Sangakkara's last stand something special, despite Rudi shocker

Peter Roebuck
November 21, 2007
Sydney Morning Herald

NOT even an abject decision from Rudi Koertzen could erase the memory of the wonderful innings by Kumar Sangakkara on the last day of the Hobart Test.



Certainly the left-hander's effort deserved a better ending than that provided by the errant white coat. Closing in on a double century, Sangakkara hooked at Stuart Clark, the ball struck his shoulder and lobbed to a depleted slips cordon. Following local custom, the Australians appealed vociferously. Unsurprisingly, the left-hander looked aghast as the finger was raised. Alas, the matter could not be referred to the third umpire.

Sangakkara was superb. While Sanath Jayasuriya was contentedly clubbing the ball around the ground, he was able to advance at his own pace. In the early hours of his resistance he played a stream of sweetly timed strokes, placements through cover, glides off his pads and assaults on misdirected spinners. When necessary he defended alertly, eye on the ball, biding his time.

Neither pitch nor bowling held any fears for him. Hereabouts, Sri Lanka had reason to rue their indulgences, the failure to take the single that left their captain to face Brett Lee's deadliest missile, the silly run outs, the poor selections.

No sooner had the wondrous Jayasuriya been removed than wickets began to fall at an alarming rate, five of them toppling for 25 runs as the Australians bowled with hostility and patience, a combination later to desert them.

Sangakkara suffered as Chamara Silva snicked to slip, and groaned as Prasanna Jayawardene offered nothing to the next ball. Worse followed as Farveez Maharoof spooned softly and Dilhara Fernando ran himself out. Meanwhile, a capable left-armer seamer averaging 43 with the bat in his past 10 Tests twiddled his thumbs in the rooms.

Sri Lanka had subsided to 8-290 with only two supposed bunnies remaining. But Lasith Malinga and Muttiah Muralitharan are cricketers of high character and it's never wise to take such fellows lightly.

Malinga marched to the crease with the air of a man intent on plunder, which is his customary expression. Something in his partner's gait convinced Sangakkara that the time had come to cut loose.

He began improvising, backing away to lift over the slips, stepping inside bumpers and guiding them to fine leg, standing still to loft over mid-off, bending to clout over square leg. Although he took umpteen risks and played 20 audacious shots, he did not give a single chance in 413 minutes of varied occupation. It was an astonishing effort.

Admittedly, the cultured Sri Lankan was helped by the tactics pursued by his opponents. Eventually captains will grasp the folly of pushing the field back in the first part of the over and trying to stop the single for the last two deliveries.

It is the least effective strategy in the game, yet it is constantly applied. It fails because it takes the initiative from the bowlers. Suddenly the finest leather-flingers in the land are informed by their leader that they are not good enough to bowl to an opponent with a normal field.

Not only did Australia lose their grip in the field, they also lost the plot with the ball. Far from concentrating on the lines and lengths that have served them so well over the years, seasoned campaigners tried yorkers and bumpers and wides and paid the price for their profligacy.

Sangakkara took advantage of the pessimism of his opponents. Few jazz musicians have improvised as well as this creative and competitive southpaw. A cut for six over point was the best of his offerings but it kept good company. Mostly he scored with backfoot strokes but he did not miss many chances of any sort.

Meanwhile, Malinga belied a somewhat anarchic hairstyle by prodding and poking gamely.

Sri Lanka's ninth-wicket pair added 74 runs before Koertzen bungled. Sangakkara departed sorrowfully but grievances are beneath him and he was soon shaking hands with all and sundry.

It only remained for the 10th-wicket pair to swish and swing at bouncers and slower balls before, finally, the curtain fell on an unloved series squeezed into a poorly arranged fixture list.

Except in name, Sangakkara was man of the match. Lee was man of the series. Pity it was all such a rush.