Sri Lanka thank Sangakkara
Kumar Sangakkara sweeps en route to a match-winning century for the Sri Lankans
Kumar Sangakkara's hundred set Sri Lanka up for a 64-run victory over Pakistan in the Super Four phase of the Asia Cup in Karachi.
Sangakkara saw Sri Lanka to 302 for seven, but Pakistan could only manage 238 for nine in reply despite half-centuries Shoaib Malik and Misbah-ul-Haq.
Sangakkara’s ton helped Sri Lanka recover from a shaky start with Chamara Kapugedera and Chamara Silva also chipping in with useful knocks.
Pakistan fast bowler Sohail Tanvir had threatened to steal the show, claiming his first five-wicket haul in ODIs.
Tanvir struck first to trap Sanath Jayasuriya lbw for eight in the fifth over. Mahela Jayawardene fared better, making a patient 29 before mistiming a cut off Tanvir to Misbah at point.
Kapugedera steadied the ship but fell seven runs short of a half-century, top-edging a slow-sweep to give Mansoor Amjad his first one-day international wicket.
While wickets fell around him, Sangakkara raced to three figures, hitting 10 fours on his way to 112 before becoming Tanvir's third victim.
Silva added a useful 46 before he edged Tanvir to Sarfraz Ahmed and Thilan Thushara contributed a rapid 28, eventually falling to the same bowler. Tillakaratne Dilshan was bowled by Wahab Riaz in the final over.
Pakistan could not have made a worse start to their reply, losing Salman Butt to the first ball of the innings, bowled via an inside edge off a delivery from Chaminda Vaas that shaped back.
Misbah-ul-Haq shapes to reverse-sweep in his 76
Pakistan managed just three runs from the first three overs, but Younus injected some spark by smashing Nuwan Kulasekara for consecutive fours.
It was slow progress, though, and it was not until the 12th over that the hosts reached 50, Malik dispatching Thushara straight down the ground for four.
Sri Lanka made an important breakthrough when Younus, in trying to pull a slower ball from Kulasekara when he had made 47, found only Muttiah Muralitharan at midwicket. Mohammad Yousuf followed for 19, leg before to Ajantha Mendis.
Malik suffered no such nerves, however, and brought up his fifty with a single off Mendis, but his departure in the 32nd over - stumped off Mendis - left Pakistan stuttering on 133 for four.
Shahid Afridi followed him four balls later for a duck after skying Jayasuriya to long-on, and the collapse continued as Mendis claimed his third wicket by trapping Amjad lbw for five.
Misbah was at least holding his own at the other end, bringing up his half-century in the 42nd over.
He eventually reached 76 before he was bowled by Mendis, while Sarfraz quickly followed his team-mate back to the pavilion for 19, bowled by Kulasekara’s slower ball.
Iftikhar Anjum managed just seven before Muralitharan struck - Kulasekara took the catch at short fine-leg - Pakistan’s hopes having long since evaporated.
