Sports
Sri Lanka set aside their worst fears
by Rex Clementine
at Pallekele
There’s a fair bit to be done for Sri Lanka to get back to their glory days in cricket, but you can safely say that the team has a taken huge strides to achieve that target. Yes, the drubbing by Pakistan at SSC and in Galle are still fresh in memories but Test cricket is one format where they have done reasonably well.
It is the white ball formats the team has struggled, playing multiple qualifying tournaments in the last three years across T-20s and ODIs. T-20 cricket has reached a safety zone, no doubt about it and the automatic qualification for next year’s tournament in the US and West Indies is proof for that.
ODI format is still a work in progress, but there are impressive signs. The team’s bowling is pretty formidable with both the quicks and spin departments bowling sides out with some impressive performances. If they make a genuine effort to fix the injury woes, that will be a massive relief. This Asia Cup, they are literally depending on their seconds string attack.
There were doubts how Matheesha Pathirana will go. He has pace sure, but accuracy was a question mark and there were doubts whether he will be as good as in the 50 over format as he was in the 20 overs game.
Was it the right decision to pick him over Pramod Madushan and Binura Fernando, some of us wondered? What an inspired decision it proved to be.
In his first spell, Matheesha accounted for the big wicket of Shakib-al-Hasan and then in the second spell claimed the wicket of Mushfiqur Rahim, the other experienced batter in the opposition line-up. Then the tail couldn’t handle his pace and his four-wicket haul gave Sri Lanka a much-needed win and fears of the team might not being able to make it to the second round were set aside.
Maheesh Theekshana was sensational as well making early inroads bowling with the new ball. His variations are confusing, and batters aren’t able to play him with confidence. Of course, there will be bigger challenges when they play India and Pakistan.
Then there’s Dhananjaya de Silva, a very underrated cricketer. You can always be assured of his ten overs for not many and he gives you the much-needed cover at number six. Why the selectors picked Kusal Mendis ahead of Dhananjaya as vice-captain is confusing indeed.
Mendis of course is on borrowed time. He’s been on borrowed time for quite some time now, but they seem to create roles for him to fit into the side. How much we can go on saying that he has got talent and that he is the future of the team needs to rest and other deserving players need to be looked at.
If Sadeera Samarawickrama had got half the chances that Mendis had got, he would have won us many more games. It remains to be seen if Kusal Perera is fit, whether the selectors will have the courage to axe Mendis. Of course, that will make the selectors look dumb. Not often do you drop your vice-captain from the side. However, they have done dumber things than this.
Sadeera first came into the scene in 2017 and should have gone onto become a permanent fixture. But once Graham Labrooy, who picked him finished his term, he was thrown in the cold store and successive selection panels didn’t even bother to try him out.
If a player’s work ethic and attitude doesn’t impress selectors or the team management, there is certainly something wrong in the system. That’s one reason why we have struggled so much.
How well Sadeera batted against Bangladesh after the top order had collapsed. His only blemish is that he plays too many attacking shots too early in the innings. Even on Thursday, he had an opportunity to prove his mettle by finishing off the game, but he threw away his wicket. He will learn.
However, Mendis, whether he will learn is a big question mark. So is Niroshan Dickwella. The opportunities these two have got, had we invested on some others, we would have made rapid progress. Better later than never.
Young batters putting up their hands and making it count has helped Sri Lanka to move forward in the right direction. Pathum Nissanka has already established himself and then there’s Charith Asalanka, who has played some match winning knocks under pressure. He didn’t carry a lot of form into the Asia Cup but the unbeaten 62 at Pallekele would have given him lot of confidence.
The unsung hero of Sri Lanka’s recent success is Kasun Rajitha. It’s a pity that even in these pages, we discuss him last. Often Rajitha ends up without taking a wicket but what the scorecard doesn’t say is that how many catches were dropped off him. Captain Dasun Shanaka put down one against Bangladesh and poor Rajitha continues to suffer.
After three one-sided, low-scoring encounters, the fourth T20I between India and Sri Lanka exploded into a run-fest in Thiruvananthapuram, with both sides posting their highest totals in women’s T20Is. India’s big score of 221 for 2 proved too much for Sri Lanka, who fell short by 30 runs, handing the hosts a 4-0 series lead with one match remaining. India missed two catching opportunities and a stumping chance, while Sri Lanka gave away three, but the batting dominance was decisive.
Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma set the tone with blistering half-centuries to power India’s innings, while Chamari Athapaththu kept Sri Lanka in the chase with a fighting 52. Despite a few late cameo efforts, the visitors couldn’t overcome India’s dominant batting display.
Shafali and Mandhana delivered a masterclass in aggressive opening batting, putting together 162 runs off just 92 balls – the highest opening partnership for India in women’s T20Is. Shafali continued her purple patch with a third successive T20I half-century, while Mandhana, who had managed only 40 runs in the first three matches, roared back to form. The innings also saw Mandhana climb to the top of the charts for most runs (1,703) in women’s internationals in a calendar year, underlining her dominance.
India’s openers were relentless from the outset, racing to 61 without loss in the powerplay with 12 boundaries. Shafali’s innings was built on control and placement – her first six came only after her fifty, a loft over long-off in the 11th over – and she finished with 12 fours and a six.
Mandhana, meanwhile, struck 11 fours and three sixes, though her innings briefly dipped in tempo. After racing to 24 off 14 balls, she moved to 28 off 24 during a short lull before accelerating sharply to reach her half-century off 35 deliveries. From there, she cut loose, using the feet to loft the spinners and driving straight with authority.
The contest decisively tilted in overs 11 to 13, when India tore into the attack. The 11th over went for 15 runs, followed by a 20-run 12th and an 18-run 13th, each featuring two fours and a six. Any hopes Sri Lanka had of restricting the damage vanished as India surged from 85 for no loss to 120 in just two overs.
India brought up 150 in only 14.2 overs, making light of the Sri Lanka captain’s assessment at the toss that 140 would be a competitive total.
Sri Lanka had to wait 92 balls for their first breakthrough and struck again in the following over, the 17th, but any momentum was swiftly snuffed out by Richa Ghosh. With Harleen Deol replacing Jemimah Rodrigues, who was recovering from a mild fever, India promoted Ghosh to No. 3 for the death overs – a move that paid rich dividends. Having faced just one delivery in the series before this match, Ghosh made an impact, blasting 40 off 16 balls and adding an unbroken 53-run stand with Harmanpreet Kaur.
Ghosh announced herself by heaving her second ball over Nimasha Meepage’s head for four. After a relatively quiet 17th over, she found her range against the same bowler, striking two more boundaries. The onslaught peaked against Kavisha Dilhari, one of Sri Lanka’s more experienced bowlers, as Ghosh went into overdrive. She smoked three sixes and a four to plunder 23 runs from the 19th over, punishing anything in her hitting arc and underlining India’s ruthless finish.
Sri Lanka began their chase aggressively, with Hasini Perera taking charge. She tore into Renuka Singh’s first over, hitting three boundaries, while Arundhati Reddy, making a comeback in place of the rested Kranti Gaud, conceded 17 off the second over. By the end of four, Sri Lanka had raced to 52 for 0, with the opening stand between Perera and Athapaththu putting on 59 runs off 34 balls.
Athapaththu struck the chase’s first six, charging down the track and clearing long-off off Deepti Sharma in the third over. Both left-handers punished anything too full or short, though Perera fell in the sixth over, holing out to Harmanpreet at mid-off off Reddy’s offcutter.
Athapaththu kept the momentum going, adding 57 runs off 46 balls with Imesha Dulani for the second wicket. Athapaththu moved from 20 off 15 balls to fifty in the next 19 deliveries, hitting three sixes and as many fours. However, her innings ended when she mistimed a charge over the off side, gifting a catch to Mandhana at long-off off Vaishnavi Sharma. At that stage, Sri Lanka needed 106 runs from 42 balls. Despite a few late cameos, the chase fell short.
On a night dominated by big scores, Vaishnavi emerged as the standout bowler, picking up two crucial wickets for just 24 runs. Introduced into the attack after the powerplay, she began by floating the ball outside off stump to entice the batters before gradually attacking the stumps and testing the left-handers with clever variations.
After dismissing Athapaththu in the 13th over, she also removed Harshitha Samarawickrama for a 13-ball 20 in the 17th, when the batter looked threatening. Her disciplined lines and sharp changes of pace helped India keep Sri Lanka’s scoring in check.
