In a series that bid goodbye to stalwart Mahela Jayawardena’s test career, the Sri Lanka Cricket team struck together a resounding sendoff and more over displayed staying, fighting, promising qualities, giving fans swelling hope of things to come in the recently concluded tour against the visiting Pakistan team.
Winning the Test series for Mahela and sending him off in a grand scale was the main course for Sri Lanka and Thisara Perera’s return into the ODI team with a superlative all-round performances tasted like Milk & Honey (kiri pani) for the cricket-crazy fans in Sri Lanka after losing out to the Proteas’ in the previous series.
With 6 months left for the World Cup in 2015, Sri Lanka is in the process of setting and executing plans and combinations.
Angelo Mathews and his men played exceptional cricket throughout the month-long tour as they completely dominated the Test and ODI series and finished off with two more silvers added to the trophy cabinet at SLC headquarters. Whether it was a busy Monday morning or a leisurely Saturday afternoon, the Sri Lankan fans flocked to watch their champions play. The crowd attendance for the Test matches and the limited-over matches proved once again that Cricket is infact a religion in this little island in the Indian Ocean.
Sri Lanka who generally come out second to Pakistan seemed to be smarting from the Proteas drubbing and put forth a more determined lot vs Pakistan. Many players stood out for Sri Lanka throughout the month of August as Pakistan were royally beaten in both the test and ODI formats. Rangana Herath and Kumar Sangakkara were outstanding in the Tests while Thisara Perera and Mahela Jayawardene played major-roles in Sri Lanka’s success in the ODIs. But the man who reared like a colossus against Pakistan was the young Sri Lankan Captain, Angelo Mathews.
Mathews’ purple patch continues to illuminate for his country and he is only second to the great, Sir Donald Bradman in the highest batting average as a Test captain. Angelo puts an enormous value to his wicket in ODI cricket and he showcased that during the 1st and 2nd ODI matches surpassing his highest score on both occasions and pulling Sri Lanka out of great danger. Under Angelo Mathews this year, Sri Lanka won 15 ODI matches and lost only 5 matches while winning 5 Test matches from 11 matches. Mathews has commenced his journey to be that of the most prosperous captain ever for Sri Lanka and if he wishes to write his name on Lankan history books in golden letters, 2015 ICC World Cup is the perfect opportunity.
Sangakkara has had a rare failure in ODI cricket in the recent past with 25, 11 and 2 but he was agile and excellent behind the stumps a taking few blinders. The great anticipation through a batsman’s eye, moving to his left and holding onto Misbah Ul-Haq and Ahmed Shehzad’s paddle sweeps was intriguing.
This Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka which bid goodbye to Cricket’s stylist Mahela Jayawardena saw the long standing friends and partners battle for their country in tests for the final time as together with mate Kumar Sangakkara, Jaywardena scored a 107 run partnership, refreshing in the minds of the fans that great partnership which happened 8 years ago at the same venue against South Africa.
Ashan Priyanjan’s cameo in the 1st ODI sparked a debate on who is the best upcoming player to cement his place in the team with the seniors claiming to retire after the World Cup down under. Lahiru Thirimanne and Dinesh Chandimal have failed when the vice-captaincy responsibilities were tagged and they will have to pull their socks up and fix their technical issues with batting if they are to regain their places. Ashan is a remorseless cricketer and his flicks, pulls, slogs and cuts bring back memories of the legendary, Aravinda De Silva. He bowls the occasional off-spinners which fits neatly into the Aravinda de Silva profile.
The 21-year old Niroshan Dickwella announced his name on the big stage with another wonderful Test series behind the stumps with 12 catches in 2 games and his unique style of appealing with one-knee bent added character to what was served up to the Pakistanis.
When Yuvraj Singh guided India to their 1st World Cup victory after 28 years, many wondered who will be the match-winner for Sri Lanka in 2015 ICC World Cup? Take a guess, Can Thisara Chirantha Perera win the Player of the Tournament award in Australia/New Zealand in little over 6 months? The ‘smashing’ big man Perera has played 79 ODI matches and has won 9 Man of the Match awards. He silenced his critics by becoming the leading wicket-taker of the ODI series after many believed he will not be able to bowl his quota of 10 overs in ODIs.
Upul Tharanga’s re-emergence to the national team was more like a few glimpses of comedy in an action movie. He played two vital knocks at SSC in Mahela’s farewell Test which earned him an ODI recall as well, but his ODI stint was a washout with scores of 18, 27 and 14 and his place in the ODI team hangs on strings. Will the selectors opt for dashing Kusal Janith Perera or will they try-out upcoming Dhanushka Gunathilake against England in November? Much to ponder for the selectors in the future…
All in all, Sri Lanka Cricket had an unforgettable month of August against the struggling Pakistanis. The team played as a one unit and executed plans with prodigious effect in treating the visitors to their own style of kiri pani.
