’s one-day international cricket woes continued with a second loss in game two of their bi-lateral series against Sri Lanka.   The Colombo hosted encounter contrasted significantly from game one, where a flat pitch made for a high scoring encounter. Game two on the other hand was played on a much tackier, much trickier surface, and England’s flailing batsmen struggled to a limp 185 all out.

The sticky pitch was the perfect platform for the Sri Lankan spin attack to strangle and frustrate an England lineup grappling with the balance between aggressiveness and recklessness.  Of their top order, only Joe Root (42) and Ravi Bopara (51) displayed any staying power. Bopara particularly, backing up his strong effort in the first cricket game, crafted a nicely paced half-century without any boundaries. This was after Alastair Cook and Ian Bell both failed again, heaping further pressure on their places in the side. Eoin Morgan too is under increasing pressure. He has failed to pass 50 in any of his last 14 innings.

England’s meek effort reeked of uncertainty and an inability to adapt their gameplan to reach a respectable target.   Hard hands were never going to be suitable for this wicket as Bopara and Root proved as they executed deft flicks and deflections.

Sri Lanka’s response was classy. Cricket run machines Kumar Sangakkara (67) and Mahela Jayawardene (77) effortlessly manipulated bowlers and fielders to chase down England’s modest total for the loss of just two wickets.  Jayawardene was man of the match for his match winnings knock, although the bowling of Tillakaratne Dilshan (2-32) and Ajantha Mendis (3-33) was also deserving of significant praise.

The sleepy run chase was conducted with that much ease it at times look nothing more than an open wicket practice for the veterans. Only Ali and Steven Finn, who was returning from injury, took wickets in an otherwise untroubled and clinical lesson in chasing a cricket total.

As the on day international cricket series heads to Hambantota, England need a confidence building win, whereas Sri Lanka will look to keep the foot firmly down on the throttle in their languid, handsome way.