Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara plays a shot during their first One Day International match against South Africa in Colombo yesterday. Sangakkara scored 169 as Sri Lanka won by 180 runs.
COLOMBO: Former skipper Kumar Sangakkara smashed his highest one-day score of 169 off 137 balls as Sri Lanka thrashed South Africa by 180 runs in the first one-day international in Colombo yesterday.
The veteran left-hander’s 16th one-day century steered Sri Lanka to a commanding 320-5 after the hosts were sent in to bat in the day-night game at the Premadasa Stadium.
South Africa were shot out for 140 in reply, the innings lasting just 31.5 overs, to leave Sri Lanka with a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
Thirty-five-year-old Sangakkara chippped in with two catches and a stumping, earning him the Man-of-the-Match award, as Rangana Herath and Thisara Perera picked up three wickets each.
Sangakkara celebrated his 350th one-day match by surpassing his previous best score of 138 not out, against India in 2005, after Tillakaratne Dilshan fell cheaply in the fourth over.
Sangakkara put on 70 for the second wicket with opener Upul Tharanga (43), 74 for the third with Mahela Jayawardene (42) and 123 for the fourth in which Lahiru Thirimanne’s contribution was just 17.
He finally holed out in the deep in the penultimate over of the innings, after 18 boundaries and six sixes.
Sangakkara said the two-paced wicket was not easy to bat on at the start.
“It was about staying there and building the innings,” he said. “I stuck in there and there was good support from Upul and Mahela.”
South African captain AB de Villers said the huge defeat was hard to accept, but vowed to fight back.
“It is not the end of the series,” he said. “I know my boys will fight back. There are not a lot of positives we can take from the game, but we can only improve from here.
“We were way below par, but I know what the players are capable of. We will come back because we want to win the series.”
Fast bowler Morne Morkel, who recovered in time from a thigh injury to play the match, was South Africa’s most impressive bowler with 2-34 from his 10 overs. REUTERS
