Sports
Durban: A field of dreams for Sri Lankans
Rex Clementine in Durban
Some grounds hold a special place in the hearts of teams, sparking unforgettable performances and creating lasting memories. For Sri Lanka, Durban in South Africa is one such venue—etched into cricketing folklore with iconic moments.
The 1995 Rugby World Cup where hosts South Africa famously beat the All Blacks in a nail-biting final to brought a divided nation together. The Cricket World Cup they hosted was expected to have a similar effect. However, the script did not go to plan in 2003.
In their final group match at Kingsmead, South Africa faced Sri Lanka in a do-or-die encounter. What followed was a calamity of epic proportions. A misread of the Duckworth-Lewis sheet led Mark Boucher to block the final ball, believing his team had won the rain affected game. But in cricket’s cruel twist of fate, the tie only ensured South Africa’s exit. Sri Lanka, instead, sailed through.
The aftermath was a storm. Shaun Pollock, one of cricket’s most amiable characters, was unceremoniously sacked as captain. The loss was especially poignant for Pollock, a Durban native. Cricket royalty runs deep in this coastal city; Pollock’s father, Peter, and uncle, Graeme, had graced these pitches, as did legends like Barry Richards and Mike Procter—players whose careers were tragically curtailed by apartheid. In the modern era, Durban has produced stars like Jonty Rhodes, Lance Klusener, and Hashim Amla, who carried South Africa’s flag with distinction.
For Sri Lanka, Durban has been a happy hunting ground, particularly in Test cricket. Remarkably, they have never lost a Test here. The 2000 clash ended in a hard-fought draw, and in 2011, they registered a historic Boxing Day Test win.
That 2011 victory came against all odds. After suffering an innings defeat in the first Test, Sri Lanka arrived in Durban battered and bruised. But a spectacular team effort turned the tide. Thilan Samaraweera, controversially dropped earlier, made his critics eat their words with a sublime first-innings century. Kumar Sangakkara, ever the class act, sealed the deal with a second-innings ton. Chanaka Welegedara’s five-wicket haul in the first innings and Rangana Herath’s nine wickets across the match ensured a commanding win. Herath deservedly walked away with the Man of the Match award.
Fast forward to 2019, and once again, Sri Lanka arrived in Durban under a cloud of uncertainty. Fresh off a 2-0 series drubbing in Australia, they had lost captain Dinesh Chandimal to the selectors’ axe, and their batters were still nursing bruises—both literal and figurative—from relentless short-pitched bowling Down Under.
Coach Chandika Hathurusingha, however, refused to throw in the towel. He made critical adjustments to help the team tackle the short ball barrage, and his gamble paid off in spades. What unfolded at Kingsmead defied belief.
Set a daunting target of 304, Sri Lanka’s hopes seemed dead in the water. Enter Kusal Perera, who played the innings of a lifetime. His unbeaten 153 was a masterclass in guts and guile, blending defiance with audacity. The final wicket partnership with Vishwa Fernando, worth an unbelievable 78 runs, was the stuff of dreams. With nothing to lose, Kusal threw caution to the wind, pulling and hooking with abandon as South Africa ran out of ideas.
Sri Lanka snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, securing a famous one-wicket win. The match is now enshrined as Sri Lanka’s greatest Test triumph, with Kusal’s knock widely hailed as the finest innings ever played by a Sri Lankan.
For Sri Lankans, Durban is more than just a cricketing venue; it’s a theater of dreams where the underdog roars, and history is written in bold strokes.
Is it 2023 again ? Mumbai Indians [MI] and Delhi Capitals [DC], two consistently good teams with all-star line-ups, meet again in the WPL final. While DC have breezed into the final this season, MI are coming in battle-hardened, having had to take the circuitous route by playing three matches in four days to get there.
DC have been strong in most departments, and have got their selection calls right throughout the season. Their captain Meg Lanning hit form late in the tournament, Shafali Verma has continued to churn out the runs at the top of the other, and the move to promote Jess Jonassen to No. 3 has paid off. But for DC to look more threatening, they’d want their middle order to step up further. Their middle order (Nos. 4 to 7) collectively averages 17.50, the lowest this season, and have struck at 116.66, which is the second-lowest among all teams.
MI’s line-up also drips with power and strength. Powerplay bowling has been one of DC’s strongest suits, but only MI have bettered that. DC’s bowlers have taken 50 wickets at 23.84 in this phase, while MI have 61 wickets at 22.68.
For MI,Nat Sciver-Brunt has been at her brutal best, Hayley Matthews has delivered with both bat and ball, and captain Harmanpreet Kaur has hit high tempo. The rest of the line-up, though, has blown hot and cold.
