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Sangakkara striving to keep rampaging Aussies at bay

Set a massive 507 for an upset victory...:

It is a sink or swim situation for Sri Lanka. Set 507 for victory, the Lankans were fighting hard endeavouring for that elusive victory still requiring 260 with seven wickets still standing at the end of the fourth day of the Second Test at the Bellerive Oval, here today.

Cricket it is said is a funny game and with Kumar Sangakkara (109) and Sanath Jayasuriya (32) still at the wickets having added 89 for the fourth wicket and with Chamara Silva, Prassana Jayawardena and the injured Farveez Mahroof likely to bat, don't write off the Lankans. Anything is possible.

A magnificent century (109 not out) by Kumar Sangakkara who made a half century in the first innings has kept the Aussies at bay. His was a truly great century made in adversity and which has brought great respectability to the Lankan innings.

From the time he took strike, he never allowed the bowlers to call the tune, but moved into them with gusto, driving, cutting and lofting the ball to the fence with arrogance.

It came in 267 minutes with 15 fours and 178 balls. When he lofted a full toss from MacGill he showed his delight by punching the air and first acknowledging the standing ovation from his team mates and then waving his bat at the sparse spectators.

He was particularly severe on leg spinner Stuart MacGill hitting him with great relish and not letting him settle into a line or length MacGill had not been treated in this fashion for a long time.

As for me he is a poor substitute for the great Shane Warne. Most of the time he was bowling full tosses and long hops.

When the Lankans began their chase, having to scale the Alps as it were for a victory that would turn the cricket world upside down and get statisticians rewriting the record books, they lost the tall left handed opener Michael Vandort for 4 with the score on 15, and it looked as though the Aussie bowlers would rubbish the rest of the batting.

The Lankans had more than a day and a half to negotiate and Marvan Atapattu and Kumar Sangakkara raised hopes of a draw or upset win by batting positively, great concentration and daring taking the bowlers head on.

What was interesting and encouraging in their record breaking second wicket stand of 143-they held the previous record of 138 against Australia-was that they did not show any fear but played their natural game and runs were coming freely.

Both played strokes allround the wicket and excelled driving on the V. Their stand was growing and it was a visibly worried skipper Ponting making the bowling changes, not knowing from where and how his next wicket was going to come.

But after a dream stand, a clever bit of thinking by pacie Brett Lee who moved his square leg Phil Jacques a few metres form the boundary and bounced his next deliver and challenged Atapattu to go for the pull.

The batsman fell for the bait and that was the end of the road for Atapattu who probably played his last Test innings. He couldn't believe that he was baited. What was amazing was that he showed the correct temperament withstanding the bowling assault for 215 minutes and the stand of 143 came in 200 minutes (158 for 2).

Then what stunned everyone was when Lee bowled next man in and first innings century maker Mahela Jayawardena first ball. It was an error of judgement by the batsman who let the ball hit the stumps offering no stroke (158 for 3).

At the end of the third day, where the Sri Lankan batsmen collapsed, with resistance coming only from Kumar Sangakkara 57 and an exciting century (104) from Mahela Jayawardena, the skipper questioned his team"s character and fight. He sounded stern when he said that they haven"t got the hunger for victory and the hunger for success.

Jayawardena also said that they had been pushed to the wall and now there is nowhere else to go but to push them back.

That longing did not materialise as the Lankan batsmen could not come to terms with the rampaging Aussie bowlers.

When the Lankans surrendered for 296 in reply to the home team score of 542 for 5 declared, skipper Ricky Ponting did not enforce the follow on because his bowlers were tired and he wanted them to rest and come back fresh firing all cylinders and not that he had any respect for the Lankan batsmen. At the close Australia had increased their lead to 407, making 111 for one, losing Matthew Hayden for 33 at 83 with Phil Jacques on 53 and Ricky Ponting on 7.

The wicket was firm and hard and it showed that batsmen applying themselves could make big runs. Jacques and Ponting went on to further grill the bowlers and after putting on 127 for the second wicket, Jacques skied Lasith Malinga to Michael Vandort at deep point for 68. He has had a ship of runs scoring two centuries and now this half ton.

After these knocks, it is apparent that he has cemented the opener"s slot left vacant with the retirement of another left hander Justin Langer after the Ashes winning series against England last year.

Michael Hussey joined his skipper and continued to gather more runs and after putting together a stand of 56 and after Ponting reached a half century the declaration came at 210, setting the Lankans a mammoth 507 to reach unlikely victory.

Bellerive Oval, Hobart, Monday

SCOREBOARD

Australia 1st innings 
542 for 5 declared 
(P. Jaques 150, M. Hussey 132, M. Clarke 71; D. Fernando 2-134) 

Sri Lanka 1st innings 246 
(M. Jayawardene 104, K. Sangakkara 57;  B. Lee 4-82)

Australia 2nd innings
P. Jaques  c Vandort b Malinga		68
M. Hayden   lbw b Muralitharan		33
R. Ponting   not out			53
M. Hussey    not out			34
Extras (lb1, b2, nb19)			22
Total (2 wkts declared, 46 overs)	210
Fall of wickets: 1-83 (Hayden), 2-154 (Jaques)
Bowling: Malinga 12-0-61-1 (13nb), Fernando 12-1-50-0 (6nb), 
Muralitharan 20-1-90-1, Jayasuriya 2-0-6-0.

Sri Lanka 2nd innings
M. Atapattu  c Jaques b Lee		80
M. Vandort  c sub (Lockyer) b Johnson	04
K. Sangakkara  not out			109
M. Jayawardene b Lee			00
S. Jayasuriya  not out			33
Extras (lb6, nb10, w5)			21
Total (3 wkts, 70 overs)		247
Fall of wickets: 1-15 (Vandort), 2-158 
(Atapattu), 3-158 (M. Jayawardene)
Bowling: Lee 16-2-40-2 (5w 2nb), Johnson 19-3-65-1 (1nb), 
Clark 13-4-33-0 (3nb), MacGill 16-0-93-0 (4nb), Clarke 6-1-10-0

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