Brief scores:
India Women 221 for 2 in 20 overs (Smriti Mandhana 80, Shafali Verma 79, Richa Ghosh 40*, Harmanpreet Kaur16*; Malsha Shehani 1-32, Nimasha Meepage 1-40) beat Sri Lanka Women 191 for 6 in 20 overs (Chamari Athapaththu 52, Hasini Perera 33, Imesha Dulani 29, Harshitha Samarawickrama 20, Kavisha Dilhari 13, Nilakshika de Silva 23*; Arundhati Reddy 2-42, Vaishnavi Sharma 2-24, Shree Charani 1-46) by 30 runs
(Cricinfo)
A private function will be held on Monday, December 29 at Melbourne’s Spicy Wicket Restaurant to celebrate Asanka Gurusinha’s iconic Boxing Day century at the MCG, the first and still the only hundred by a Sri Lankan at the grand old ground that staged the game’s inaugural Test and has long been cricket’s festive showpiece in Australia.
Sri Lanka featured in the 1995 Boxing Day Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, a match remembered as much for controversy as for courage. Umpire Darrel Hair repeatedly no-balled Muttiah Muralitharan for throwing in front of a stunned crowd of 55,000, turning the contest into a cauldron.
It was a one-sided affair dominated by Mark Taylor’s Australians. Forced to follow on, Sri Lanka were staring down the barrel before Gurusinha dug in to produce a back-to-the-wall 143. It was the left-hander’s career-best Test score and more importantly helped Sri Lanka avoid the ignominy of an innings defeat.
“Any Test hundred is a moment to remember, but to do it against Australia, facing McDermott, McGrath, Warne and Reifel at the MCG is very special,” Gurusinha told Telecom Asia Sport. “It didn’t sink in 30 years ago, but I know now why it’s special. I always enjoyed batting on pitches with bounce and seam and Australia was a place I loved playing.”
“Coming up against the best team in the world at the time and that formidable bowling attack is something that will stay with me forever,” he added.
Gurusinha also paid tribute to those behind the celebration. “I want to thank my good friends David and Cathy Cruse for organising this event. All my family will be there and it’s great to have Aravinda de Silva as chief guest. I played against him at school level for eight years and then alongside him for 12 years for Sri Lanka. He’s a dear friend.”
Gurusinha made his Test debut in 1985, straight out of school as a 19-year-old wicketkeeper-batter. His sound technique soon demanded promotion and he settled into the No. 3 slot, becoming the side’s human sandbag, valuing his wicket, batting time and wearing down attacks during marathon vigils that tested bowlers’ patience as much as their stamina.
A key member of Sri Lanka’s World Cup-winning squad in 1996, Gurusinha willingly shelved his natural strokeplay to play the anchor’s role, allowing the likes of Sanath Jayasuriya and Aravinda de Silva to cut loose. He struck a vital half-century in the final against Australia, earning praise from captain Arjuna Ranatunga, who famously labelled him the unsung hero of Sri Lanka’s World Cup triumph.
Gurusinha retired prematurely at the age of 30 soon after that World Cup success, migrated to Australia and has since made Melbourne his adopted home, fitting, perhaps, that the city where he played his finest innings will now raise a glass to a knock that has aged like fine wine.
Royal scored a first innings win over Gurukula after they restricted the team from Kelniya to 215 runs in reply to their 302 in the Under 19 Division I Tier ‘A’ match at Reid Avenue on Sunday.
For the home team open bat Hirun Liyanarachchi scored back to back half centuries. He remained unbeaten on 56 in the second innings.
For the visitors Ohas Sadew picked up six wickets.
Scores
Royal 302 for 9 decl. in 80 overs (Hirun Liyanarachchi 50, Dushen Udawela 25, Ramiru Perera 60, Yasindu Dissanayake 41, Thevindu Wewalwala 36, Manuth Disanayake 42, Udantha Gangewatta
22n.o.; Ohas Sadew 6/101) and 130 for 2 in 39 overs (Hirun Liyanarachchi 56n.o., Rehan Peiris 59)
Gurukula
215 all out in 75.2 overs (Sahas Induwara 35, Denura Dimansith 79, Janith Mihiranga 44; Himaru Deshan 2/65, Ramiru Perera 2/58) (RF)
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