Jayawardene classic sees Sri Lanka to 274

By Suneer Chowdhary

 

Mahela Jayawardene was probably saving his form for the final of the World Cup against India where he went on to score an 84-ball century that included 13 boundaries but hardly a stroke that could be described as ugly.

By Suneer Chowdhary

 

Mumbai: Apr 2, 2011

 

The first game of the World Cup that Sri Lanka played was against Canada and Mahela Jayawardene had announced himself to everyone with a century. His form had skydived from there and in the ensuing remaining games, he had scored only 101 more runs. He was probably saving his form for the final of the World Cup against India where he went on to score an 84-ball century that included 13 boundaries but hardly a stroke that could be described as ugly.

 

Sri Lanka ended with 275 and that meant that India will need to score the highest ever batting second in a World Cup final to win the tournament.

 

The toss was won in a bizarre condition by Kumar Sangakkara after the coin had to be tossed twice. The first time, no-one knew what was called – apart from probably Sangakkara – and the match referee had had no option but to have the toss repeated.

 

Upul Tharanga’s run in the tournament had seen him get to the top of the run-getters’ chart but against Zaheer Khan, he was clearly at sea. After having sent down three maiden overs, Zaheer seemed to have got the pressure on him and in the end, the left-handed batsman edged a ball that deviated from its seam. Virender Sehwag dived to his right and brought up an excellent catch.

 

The dismissal of Tharanga seemed to have set the Lankans into motion as the run-rate picked up with the batting of Tillakaratne Dilshan and Sangakkara.

 

Dilshan began with the apprehension one would associate with a final but the dismissal of Tharanga seemed to have got his radar going. However, his 33 came off 49 balls and the frustration to get the runs in the manner that he has got in the tournament so got to him off the bowling of Harbhajan Singh. Cramped for room, he tried to sweep the bowler but the ball came off his bat and thigh pad to clip the bail.

 

It was the partnership of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene that turned the innings in their favour. Sangakkara looked aggressive after getting his eye, trying to take on India’s fifth bowling option in Yuvraj Singh. The manner in which he went about his business, it did look like he had got his eye in enough to get to another century.

 

However, much like what has happened in the couple of years leading up to this tournament, the concentration flagged and Sangakkara edged Yuvraj to the wicket-keeper off a cut.

 

Jayawardene, on the other hand, had come into the final with 201 runs to his name off which 100 had come in the first game of the tournament for the Lankan side. However, in a vital final like this, it was his innings that allowed the Sri Lankans to get to where they did.

 

Jayawardene’s was one of the innings that looked from the very beginning that he was looking for a big one. The timing was right from the word go and his century came off only 84 balls – an impressive innings in the context of the game. Boundaries were deftly found and the century looked like a formality.

 

India had an opportunity to tighten the screws when Thilan Samaraweera departed for 21 while the surprise selection Chamara Kapugedera scored only a single before offering Zaheer Khan a wicket. Sri Lanka were 182 for 5 at this stage with ten overs to be bowled and with a serious chance of being bowled out before the 50 overs given the supposed weakness of their lower-middle order.

 

It was Nuwan Kulasekera who brought the Lankans back into the game with one of the more vital innings that he would have played in his career. Kulasekera played himself in before launching a six and a four to score 32 off only 30, but more importantly, he had done enough to allow Jayawardene to not get bogged down at the other end.

 

Thisara Perera slammed 22 off his nine balls in the end as 63 runs came off the Batting Powerplay to push the Lankans to a near-invincible 274 for 6 in their 50 overs.

 

As expected, the bowling figures had nothing to show for; Zaheer had started off with three maidens and went for 60 in his ten while Sreesanth, who was playing in his first game after the opening encounter conceded 52 from eight. Yuvraj was the pick of the bowlers with 49 coming off his ten overs with two wickets to go with it while Harbhajan went for one more and got a wicket less.

 

Brief Scores: Sri Lanka 274 for 6 (Mahela Jayawardene 103*, Kumar Sangakkara 48, Tillakaratne Dilshan 33, Nuwan Kulasekara 32; Yuvraj Singh 2 for 49, Zaheer Khan 2 for 60) vs India.

 

 

(Suneer is a Mumbai-based cricket writer and can be contacted at suneerchowdhary@gmail.com and Tweets here @suneerchowdhary)

 

Pictures © Getty Images

• 
• 
•