Rangana Hearth was never the super star to perform supreme stunts. Yet that day was different.

Chittagong Carnage;

by Aravinthan Arunthavanathan

On 31st March 2014, a Sri Lankan dream was disintegrating into pieces at Chittagong. In a do or die battle against the Kiwis the Lankans had put up a paltry 119, not anywhere close to giving them a chance. The Kiwis were off to a solid start adding 18 runs for the loss of just one wicket. Nothing but a miracle could keep Sri Lanka alive in the tournament.

Miracles are not strange in Sri Lankan cricket. But on a world stage, with survival on the line, the probability becomes even more remote. Miracles are enacted by superstars. Angelo Mathews, Sanath Jayasuriya, Lasith Malinga and the list goes on. Super strong, supremely skilled, the adjectives that define those who perform miracles are plenty. But on that day definitions did not matter. A burly tweaker merely a few times taller in centimeters than the score the team posted that day was the last hope Sri Lanka had. Rangana Hearth was never the super star to perform supreme stunts. Yet that day was different. A comeback win is always special. But those which are orchestrated by the bowlers are even more special. Melbourne, Durban, Galle the list of special wins in our history is long. But for some reason nothing could evoke the same excitement and thrill of what was to transpire in Chittagong that day. A knockout game on the world stage with back to the wall with no realistic chance. The stage was set for Herath to weave the magic wand, which nobody knew he possessed in the shortest format of the game.

The Kiwi dynamite Brendon McCullum tried to do what he does best, intimidating the bowlers. Trying to do so McCullum misread the length and turn to end up being stumped in Herath’s first over. A T20 maestro was made to look like an amateur trying his first dancing skit by a spinner who was far from the T20 prototype. With Ross Taylor in the middle Kiwis were in safe hands. But Herath was in no mood to give in easy. A beautifully delivered arm ball skidding of the glistening surface trapped Taylor plumb in front. The glimmer of hope was slowly but surely turning into rays of hope. Not only was he picking wickets, but Hearth was also miserly with the runs too. Neesham was next victim to an off spinner’s perfect scalp. Lured into the drive, beaten by the lack of pace, bowled through the famous gate. Hearth was imparting his Midas touch on proceedings. Suddenly Kiwis were left in a daze not knowing what was transpiring in the middle. It was as if an alien power had engulfed an unsuspecting civilization. At 29-4 the game was not gone by any means for the kiwis but soon it was to be. Luke Ronchi the swashbuckling wicket keeper batsman was squared up by a delivery that was angled in, pitched in line, and straightened. As the finger went up the Sri Lankan hopes too skyrocketed. Herath had caused havoc sending kiwis into an avalanche reducing them to 29-5. Despite Kane Williamson anchoring the innings and providing a fight Hearth’s effort was strong enough to outweigh the kiwis. The wicket of Trent Boult to polish off the Kiwi effort was a fitting finale to a fabulous effort. As the ball landed in the safe palms of ever reliable Mahela Jayawardena at slip, Herath had orchestrated an unimaginable win rekindling flames of million hopes.

For a team to win a world tournament there have to moments which instill self-belief that something special is around the corner. The New Delhi chase in 1996 was one moment that rejuvenated the 1996 campaign, similarly it was Herath’s effort against all odds that made Sri Lanka believe. In 2014 almost all the Lankans had gone unsold in the IPL auction weeks before the campaign began, due to a mix of skill related and administrative factors. But it was an indication that the team was competitive but not top contenders. In that way it was fitting that a team who were at best, outsiders to clinch the title went on to reach the pinnacle powered by an individual who would not have been imagined of as one who can deliver such a stellar effort in the shortest format of the game. While there are many bowling feats that are celebrated in the annals of our cricket, Rangana Herath’s Chittagong carnage will stand the test of time and continue to be celebrated.

Hearath’s superlative 5-3 not only matches the other renowned feats but impact transcends into a different stratosphere.