But MI will be playing at their home ground – a venue where they’ve lost just once in seven games – and that tilts the scales in their favour. DC, though, have had a good seven days break, and will be coming in without the pressure of having had to scramble for a place in the final. Two heartbreaking finals later, will third time be the charm for them?
MI had promoted Amelia Kerr to the opening slot, and pushed Yastika Bhatia down the order for a couple of games. While Yastika was able to make quick runs from her new position, Kerr, who hasn’t been in the best of form with the bat, wasn’t able to capitalise on her starts. The order went back to what it was in the Eliminator against Gujarat Giants (GG), but neither player made an impact. Will MI switch their positions again to get the best out of Yastika?
MI had also brought in left-arm spinner Saika Ishaque in place of Parunika Sisodia for the Eliminator. Will they pick Ishaque again for the final after she bowled just one over against GG?
DC, who were last in action on March 7, are unlikely to make any changes to their line-up.
Mumbai Indians (probable): Hayley Matthews, Amelia Kerr, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Amanjot Kaur, Yastika Bhatia (wk), S Sajana, G Kamalini, Sanskriti Gupta, Shabnim Ismail, Saika Ishaque
Delhi Capitals (probable): Meg Lanning (capt), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Annabel Sutherland, Marizanne Kapp, Jess Jonassen, Sarah Bryce (wk), Niki Prasad, Minnu Mani, Shikha Pandey, Titas Sadhu
[Cricinfo]
Dinara de Silva secured a place in the singles semi-final and also booked a spot in the doubles final at the ITF Junior Circuit J30 Week 1 tournament continued at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association clay courts on Friday.
Dinara de Silva overcame a first set defeat to beat Gwen Emily Kurniawan of Indonesia 2-1 (4-6, 6-0, 6-1) in the quarter-final.
Dinara is set to meet Shivali Gurung of Nepal in the semi-final.
In the doubles semi-final Dinara joined China’s Yijia Zhao to beat Japan’s Sakino Miyazawa and Eyuyo Shida 6-4, 4-6, 10-5.
Debutant Malki Madara’s three-for combined with two-fors from Kavisha Dilhari and Inoshi Priyadharshani set up a comfortable victory for Sri Lanka in the T20I series opener in Christchurch. Chamari Athapaththu’s unbeaten 64 off 48 balls then took the visitors home with seven wickets in hand. This was Sri Lanka’s first T20I win in New Zealand and second win overall against New Zealand in the format.
Emma McLeod (44) was New Zealand’s highest scorer but only two of her team-mates got into double figures, and there was only one partnership that stretched past 20 balls.
Despite Priyadharshani dismissing Georgia Plimmer early, the hosts got off to a decent start thanks to captain Suzie Bates’ 14-ball 21. Madara, Sri Lanka’s fourth bowling option, brought on in the fifth over, got the big wicket of Bates which dried up the scoring. The next two overs went for just five runs.
Dilhari, the seventh bowler, struck twice upon being introduced in the ninth over as New Zealand slipped from 39 for 1 to 52 for 4. Maddy Green being run out cheaply had New Zealand play with caution as illustrated by the next two partnerships which produced a combined 29 runs off 41 balls.
McLeod, who had three fours in her first five balls, finished without adding to that tally across her 46-ball innings. She was the last New Zealand batter to fall as Madara ended the innings in the penultimate over.
Athapaththu then hit seven fours and took Sri Lanka to 46 for 0 at the end of the powerplay. Jess Kerr removed Vishmi Gunaratne and Harshitha Samarawickrama in successive overs while Dilhari’s innings was cut short by a run out. Sri Lanka slipped to 66 for 3 but that didn’t stop their captain from attacking.
She hit Eden Carson for four immediately after Dilhari’s exit and smacked two sixes and a four off Bree Illing, the first of the sixes brought up her fifty off 43 balls. It left the hosts no room to make an unlikely comeback as Sri Lanka romped to a victory with 35 balls to spare.
Brief scores:
Sri Lanka Women
102 for 3 in 14.1 overs (Chamari Athapaththu 64*, Kavisha Dilhari 12, Nilakshika Silva 12*; Jess Kerr 2-18) beat New Zealand 101 in 18.5 overs (Suzie Bates 21, Emma McLeod 44, Jess Kerr 10; Sugandika Kumari 1-18, Malki Madara 3-14, Kavisha Dilhari 2-18, Inoshi Priyadharshani 2-25, Chamari Athapaththu 1-10) by seven wickets
(Cricinfo)
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