Sangakkara 135, Sri Lanka in command

Sri Lanka were 340 for seven wickets in their second innings at stumps on the third day with a 342-run lead over the West Indies with Sangakkara batting on 135 and Rangana Herath on four. Sangakkara partnered with Tillakaratne Dilshan (49) for a 109-run stand for the fifth wicket after the visitors briefly pushed the home side on the back foot with two early wickets after resuming the day at 146 for two.

Speedster Jermaine Lawson (3/93), snared overnight batsman Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera (0) in the space of two balls in the first session. He bowled Jayawardene with an inswinger in the third over and induced a catch off Samaraweera to wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin two balls later to leave Sri Lanka on 155 for four.

Jayawardene scored 43 in 99 balls, hit six boundaries and shared 98 runs for the third wicket with Sangakkara.

Dilshan and Sangakkara then partnered to steady Sri Lanka’s innings and at tea the hosts were comfortably placed at 214 for four.

Sangakkara reached his eighth century in 48 Tests with a sweep against offspinner Omari Banks to the fine-leg boundary to the rousing applause of his home crowd.

The century, scored at his old school ground, came in 200 balls. He looked dominating through his innings except when he scored his 50 with a leg-glance that was dropped by Ramdin and raced to the fine-leg boundary.

"It was always a dream of mine to get a hundred in Kandy because I’m from here," Sangakkara told the reporters after the match. "This is one of the hardest working hundreds I have scored."

"The last three innings I played, it was a personal disappointment to me," he said.