Hambantota: Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara while praising batsman Mahela Jayawardene termed him the “real star” of his side’s 210-run victory against Canada in their World Cup opener at Hambantota, Sri Lanka.
Jayawardene brought up his century off just 81 balls and shared a 179-run third-wicket stand with Sangakkara (92) as the hosts posted 332. Canada struggled with the bat and they were eventually dismissed for 122.
“It was all set up by the openers. They batted very well and gave us a solid start – (Tillakaratne) Dilshan got a half-century but unfortunately couldn’t kick on,” said Sangakkara. “But the real star was Mahela Jayawardene; it was very easy to bat with him. Once we got that foundation and that solidity, we were able to launch and go beyond 300.”
He added: “Wickets like this when you haven’t played before, it’s nice to get an idea of what’s going on. To see what areas you can score and what bowlers you can score off.
“So I took a bit of time with my innings and then Mahela came in and brought the momentum back.”
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