Sports
When Kumara got the Aussies rattled
Rex Clementine
in Sydney
There are few players who always made runs against Sri Lanka. There was Martin Crowe in 1980s, and then there was Mohammad Azharuddin in 1990s followed by Brian Lara in the next decade. In the last decade it was Virat Kohli and now Glenn Maxwell has taken on that baton. Maxi as the Sri Lankan players call him loves our spin bowlers. Maxwell’s initial movements will get fielders going in one direction and then at the blink of an eye, he would have changed the shot. There’s no time for the fielders to react. He is such a versatile cricketer.
During the Sri Lanka versus Australia game in Perth this week, when Dasun Shanaka brought in Lahiru Kumara, there was an interesting battle going on. Kumara peppered the middle order batsman with short balls and then completely unsettled him with one that smashed his cheek bone. Maxwell was like a cat on a hot tin roof. He was hopping around and not often you see an Asian fast bowler getting the Aussies rattled. Unless of course it’s Wasim Akram. Now that Lahiru too has done it, you’d be hoping that he will do it consistently.
Maxwell didn’t last long. Although Kumara didn’t get him, doubts had been cast in his mind and it was just a matter of time. Sri Lanka failed to stop Marcus Stoinis as their spinners proved to be ineffective for once. That takes you to the question how much the team would have loved having Dushmantha Chameera and Dilshan Madushanka during the World Cup.
Sri Lanka were shaping up nicely after their Asia Cup win. John Pye, the Australian based Sports Editor of Associated Press, had put them to go all the way to win the title. Then their setbacks with injuries. Six injuries in a campaign like the World Cup is too much to handle.
Kumara himself is coming from injury. Since walking off the field having hurt his hamstring in the Mohali Test in March this year, he has played just one domestic game before being picked in the World Cup squad. That shows how much the team management wanted him in the dressing room. There maybe more skilful quicks than Lahiru Kumara, but what makes him special is his speed. You can not teach someone to bowl fast. You either have it or you don’t have it.
It’s true that Kumara was a disappointment in the last World Cup when he ran out of ideas bowling that deciding last over to David ‘Killer’ Miller. The Proteas won that game in Sharjah but that toughened up Kumara.
Kumara is a late developer. He was initially a hockey player at Vidyartha, Kandy. A blow from a hockey stick to his forehead saw him ending up in hospital for a few days. When he returned home, his mother had thrown away the hockey stick. Then he chose cricket. Hockey’s loss is cricket’s gain. While at Vidyartha, reputed school cricket coach Sampath Perera spotted his talent and offered him a scholarship to Trinity. There he made huge strides and made it to the Sri Lanka Under-19 team and toured England under Roy Dias. He was a star performer as Sri Lanka won both the unofficial Test and ODI series.
Kumara made it to the senior side just after turning 18 and debuted at the age of 19. In the New Year Test in Cape Town in 2017, he claimed six wickets in an innings. He was the talk of the town as even the South Africans who are no strangers to pace struggled. Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock, Temba Bavuma and J.P. Duminy were among his victims. All this mind you while being a teenager.
Although it’s been five years now since Kumara debuted, we have not seen his best as yet. The main reason for this has been injuries. During the last four years, he has broken down middle of a Test match with constant hamstring troubles and the recovery process has been slow. When Kumara is fully fit, he can make life difficult for batters as Maxwell found out the other day. Hopefully, he’ll have a couple of more good performances that will put Sri Lanka in the semis.
For two hours in the middle of day two, Australia had one hand on the WTC mace after taking a 74-run first-innings lead at Lord’s. For the next two, South Africa did their utmost to prise their fingers from it, and for the one after that, Alex Carey and Mitchell Starc fought them off with a 61-run eighth-wicket partnership. As things stand, Australia still have a few fingers on the mace after a gripping day of Test cricket.
It was, once again, a day for bowlers. Fourteen wickets fell on day two, the same number as the first day, for a total of 28 wickets in six sessions.
Pat Cummins stole the early headlines when he became the first visiting captain to take a five for at Lord’s and then went on to pluck his 300th Tet wicket. Then it was over to Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen, who had Australia 44 for 3 before Lungi Ngidi, back in the Test side after ten months and coming off a poor first innings, redeemed himself with three wickets in a nine-over spell that broke Australia open.
Where things stand at the end of the day is that South Africa will already have to pull off the fourth-highest sucessfyl chase at Lord’s, and do it against Australia’s unrelenting attack. That means it’s probably still advantage Australia after a breathless seven-and-half-hours in a final that has hit fast-forward.
