By Brian Thomas
Mother Nature has sadly played a part in Sri Lanka in recent times, and today at Dambulla it was no exception, except for the fact that the organisers, with the aid and efficiency of the ground staff, managed to get a 12-over contest underway, with 3.4 overs as powerplay overs and 3 overs being the maximum allocation per bowler.
Sri Lanka made a wise move by selecting Matheesha Pathirana and Eshan Malinga in the playing eleven.
Sri Lanka were put in to bat in wet conditions, and the Pakistani bowlers had to cope with a wet ball due to the ground conditions. So did the Sri Lankan bowlers. However, it was a great effort by Sri Lanka to not only win the game by 14 runs but also square the series and further taste a home win against Pakistan after a long period of time.
The batter who changed the complexion of the game for Sri Lanka was Dasun Shanaka, when he thumped five massive sixes and scored 34 valuable runs in just nine deliveries to help his team set a challenging score of 160 runs in 12 overs. The top order, barring Pathum Nissanka, supported the batting battle Sri Lanka has been facing, especially against quality spin in recent times.
Pathum Nissanka was out without scoring, giving the visitors an early breakthrough, but Kamil Misra’s 20 runs off eight deliveries set the stage up front. Kusal Mendis made 30 off 16 balls after being dropped in the deep while batting on just nine runs. Credit to him, as he took advantage of the Pakistani catching error and stayed focused, which helped Dhananjaya de Silva score 22, Charith Asalanka 21, and Charith Liyanage remain unbeaten on 22.
Pakistan’s seam bowlers conceded 114 runs, whilst the spinners were economical, leaking only 46 runs. This proves that despite the spinners having a disadvantage in gripping the ball due to the wet seam, they controlled Sri Lanka’s weakness in the middle overs when negotiating spin. Hence, the new Indian batting coach must address this issue before the World Cup. It must be stated that Mohd Wasim Junior, Pakistan’s seamer, despite taking three of the six wickets Pakistan scalped, was expensive, leaking 54 runs.
Dasun Shanaka was exceptional with the bat today, but let’s not sing his praises too early, because he will be tested at his skill level as a captain. He must prove that his appointment as captain for the second time is not due to his personality, but his capability—period.
Pakistan had an early setback, losing power hitter Ahmad Farhan for seven runs, bowled by Eshan Malinga in the very first over. However, Malinga leaked 22 runs in that same over.
Skipper Saman Ali Agha, batting at number three, nearly took the game away from Sri Lanka with his 45 off 12 deliveries, including five boundaries and three sixes. Meanwhile, Pakistan recorded a much better run rate than Sri Lanka in the powerplay overs, but Matheesha Pathirana had him brilliantly caught by Eshan Malinga at short fine leg, which proved to be the turning point.
Sri Lanka’s ground fielding and catching were exceptional. Dhananjaya de Silva saved a ball from going over the ropes for six runs; hence, the five runs he saved made a big difference, as Pakistan closed their run chase of 161 for victory at 146 for eight wickets. That difference of five runs saved took its toll on Pakistan.
Hasaranga was exceptional with figures of 4 for 35, which not only won him the Player of the Match award but also contributed to his Player of the Series award. Meanwhile, Matheesha Pathirana proved why IPL franchise holders invested so much money in his purchase, as he was exceptional in the death overs.
He took 2 for 34, bowling with a wet seam as other seamers were carted around, but his ball control when delivering looks much better now.
Finally, Sri Lankan fielding was out of the box—simply outstanding. The catching was far beyond compare.
They now face the English challenge and, of course, the multi-nation tournament next month.
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