Lankans destroy Canada

HAMBANTOTA,

Sri Lanka, (CMC):

Mahela Jayawardene scored the fastest hundred by a Sri Lankan in the World Cup to pave the way for their 210-run victory over Canada yesterday.

Jayawardene struck nine fours and one six in an even 100 from 81 balls to be the rock upon which Sri Lanka built a formidable total of 332 for seven from their allocation of 50 overs, after they chose to bat in the Group-A match at the new Rajapaksa Stadium.

The former captain surpassed the previous Sri Lankan fastest in the competition, 85 balls by Sanath Jayasuriya scored against Bangladesh four years ago in Port of Spain.

Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara supported with seven fours and one six in 92 from 87 balls, adding 179 for the third wicket with his predecessor, and Tillakaratne Dilshan also cashed in with eight fours in 50 from 59 deliveries.

Wickets collected

Nuwan Kulasekara then collected three wickets for 16 runs from six overs, and Thisara Perera three for 24 from seven overs to undermine the Canadian batting, as the visitors were dismissed for 122 in 36.5 overs.

Rizwan Cheema with 37 and Ashish Bagai with 22 were the only two Canadian batsmen that came to grips with the Sri Lankan bowling.

Dilshan and left-hander Upul Tharanga had given Sri Lanka a solid base with an opening stand of 63, but they were dismissed in a period that run scoring was at a premium.

Tharanga was run out for 19, when he failed to beat Sri Lanka-born fielder Ruvindu Gunasekara's throw from mid-off to the wicketkeeper, and Dilshan, whose innings took him past 5,000 runs in One-day International, was caught at deep cover off the Pakistan-born Cheema the ball after reaching the half-century mark.

Sri Lanka were 88 for two, when Jayawardene joined Sangakkara, and they drew on their enormous experience to negotiate the Canadian bowling on a slow pitch to put the Sri Lankans in charge with their big partnership.

Quick runs

Chasing quick runs in the last 10 overs, Sri Lanka lost five wickets, including Jayawardene and Sangakkara, for 65 runs.

With Lasith Malinga resting a sore back, Kulasekara and Perera bowled steadily to give the national selectors plenty about which to think when the Sri Lankan spearhead is fit again.

Perera made the breakthrough for Sri Lanka, when he bowled John Davison for a duck with his first ball of the match in the second over to trigger a slump that left Canada 12 for three, and they never recovered.

Sri Lanka host Pakistan in their second match this coming Saturday at the Premadasa Stadium in the Sri Lanka capital of Colombo, two days before Canada face Zimbabwe on Monday, February 28, at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur, India.

Scores

SRI LANKA (maximum 50 overs)

U. Tharanga run out (Gunasekera/+Bagai) 19

T. Dilshan c Davison b Rizwan Cheema 50

+K. Sangakkara c and b Davison 92

M. Jayawardene c Balaji Rao b Davison 100

T. Perera run out (Surkari/+Bagai) 11

A. Mathews c and b Baidwan 21

C. Kapugedera c (sub) Kumar b Baidwan 2

T. Samaraweera not out 18

N. Kulasekara not out 7

Extras: (lb3, w8, nb1) 12

TOTAL: (7 wkts, 50 overs) 332

M. Muralitharan, A. Mendis did not bat

Fall of wickets: 1-63, 2-88, 3-267, 4-276, 5-284, 6-295, 7-314

Bowling: Chohan 8-0-62-0; Osinde 2.1-0-10-0 (nb1, w2); Baidwan 8.5-0-59-2 (w2); Hansra 9-0-47-0 (w1); Cheema 7-0-47-1; Balaji Rao 7-0-48-0; Davison 8-0-56-2 (w2)

CANADA (target: 333 off 50 overs)

R. Gunasekera c Dilshan b Kulasekara 1

J. Davison b Perera 0

Z. Surkari lbw b Perera 6

J. Hansra stSangakkara b Samaraweera 9

+A. Bagai c wkprSangakkara b Perera 22

Rizwan Cheema c Jayawardene b Muralitharan 37

T. Gordon c wkprSangakkara b Kulasekara 4

Khurram Chohan c wkprSangakkara b Kulasekara 4

H. Baidwan not out 16

W. Balaji Rao c Tharanga b Muralitharan 6

H. Osinde b Mendis 4

Extras: (lb8, w4, nb1) 13

TOTAL: (all out, 36.5 overs) 122

Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-8, 3-12, 4-42, 5-53, 6-68, 7-74, 8-103, 9-111

Bowling: Kulasekara 6-2-16-3; Perera 7-0-24-3; Mendis 7.5-3-18-1 (w1); Muralitharan 9-0-38-2 (nb1, w3); Dilshan 5-0-14-0; Samaraweera 2-0-4-1

Result: Sri Lanka won by 210 runs

Points: Sri Lanka 2, Canada 0

Man-of-the-Match: M. Jayawardene (Sri Lanka)

Umpires: I. Gould, S. Tarapore