South Africa resumed the day on 43 for 4, 169 runs behind Australia’s 212, and on a go-slow. Temba Bavuma had laboured his way to 3 off 37 overnight as South Africa’s innings ground yo a halt. but he showed more initiative on the second morning. He struck two glorious lofted drives in Mitchell Starc’s second over of the day and looked to be finding his touch. Bavuma was on 17 before he was given out lbw off a Josh Hazlewood delivery that nipped in and struck his back pad, and he reluctantly reviewed. To everyone’s disbelief including Bavuma’s, Snicko showed an inside-edge. Bavuma went on to drive Hazlewood and Starc over the covers and pull Cummins into the stands for six in what looked like an increasingly authoritative stay at the crease.
His partnership with David Bedingham grew to 64 and it took a moment of magic in the field to separate them. Bavuma drove Cummins in the air and to the right of Marnus Labuschagne, who dived full length at cover and pouched it with both hands.
Bavuma’s dismissal sent South Africa back into their shell. Bedingham and Kyle Verreynne scored 17 nervy runs in the next 52 balls and both looked vulnerable: Bedingham was drawn into a false stroke by Hazlewood and Verreynne was on 1 when he edged Beau Webster just short of Smith at second slip. But the moment of controversy came when Bedingham edged Webster onto the flap of his pad. Alex Carey moved towards him in an attempt to take a catch and the ball bobbled into and then out of Bedingham’s pad flap. At that moment, Bedingham reached for the ball and dropped it close to his foot. Usman Khawaja and Steven Smith began appealing for obstructing the field, and there was some excitement before it was decided the ball was dead. Bedingham responded by hitting the next ball, a half-volley, for four and South Africa went to lunch on 121 for 5, 91 runs behind.
More drama ensued after the break when Cummins hit Verreynne on the pad as he shuffled across, and the ball deflected to fine leg. Verreynne attempted a run, Cummins turned to appeal, and the pair collided, by which point a throw had come in and there was also the chance of a run-out. Cummins asked for a review on the lbw and replays suggested the ball would have gone on to hit leg stump. Three balls later, Jansen handed Cummins a simple return catch, and at 126 for 7, South Africa were in disarray.
Cummins completed his five-for when he had Bedingham caught behind off a thin edge three overs later and then got his 300th when Rabada nailed a pull to Webster at deep square. Cummins finished with 6 for 28 in a final analysis that included six maiden overs out of 18.1 and barely a bad ball. Crucially, he gave Australia an important lead that could still have a decisive say on this game.
The same could be said of South Africa’s collapse. They lost 5 for 12 in 35 balls; Australia had lost 5 for 20 at around the same time on day one.
South Africa came out looking flat as Labuschagne took Rabada’s opening over for seven. Rabada and Jansen bowled three no-balls in the first four overs, but started to find their rhythm when Rabada hit Labuschagne on the pad in his third over and then induced an outside edge.
In the next over, Jansen thought he had Khawaja caught behind and Bavuma burned a review to see daylight between bat and ball. It took until the 11th over for things to start happening for South Africa. For the second time in the match, Rabada struck twice in an over, against the same two batters. Khawaja was caught behind poking outside off and Cameron Green edged to third slip. Smith sought to restore order with a straight drive that went for four. Australia went to tea on 32 for 2, 106 ahead.
As was the case on day one, the evening session could only be described with one word: mayhem. Jansen bowled a marathon spell either side of the break and was into his eighth over when he offered Labuschagne a full one that was just short of driving length, and he nicked off.
Khawaja, Labuschagne and Green had collectively scored 49 runs in this match, the worst return by an Australian top three since 1890.
Then came Ngidi. After three unspectacular overs post-tea, he went fullish and straight. Smith missed and was hit on the back pad and Bavuma was convinced to review again and was successful this time. Ngidi then hit Webster on the back pad with a ball that tailed in and the No. 6 reviewed unsuccessfully. In the next over, Wiaan Mulder beat Travis Head’s inside-edge and the ball ricocheted off his pads onto the stumps, and then came the delivery of the evening: Ngidi’s yorker to Cummins. It thudded into middle and off and Australia were 73 for 7.
But just as South Africa may have started to sniff something special, their momentum drained away. Carey and Starc put on 61 for the eighth wicket at a good clip – 4.31 runs an over – before Rabada had one last word on the day. He got the ball to move back into Carey from around the wicket and had him out lbw in an over peppered with no-balls. All told, Rabada bowled five on the day and six in the match and South Africa have overstepped 19 times.
They’ll worry about that as much as what could have been in the final over when Jansen dropped Starc at gully, off Mulder, off the third-last ball of the day. By then, South Africa had moved the fielders behind the bat closer in, as several balls had dropped short, and Jansen’s attempts to juggle were not as successful as they had been on the first day. Australia go into the third day with a lead of 218 runs and two wickets in hand.
