Ruthless Sri Lanka crush Kenya by 172 runs

Notch up highest ever total in Twenty20 cricket

Chris DHAMBARAGE Reporting

CRICKET: Sri Lanka launched their campaign for the ICC Twenty20 World championships with a stupendous batting performance as they defeated Kenya by 172 runs in their group ‘C’ opening fixture played at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg yesterday.

After piling up the highest ever total in the shortest version of the game Sri Lanka got their act together well to dismiss their opponents for 88 runs.

In fact their total of 260 for 6 was the highest in this type of cricket while erasing the previous best of 221 for 5 achieved by Australia against England in Sydney early this year.

They also bettered the tournaments highest total of 208 for 2 scored by South Africa against the West Indies in the curtain raiser match at this same venue on September 11.

In addition Sri Lanka recorded the biggest ever victory by terms of runs while overcoming the previous best of 100 runs achieved by England against Australia at Southampton in 2005.

Sri Lanka’s run feast was spearheaded by the dashing left hander Sanath Jayasuriya who plundered a career best 88 runs from 44 balls with the help of nine fours and two sixes that helped him to win the man of the match award.

Jayasuriya who holds the record for the fastest fifty in Twenty20 cricket went pass his previous best score of 51 not out which he score against New Zealand in Wellington last year.

Jayasuriya and Sangakkara put on fifty runs for the second wicket in just 27 balls as Sri Lanka reached their one hundred in 9.5 overs. Jayasuriya added a further fifty runs for the third wicket with skipper Mahela Jayawardena in 19 balls.

Jayawardena completed his half century from 21 deliveries with two sixes and half a dozen of boundaries as Sri Lanka reached their two hundred run mark in 16.2 overs.

But the real finishing touches were provided by Jehan Mubarak who rose to the occasion with a magnificent batting performance. The aggressive left hander remained unbeaten on 46 from just 13 deliveries having hoisted five sixes and three boundaries.

Mubarak making his debut in Twenty20 cricket launched a calculated attack on the Kenyan bowling as he hoisted three sixes in a row in the penultimate over bowled by Onyango.

Chaminda Vaas then made certain that there will be no contest at the end by picking up two wickets in successive overs. The left arm seamer finished with fantastic figures of two wickets for 15 runs from his four overs.

Lasith Malinga who came into the attack as the fourth change bowler also picked up a couple of wickets while Dilshan, Jayasuriya and Wijekoon captured a wicket each. Sri Lanka will meet New Zealand in their second match of the tournament today at the same venue.

Sri Lanka 

S. Jayasuriya c sub (Suji) b N. Ngoche........		88
U. Tharanga b Odoyo...................................	10
K. Sangakkara b Kamande..........................	30
M. Jayawardene lbw b Kamande.................		65
C. Silva run out.........................................5
T. Dilshan b Kamande.................................... 3
J. Mubarak not out......................................46
G. Wijekoon not out......................................1
Extras: (lb2, w8, nb2)..................................12
TOTAL (for six wickets).............................. .260

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-19 (Tharanga), 2-94 (Sangakkara), 
3-181 (Jayasuriya), 4-195 (Silva), 5-212 (Jayawardene), 6-215 (Dilshan) 

BOWLING: Odoyo 3-0-14-1 (w1), Ongondo 4-0-53-0 (nb1), N. Ngoche 4-0-57-1 (w2), 
L. Ngoche 4-0-61-0 (nb1), Kamande 4-0-48-3 (w1), Tikolo 1-0-25-0 

Overs: 20 

Kenya 
M. Ouma lbw b Vaas...................................... 0
D. Obuya run out.......................................	18
N. Ngoche b Vaas........................................ 5
T. Mishra st Sangakkara b Jayasuriya..........		16
S. Tikolo c Jayawardene b Malinga................	 4
C. Obuya c and b Malinga..............................   2
A. Obanda st Sangakkara b Dilshan............		21
J. Kamande lbw b Wijekoon...........................	 5
L. Ngoche not out........................................4
P. Ongondo c Jayawardene b Dilshan............		 3
T. Odoyo absent hurt.....................................-
Extras: w10)............................................10
TOTAL...................................................88

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-0 (Ouma), 2-20 (N. Ngoche), 3-42 (Mishra),
 4-47 (Tikolo), 5-50 (C. Obuya), 6-66 (D. Obuya), 7-81 (Obanda),
 8-83 (Kamande), 9-88 (Ongondo) 

BOWLING: Vaas 4-1-15-2, Fernando 3-0-23-0 (w5), Jayasuriya 3-0-9-1,
 Malinga 3-0-13-2 (w1), Silva 2-0-12-0, Wijekoon 3-0-12-1, Dilshan 1.3-0-4-2 
Overs: 19.3 

The ICC Twenty20 World Cup group ‘C’ points table.

Goup C

Team Mat Won Lost Tied Pts Net RR

Sri Lanka 1 1 0 0 2 +8.600

New Zealand 1 1 0 0 2 +6.002

Kenya 2 0 2 0 0 -8.047