Sangakkara hails Muralitharan after win over NZ

Sri Lanka skipper Sangakkara hails star offie Muralitharan, who shrugged off a knee injury to rout New Zealand by taking 4-25

Muttiah Muralitharan returning to his wicket-takings ways will mean headache for the other teams. The Sri Lankan legend has had a quiet World Cup so far, taking seven wickets (two and three against Canada and Zimbabwe respectively, and one each against Pakistan and Kenya).


Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan is ecstatic after taking the wicket of NZ's
Scott Styris at the Wankhede Stadium yesterday. Pic/AFP

However, the world's leading wicket-taker in both Tests and ODIs came into his own in Sri Lanka's last group game as he grabbed four wickets for 25 runs as New Zealand were bowled out for 153 giving the Lankans a 112-run win at the Wankhede Stadium yesterday. The limping Muralitharan used all the weapons -- turn, flight, dip, and bounce -- in a spinner's armour to bamboozle the Kiwis.

"He did a pretty good job of getting us those crucial wickets bowling on one leg. He has done it for us (bowling with an injured leg) earlier as well in Australia," Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara.

Muralitharan injured his knee while diving to make his ground when batting. The 38-year-old from Kandy, set to retire from international cricket after the World Cup, was at his youthful best. Every time he took a wicket, he was as excited as a school kid who was given a candy. Murali's first victim was Kane Williamson, who was lured to play on the front foot and stumped by Sangakkara for five.

Next was stand-in skipper Ross Taylor, trapped leg before wicket for 33. Scott Styris (6) and James Franklin (20) were the other two batsmen he got rid off.u00a0Taylor put the team's loss down to poor batting. "I think our bowlers did a good job by restricting them to 265, especially with the way Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene were batting. We just kept losing wickets," he lamented.

Earlier, Sangakkara and Jayawardene played the rescue act after Lanka lost both the openers, Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan, early. Sangakkara, who hit 12 fours and two sixes, blasted his way to his maiden World Cup ton. He hit three boundaries and a six in the batting powerplay to gallop from 80 to the three-figure mark.
McCullum ended Sangakkara's innings in the 42nd over for 111. Jayawardene provided able support with 66.
Sangakkara was not overawed with the win. "It is nice to win. It is good for our confidence. But our real test will come now," he said.