Sangakkara was named Man of the Match for his stellar innings of 70

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

Warne’s Warriors wicketkeeper-batsman Kumar Sangakkara blasted an entertaining 70 to help his side crush Sachin’s Blasters by 57 runs in the second Twenty20 International in Houston.

Sachin’s Blasters captain Sachin Tendulkar would have been mulling over his decision to bowl first as all the batsmen made decent scores.

However, Sangakkara stood out amongst them all as he smashed 70 off 30 balls, which included six boundaries and six sixes.

The Sri Lankan legend was well supported by Jacques Kallis, who made 45 off 23 balls, which included three boundaries and four sixes, and Ricky Ponting, who hammered 41 off 16 deliveries, which included five boundaries and three sixes.

Thanks to the trio’s efforts, Warne’s Warriors finished on 262/5 off their 20 overs.

Lance Klusener was the pick of the bowlers with two wickets, while Virender Sehwag, Glenn McGrath and Graeme Swann chipped in with one wicket apiece.

Chasing 263 to win, Sachin’s Blasters struggled to mount any kind of offense as many of the batsmen made promising starts but were unable to convert them into bigger scores. However, this was not the case for Shaun Pollock as he bashed 55 off 22 balls, which included one boundary and seven sixes.

Despite Pollock’s valiant effort, Sachin’s Blasters were only able to score 205/8 off their 20 overs.

Andrew Symonds was the most successful bowler with four wickets, while Saqlain Mushtaq snapped up two and Kallis and Ajit Agarkar claimed one wicket each.

Tendulkar was disappointed to have lost, and said: “I think Sanga took the game away from us. 262 was a really big target. We were extremely pumped up, the wicket played beautifully. But we enjoyed it. We were unable to keep up the pace. 26-28,000 people here, fantastic. Looking to forward to being in LA. The response has been magnificent in two matches, lets make it a hat-trick.”

Shane Warne was ecstatic to have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead, and said: “We dreamt of having these many people, the way we have been treated has been fantastic. The fans have created a great atmosphere. Some special batting from some class players. Shows you what a good pitch it was. Sri Lankan people will be asking to see if we could get Sangakkara back. He played beautifully today. At the end of the day, it is nice to win but it isn’t the case. The cricketing cliche of cricket is the winner stands out today, the outfield and roof was wonderful.”

Sangakkara was named Man of the Match, and said: “It was a lot of fun, thank you Houston for the hospitality. Lot of credit to Sachin and Warney, they are pioneers on the field and they are breaking new round off the field. All outstanding players, legends of the game, crowd participation has been unbelievable. Players have given their all on the field. Participation of kids is vital for the growth of the game but for us, its been humbling. Hopefully the game catches on in the US.”