Sri Lanka pair break world record

Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene have broken the world record for a Test partnership - hitting 624 between them in Colombo.

The crowd erupted when the record came courtesy of four leg byes collected off South Africa spinner Nicky Boje.

Sangakkara was finally caught behind for 287, and at tea Sri Lanka had amassed a total of 720-3.

That left them 551 runs ahead after South Africa made only 169 but they batted on, with Jayawardene on 357.

The third-wicket pair surpassed the previous best of 576 for the second wicket by fellow Sri Lankans Sanath Jayasuriya and Roshan Mahanama against India at the nearby Premadasa stadium in 1997.

Skipper Jayawardene was on 278 and Sangakkara was on 273 when they set the new record in the second over after lunch on the third day at the Sinhalese sports club.

The pair had come to the crease on Thursday evening with Sri Lanka struggling at 14-2 and Sangakkara had had a reprieve when he was bowled off a no-ball before he had reached double figures.

Both batsmen batted for more than 10 hours, or 160 overs, in hot and humid weather in the Sri Lankan capital.

Neither offered a chance before Sangakkara's dismissal on day three, with an lbw appeal by Makhaya Ntini against Jayawardene and a streaky edge through the slips by Sangakkara the closest South Africa came to dismissing them.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/5226500.stm