After four disappointing games, the smiles are back on the faces of Sri Lankan fans after the national cricket team produced a stirring performance at Headingley to square the three match ODI series.
For much of the contest, it was England’s game to lose. Headingley has proved a notoriously difficult venue at which to defend totals in recent years and with 71 needed off 80 balls and plenty of wickets in hand, the hosts appeared to have one foot across the finishing line.
Then the game was turned on its head.
Sri Lanka’s quicks found reverse swing and used it to deadly effect, while the fielders backed them up with some spectacular catches. Dunith Wellalage deserves plenty of credit too. The young all-rounder ran through England’s top order before the quicks returned to finish the job.
Earlier, captain Kusal Mendis had laid the foundations with a sensational hundred, finishing with 121 off 100 balls.
The regulations of limited overs cricket have changed in recent years, with former South African quick Shaun Pollock, in his role on the ICC Cricket Committee, arguing that bowlers needed to be brought back into the contest. One consequence of the changes is that captains now get to choose one of the two balls in use after the 34th over. That has helped bring reverse swing back into the equation and Sri Lanka exploited it superbly at Headingley.
ODIs are Sri Lanka’s highest ranked format and there should perhaps be no surprise that this is where they have finally found their feet. Yet during the first ODI at Chester-le-Street, shoulders had been drooping and the players seemed to carry little aura. All of a sudden, that changed when the captain started calling the shots.
Mendis impressed not merely with the bat but with his leadership. When Sachindu Colombage went for runs, the captain did not retreat into his shell. Instead, he urged the young bowler to keep attacking.
That sort of bold leadership has been in short supply since the days of the great Mahela Jayawardene. Mendis has a long way to go before he can be spoken of in the same breath as MJ as a captain, but Headingley was certainly an encouraging sign.
The quicks did not start particularly well, spraying the ball around and struggling for control. It was Wellalage who dragged Sri Lanka back into the contest before the seamers found their rhythm and crucially, discovered reverse swing.
There must be some perspective, though. Had Jos Buttler not been hampered by a hamstring injury, England might well have finished the chase. Sri Lanka therefore still have plenty of work to do.
With the World Cup only a year away, the selectors will also have to make some tough calls and one of them concerns Wanindu Hasaranga.
There is no questioning Hasaranga’s quality. He has been an important cog in Sri Lanka’s white-ball wheel for several years, but the frequency of his injuries is becoming a concern. His troublesome hamstring has let both him and the team down repeatedly and Sri Lanka have too often gone into major tournaments without one of their key bowlers fully fit. It happened ahead of this year’s T20 World Cup and it has happened before as well.
Hasaranga has returned home nursing the same problem and the selectors must decide whether continuing to bank so heavily on him is a risk worth taking. If they believe another talent needs to be groomed with the World Cup in mind, there is little point delaying that process. Despite being a centrally contracted player, Hasaranga has spent far too much time on the sidelines because of that dodgy hamstring.
Another player who caused some concern was Dushmantha Chameera. He looked short of his usual pace in the opening ODI and Sri Lanka will desperately hope that was merely an off day. When on song, Chameera is a genuine match-winner, capable of producing those explosive spells that can rip the heart out of a batting line-up. Sri Lanka need to see that Chameera again.
Sunday’s deciding ODI promises to be a cracker. More importantly, Sri Lanka have an opportunity to return home with their heads held high.
You do not often beat a top notch side in their own backyard. After a tour that seemed to be heading nowhere fast, Headingley has suddenly given Sri Lanka hope.
