Sports
Hello MCG, my dear old friend
Passing the Richmond train station, heading towards Flinders Street, either side of the railway track you find two iconic structures that have a rich sporting history. On one side is Rod Lever Arena, the venue for the Australian Open, the first Grand Prix of the year. On the other side of course is the Melbourne Cricket Ground. A ground that’s dear to all cricket fans.
Apart from hosting the first-ever Test match, MCG has been the home for some iconic cricket encounters including two World Cup finals.
There have been several noted games involving Sri Lanka as well; many memorable ones, some painful ones and a few controversial too.
The Boxing Day Test match of 1995 staged at this ground can not be easily forgotten. Although the game has earned notoriety for the no-balling of Muttiah Muralitharan, Asanka Gurusinha showcased his grit posting a back to the wall hundred. Following on, his six-hour vigil produced 143 runs.
An ODI that Sri Lanka played here in 2010 is called the Melbourne Miracle. Chasing 240 to win, Sri Lanka were facing an embarrassing defeat at 107 for eight. Fans had vacated their seats as only final nails were to be delivered on the coffin.
Then, Angelo Mathews, just 23 at that point, produced a blinder. A World Record 132 runs followed between Mathews and Lasith Malinga taking Sri Lanka to the brink of victory. There was still a twist in the tale as Malinga was run out with the scores levelled. In walked last man Murali.
Mathews still had two balls left in the over. He couldn’t score the winning run and tensions grew. There were doubts in Sri Lankan minds.
Murali now had to face the music in the new over. It was his last tour of Australia and the final game at MCG. He had an opportunity to not to make the humiliation 15 years ago his top memory of the iconic ground.
Shane Watson had the ball and the field was up. Murali flicked the ball past the short fine-leg fielder to score the winning boundary and Sri Lankans were overjoyed. This was a historic tour because Sri Lanka went on to win the next game in Sydney to secure their first ever series win on Australian soil.
Sri Lanka’s maiden appearance at MCG was in 1985 in the Benson & Hedges Series. It was a memorable game too and for the first time, the world had got to know about a certain Aravinda de Silva.
Just 19 at that time, Aravinda finished off a thrilling run chase bringing joy to some 15,000 Sri Lankan expatriates who had turned up at the ground to see their team perform.
Allan Border, the Australian captain had entrusted the final over to Craig McDermott, Aravinda completed the run chase on his own inimitable style, with a six with four balls to spare.
Rex
Playing just his second Test and the first in his team’s starting XI, Pasindu Sooriyabandara made Sri Lanka dream of the rarest of possibilities, but reality imposed itself on the SSC late on day four as India regained their grip on a Test match that had seemed to spiral out of control after the threat of bad weather led them to enforce the follow-on.
After Sooriyabandara put on 58 with Kamil Mishara for the second wicket and 115 with Kamindu Mendis for the third, Sri Lanka were at one stage 209 for 3, or just four runs behind with seven second-innings wickets in hand, on a day-four pitch that was still looking excellent for batting. India’s bowlers were into their 149th over across two consecutive innings, and looking short of both penetration and inspiration against a top order that had never allowed them to settle into their lengths.
Just then, however, Manav Suthar, who had borne the brunt of Sri Lanka’s positive intent, dismissed Dhananjaya de Silva and then Sooriyabandara in the space of two overs, the latter out eight short of a maiden Test hundred. Soon after, Saransh Jain trapped Niroshan Dickwella lbw, and Sri Lanka were effectively 5 for 6. By the time rain arrived to bring an early end to the day, Sri Lanka’s seventh-wicket pair had only added a further 11 runs to their tally.
If Sri Lanka still retain any hope going into the final day of this series, it will rest on the shoulders of Sonal Dinusha, batting on 7 in his final innings of a remarkable series. Earlier in the day, he had converted his overnight 85 into his second century of the series, with his only other completed innings bringing him 84.
Scores:
Sri Lanka 290 in 89.4 overs (Pasindu Sooriyabandara 80, Sonal Dinusha 103; Prasidh Krishna 3-52, Manav Suthar 3-85) and 229 for 6 in 72.4 overs (f/o) (Pasindu Sooriyabandara 92, Kamindu Mendis 55, Sonal Dinusha 7*; Manav Suthar 2-81) lead India 503 for 9 dec by 16 runs
[Cricinfo]
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