Sangakkara supreme as last-ball win sees Surrey home

ESPNCricinfo: Kumar Sangakkara’s masterful 130 not out saw Surrey into the semi-finals of the Royal London Cup in a thrilling one-wicket win over Northamptonshire achieved off the last ball of the match.

With Surrey looking likely to crumble in a lower-order collapse, Sangakkara finally found a partner in No.11 Jade Dernbach and the pair found the 27 runs needed for victory.

Chasing 277, Surrey slid from 234 for 5 to 250 for 9 with two catches behind the wicket and two run outs as Sangakkkara looked on in frustration from the non-strker’s end.

Twelve were needed from the final over and Sangakkara leapt across his stumps to paddle sweep Azharullah into the sightscreen for six over the wicketkeeper’s head. It was an extraordinary shot at such a tense moment. Then with two to get from the final ball - although one would have brought Surrey victory by virtue of fewer wickets lost - he carved a boundary wide of point.

It left Northamptonshire heartbroken after a fine comeback in the field and Ben Duckett ruing his dropped catch of Sangakkara on just 7. It came straight to him, albeit firmly, in the gully. It was one of a number of moments Northants were left to look back on with regret in the field in a match in which they conceded 13 wides and seven no balls.

David Ripley, Northants’ coach, said: “I’m very proud of the effort but we made too many individual errors throughout the game - soft dismissals, catches went down, too many extras. But as a collective effort to fight our way back, it was phenomenal.