KUMAR SANGAKKARA says his hundred in the victory over Nottinghamshire on Monday meant even more than normal through taking Surrey into a Lord’s one-day final, complementing their promotion from the Division Two County Championship.

The former Sri Lanka international hit 166 at the Oval as the hosts scored 300-5, before the visitors fell just four runs short on 296-7 despite a Greg Smith century.

“Every innings is special when you score runs but the context matters. Sometimes in quarter-finals, semi-finals, the innings you score are a bit more telling and a bit more special so I am very happy to have got the runs.

“Zafar Ansari made a great point at the start of the game that we’ve just got to make sure we get to the 43rd, 44th over, with a good base and plenty of wickets in hand so we can launch, and we did that.”

The result leaves Surrey still on course for a double of promotion and a trophy and looking forward to their first Lord’s final in four years, against Gloucestershire on September 19.

“I am very happy more so with the team effort, the way we fought back from a tough start but also at the back ends of the Notts innings, we held our thoughts and the team together to execute our skills well under pressure.

“This week has been very special but it has come as a result of a long season of a lot of hard work.”

Sangakkara was also quick to praise Nottinghamshire batsmen Smith and Dan Christian, the former striking 124 from 134 balls having walked to the wicket at 0-2 after two quick early wickets from Sam Curran.

“When Smith and Christian were batting it was an amazingly impressive partnership especially with Smith playing his first game — he looked a class act.

“Smith had a lot of balance, time and was very smart so it was very tough at the end when the asking rate was dropping and the pressure was on — I thought the boys held their nerve very well.”

Sangakkara had set Surrey on course for victory through playing a knock that was a great example to any young player of how to pace an extended 50-over innings.

The 37-year-old batted almost the entire innings, arriving after Surrey lost opening batsman Steven Davies, their leading run-scorer in this competition, caught at slip in the third over.

Ben Foakes made a restrained 42 before being trap lbw by Mullaney, while Rory Burns made contributions of 23 and 48 respectively, though this innings will only be remembered for the man at the other end.

By the time Sangakkara made his exist in the 49th over, the Oval crowd had been treated to an exhibition of batting, featuring a six and 13 fours from his 166.

The Oval boundaries were spread far wider than usual, meaning the percentage of runs coming through clearing the ropes naturally decreased, leaving Sangakkara understandably exhausted by the latter overs.

Towards the end the batsman was visibly cramping, yet still accelerated the innings impressively, adding 62 to his score within the last 10 overs to take Surrey to a commanding 300-5.

The highlight came in the penultimate over of the innings, as Harry Gurney was taken for 21 runs, all but one struck from the bat of Sangakkara.

Of particular note was successive fours scored with the ramp shot, leading Gurney to drop short in response, allowing Sangakkara to easily dispatch him through the covers for another boundary. This truly was a master at work.

This 166 was the highest score in the competition this season and just three short of his limited-overs career best 169, which came in July 2013 at Colombo for Sri Lanka against South Africa in a one-day international.

Surrey pillaged 119 runs from the last 10 overs to reach 300 exactly when a score of around 250-270 had long seemed more likely, with returning England international Stuart Broad going wicketless for the visitors.

Following an interval where spectators had been allowed to freely roam the outfield, a sight not seen often enough and which must have been an enjoyable bonus for the five coaches of travelling Nottingham fans, their reply began with a horror show.

The visitors slipped to 16-3, at which point travelling supporters could be overheard considering an early exit, though their team were far from done.

Curran dismissed Riki Wessels and Brendan Taylor in successive deliveries, while Jade Dernbach had Michael Lumb caught at the wicket

Smith seemed an unlikely hero to say the least. Consigned to second XI cricket for the last two months, he only returned because Alex Hales and James Taylor were on England duty, yet was superb in leading the fightback.

Sangakkara rightly praise the 26-year-old and the Sri Lankan’s own heroics should not mean that this resilient and skilful innings is not also remembered in its own right.

Initially Smith began the rebuilding job with Samit Patel, who struck a restrained 51 due to suffering from injury while batting before tamely chipping Ansari to mid-on.

Dan Christian picked up the mantle, striking 54 from just 43 balls to ensure the required rate never climbed much beyond nine, as he and Smith put on 112 for the fifth wicket in just 16 overs.

Just as Notts seemed to have taken control the game turned again Christian was caught by Ansari off Aneesh Kapil, falling straight into a three-man trap, set by Surrey skipper Gareth Batty behind square on the offside.

Steven Mullaney continued where Christian left off, swinging merrily and with great timing, particular through his favoured leg-side areas, to keep the required rate from climbing.

With two batsman set, while there was 27 needed from three overs with the visitors clear favourites, though the odds turned again as the very next ball Smith was ran out backing up by Tom Curren for 124. Not bad for your list-A debut with a new county.

Mullaney did find one boundary off Curran in the remaining five balls, but similarly to the Surrey innings the penultimate over shifting things decisively in favour of the hosts. The first time in their pursuit of setting a 300-plus score, this time in winning the game.

The often-maligned Dernbach was excellent, utilising his wide array of slower balls to not concede a boundary, conceding just five and bowling Chris Read for three when trying to paddle-sweep. Captain Batty later revealed Dernbach had a torn calf and was playing through the pain, evidence of a true commitment to the cause that has united this young Surrey side.

That left 14 needed from the final over, which proved too much. Mullaney fought gamely to ensure that a six from the final ball would give the visitors an unlikely victory, having been 16-3, but it was not to be.

The 28-year-old could only drive Curran straight to wide long-off, leaving him stranded on an excellent 42 from just 26 balls in pressure conditions, defied only by some impressive death bowling.

Thus ended a superb game, defined by two very impressive hundreds for different reasons, one off a world-class batsman at his best, the other personal circumstance. It was a great shame that the fixture being on a Monday afternoon meant that children did not have the chance to admire either knock, which were fine examples of quality and courageous cricket.

Surrey march on with a young, ambitious and energetic side that has shown plenty to merit excitement and could now top a fine promotion season with a trophy to boot. Lord’s awaits them.