Kumar Sangakkara may have reached his mid-30s, but over the last month he has played as well as he has done throughout his career. In both Tests and ODIs, he has been at his sublime best, with opponents from the sub-continent having to bear the brunt of his run-scoring spree. Here’s a look at some of his impressive knocks in recent times.
319 and 105 against Bangladesh at Chittagong (2nd Test)
Sangakkara entered the list of batsmen having scored the most runs in a Test with his marathon effort in this match. In the first innings, he batted for 551 minutes and 482 balls for his 319, which featured 32 fours and eight sixes. Sangakkara was equally aggressive in the second innings, smashing 105 from 144 balls with 11 fours and 2 sixes. The high- scoring match was drawn with Bangladesh batsmen also coming up with centuries of their own, but Sangakkara’s performance stood out.
128 against Bangladesh at Mirpur (2nd ODI)
The elegant left-hander continued his good form against Bangladesh in the ODIs as well. In the second one-dayer, he scored 128 from 115 balls with the aid of 14 fours as Sri Lanka posted 289 for 6 batting first. Bangladesh replied with 228 as Sri Lanka won the game by 61 runs.
67 against Pakistan at Fatullah (Asia Cup)
Lahiru Thirimanne was the star of the Asia Cup opening match with his century, but Sangakkara also played his part in Sri Lanka’s victory. He made a fluent 67 from 65 balls, an innings inclusive of 8 fours and featured in a big century stand with Thirimanne. By the time he was dismissed, Sri Lanka had progressed to 189 in the 32nd ended up making 296 for 6 and won the contest by 12 runs.
103 against India Fatullah (Asia Cup)
Sangakkara single-handedly won this tense clash for the Lankans. Chasing a challenging 265, Sri Lanka found themselves in trouble at 217 for 6 in the 44th over. But, Sangakkara held one end up even as wickets kept tumbling from the other end. And, when it looked like the equation was getting out of hand, he blasted Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami to bring the team right back into the match. His 103 came off only 84 balls, and featured 12 fours and one six. With some luck towards the end, Lanka scampered to a two-wicket win.
76 against Afghanistan at Mirpur (Asia Cup)
Even against the minnows, Sangakkara ensured that he continued his good vein of form. Sri Lanka batted first in this match and the left-hander top scored for the side with 76 from 102 balls. The knock featured six fours and one six. At 83 for 3, Lanka were in a spot of bother, but Sangakkara’s patient knock helped them recover to post a challenging 253 for 8. In the end, Lanka won easily by 129 runs as Afghanistan were bowled out for 124.
--By A Cricket Analyst
