Rex Clementine
at Pallekele

Just as you began to think that Josh Hazlewood is emerging as the  best fast bowler in the world and in fact Australia’s pace attack is infallible, Dasun Shanka told us to hold on. On Saturday night he reminded us that only the Pope is infallible. We had started marveling the Australian attack. There looked no weak link which Sri Lanka could attack. All bowlers were on the  money showcasing in the Colombo leg of the series why they are World Champions. But in Kandy, Dasun singlehandedly proved that there’s a chink in the Aussie armor and after all they are not invincible. He also proved that when the World Cup gets underway in October down under, Sri Lanka are not going to be also rans. Hazlewood had barely bowled a loose ball whole series. His first three overs on Saturday had gone for three runs, produced two wickets and a maiden. You must be insane to take on such credentials, reason would have suggested. But Dasun believed in something else – fortune favours the brave.  He hit two consecutive sixes and two back to back fours in that over before smartly picking up a single off the last ball to retain the strike. Sri Lanka needed 37 from two overs now.  The pressure was now on Jhye Richardson who bowled the penultimate over. He served a full toss first ball and Dasun needed no invitation. He was waiting to spoil Australia’s whitewash party. It was hit for a six. That over produced 18 runs and Sri Lanka needed 19 off the last over.

Kane Richardson served two consecutive wides to make things easier for Sri Lanka. Shanaka then with some clean hits sealed the game. It was barely believable. The Aussies went to sleep thinking it was a bad dream.

A man who passionately feels for his fans and players, Dasun has been rebuilding Sri Lanka’s white ball teams since last year when the bubble was breached and three prominent players were exiled. Not much had gone right for Sri Lanka since then. This year the team has lost nine T20s and won only two. That’s what everyone says, but what they don’t say is that all those games have been  against Australia, the World Champions or India, world’s number one ranked team. Dasun has put up a more or less settled bowling line-up. Most of them were raw when he took up the mantle under trying circumstances after an ugly pay dispute. He has developed them into match winning players.

The batting still doesn’t look convincing. There are too many players whose mindset are defensive and unsuitable for T20 cricket. The general consensus is that Kusal Mendis and Bhankua Rajapaksa are better off top of the order during Power Plays. But Dasun’s theory seems to be that once players have been identified, they need to be given the long rope. He needs to be given a fair hearing.