Sri Lanka’s men will fly home with heads held high after their Dubai heroics, having given world champions India a mighty scare. Many thought India, who had cruised to the final with an unbeaten record, were untouchable. Pathum Nissanka put paid to that myth with a swashbuckling ton, becoming only the fourth Sri Lankan after Mahela Jayawardene, T.M. Dilshan and Kusal Janith Perera to notch up a T20I century.
It was a bitter campaign overall for the islanders, for many agreed they were the second-best side in the competition and should have nailed down a spot in the final. After an unbeaten first round, they came a cropper in the Super Four, losing two nail-biters to Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Nissanka, though, ensured the campaign ended on a high. His momentum-shifting knock dragged the contest into a Super Over, only for his hamstring, tweaked in the Afghanistan game at Abu Dhabi, to betray him at the death.
The opener now boasts hundreds in all formats and sits atop Sri Lanka’s run charts in both ODIs and T20Is. Last year he became the first Sri Lankan to score a double hundred in ODIs, before following it up with a masterclass at The Oval that delivered a rare Test win in England. In South Africa he gave the Proteas quicks a hiding, only to be undone by Keshav Maharaj’s guile.
On Friday in Dubai, he was simply unstoppable, cutting and pulling the quicks with disdain, then using nimble footwork to loft the spinners as Sri Lanka closed in on the upset of the year. IPL owners must have been watching this and he has closed in on a deal with one of the franchises.
Fifteen months ago, Nissanka declared his ambition: to be ranked the world’s number one batter. Lofty stuff, for only the great Kumar Sangakkara has scaled that peak. Already in the top ten of the T20 rankings and climbing in ODIs, he is set to break into the top five when the lists are refreshed next week.
There was welcome relief too with Kusal Perera finding his touch. The most ferocious striker of a cricket ball in Sri Lanka had squandered starts throughout the competition, but against India he played a gem. With the World Cup looming, the Sri Lankans need KJP firing on all cylinders.
Another highlight was their fielding. Easily the sharpest unit in the tournament, Sri Lanka dazzled with safe hands and bullet throws. This didn’t happen overnight. Head coach Sanath Jayasuriya has done away with optional sessions, demanding four-hour training blocks even the day before a game with a lot of emphasis on fielding.
Maheesh Theekshana, KJP and Dushmantha Chameera plucked stunners out of thin air, while youngster Kamil Mishara’s direct hit from the deep won hearts. Fielding coach Upul Chandana, himself once the best in the business, deserves a lion’s share of the credit.
Sri Lanka have two more series before the World Cup and if they get their combination right, they could arrive at cricket’s showpiece with tails up and in a good space.