Brief scores:
Australia 212 in 56.4 overs and 144 for 8 in 40 overs (Marnus Labuschagne 22, Alex Carey 43; Lungi Ngidi 3-35, Kagiso Rabada 3-44) lead South Africa 138 in 57.1 overs (David Bedingham 45, Temba Bavuma 3; , Pat Cummins 6-28, Mitchell Starc 2-41) by 218 runs
[Cricinfo]
In a pulsating day of Test cricket, it was Pat Cummins who turned the tide with a captain’s spell for the ages, breathing life back into Australia’s World Test Championship campaign. Trailing and under the pump after a modest first innings, Cummins dug deep and delivered a spell that not only levelled the playing field but tilted it firmly in Australia’s favour.
At one stage, South Africa looked to be tightening the screws, inching away at 126 for five. But after lunch, Cummins returned with fire in his belly and thunder in his boots. What followed was a breathtaking collapse – South Africa folded for 138, losing their last five wickets for just 12 runs in the space of 34 balls. The Lord’s faithful watched in disbelief as the Australian skipper ran through the tail like a hot knife through butter.
Cummins finished with six for 28 – his best at the Home of Cricket – and in the process, joined the elite 300-wicket club. It was not just a captain’s effort with the ball; it was a rallying cry, a statement of intent.
The Proteas, who had been on top in the morning, suddenly found themselves on the ropes. Their lower middle order crumbled under pressure, riddled with soft dismissals, a comical run-out thrown in for good measure – turning the Lord’s slope into a South African slide.
From promising to pitiful, the collapse wasn’t so much triggered by demons in the pitch as it was by lapses in temperament. Day one had been tailor-made for the quicks – gloomy skies, nip off the seam, and swing on tap. But on day two, the sun was out, and the conditions far friendlier. Yet, South Africa batted as if the clouds were still hanging over their heads.
For a side with several players seasoned in County Cricket, the meek surrender was hard to digest. They were expected to weather the storm, but instead, they walked straight into it without a raincoat.
The final word? A familiar tale in Protea folklore – another high-stakes final, another slip-up when it mattered most. The game hasn’t yet run away from them, but they’re chasing leather and momentum now, and Pat Cummins has well and truly bowled Australia back into contention
Emerging athlete Dilni Rajapaksha of Lyceum International, Wattala produced the most impressive long jump feat of the day and Mayon Rajasinghe won back to back golds for St. Joseph’s Darley Road as the Junior National Athletic Championship commenced with record breaking performances at Diyagama on Thursday.
Dilni erased her own meet record (5.80m -2024) with a feat of 5.96 metres to win the Under 16 girls’ long jump.
Dilni established herself as a promising jumper last year and her achievements yesterday left enthusiasts comparing the long jump performances of the Under 18 and Under 16 age categories. Incidentally, the Asian Youth Championship medallist Dilki Nehara of Sri Sumagala Balika, Panadura who competed in the Under 18 girls’ long jump in the morning had her winning jump measured at 5.91 metres.
The opening day was notable for several record breaking performances in field events.
Dilki Dewmini of Visakha Vidyalaya, Colombo established a new meet record in the Under 16 shot put with a throw of 12.68 metres. She shattered her own meet record established last year as she became the first athlete to clear the 12 metres mark at these championships.
Mayon Rajasinghe won two golds on the opening day of the Junior National Athletics Championship. (Pic by Kamal Wanniarachchi)
Taxila Central thrower Shalomi Jayakody became the first athlete to clear the 40 metres mark in the Under 18 girls’ hammer throw as she rewrote record books with a throw of 40.81 metres.
In the Under 16 boys’ hammer throw, S.M. Karunarathne of Taxila Central cleared 40.68 metres to create a new meet record.
In track events, Matara Central athlete Nuhansa Kodituwakku won the Under 20 girls’ 800 metres ahead of Lyceum International Wattala athlete Humansi Pradeepani. She returned a time of 2:10.72 seconds.
In the Under 18 age category, Rusith Nimsara of St. Servatius’ College, Matara won the boys’ long jump with a feat of 6.97 metres, while Tharusha Mendis of Lyceum International excelled in the boys’ high jump with a season’s best of 2.08 metres.
Mayon Rajasinghe dominated both the shot put and the javelin throw in the Under 16 age category. The Josephian cleared 15.19 metres to win the shot put before throwing the javelin to a distance of 58.13 metres to clinch the second gold.
by Reemus Fernando ✍️
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