Published: Jun 28, 2017, 11:07 AM (IST)
Edited: Jun 28, 2017, 11:32 AM (IST)
Kumar Sangakkara may have retired from internationals cricket, but the Sri Lankan all-time great continues to set the stage on fire in English County cricket. Playing his final season in First-Class cricket, Sangakkara has been hitting the headlines every now and then. Last month, he became the first player to score five consecutive First-Class centuries for Surrey. A fortnight back, he scored the 100th century of his professional career in Surrey‘s One-Day Cup quarter-final win over Yorkshire at Headingley. And now, continuing on his record-breaking spree, Sangakkara has added another feather to his cap in the ongoing English County season.
On Tuesday, he reached a new milestone by scoring another hundred — his first playing with the pink ball. The latest century, his sixth this season, also took him past 1,000-run mark for a season only halfway done. Sangakkara’s ton helped Surrey to 516 for 7 dec against Yorkshire. He was unbeaten on 180 not out from 183 balls when Surrey declared. He has scored 1,086 runs so far this season — 271 more than the closest batsman — at an average well over 100.
Kumar Sangakkara in @CountyChamp 2017:
71, 46, 136, 105, 114, 120, 200, 84, 4, 26, 180*
All hail the king! pic.twitter.com/NeQJO04Of5
— County Championship (@CountyChamp) June 28, 2017
His teammate Tom Curran, who was involved with him in a 158-run seventh-wicket stand, said he had the best seat in the house to watch the master bat. “It was another masterclass from the great man. He’s been unbelievable. His record speaks for itself,” Curran said as quoted in a cricket.com.au report. “He’s a great player and a great man, and I was honoured to be out there watching him do his thing. It was a great experience for me. He makes it look a lot easier than I do,” he added.
Yorkshire’s assistant coach Rich Pyrah was left frustrated by his bowlers. “Kumar obviously played really well, but I didn’t think we hit our lengths as consistently as we can. It’s a little bit frustrating,” he said, before adding, “But he’s a class player. When he’s playing like that at the end, it’s very difficult to stop him scoring.”
