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Like the proverbial Phoenix rising from the ashes, Sri Lanka unleashed a performance like no other to resurrect their status in cricket.
They have undertaken a comprehensive thrashing of the world number one ranked team, Australia, and no one should dare challenge their domination in the first two Tests.
Comprehensive drubbings from far and wide had the lowly Lankans appear to be cannon fodder to the visiting Australians but the pride of the Lion had been aroused in them. They ferociously turned on their would be tormentor to shock their opponents and the world with a memorable performance that will help in the re-building of a team cast among the minnows after the retirement of their superstars.
Anyone who predicted that the Lankans would or could beat the best Test team in the world had to be in someplace unknown to real cricket purists. But in a tale stranger than fiction the brave Lankans have delivered the unthinkable and now have Steve Smith’s men from Down Under looking at an improbable reality of a 3-0 series drubbing.
In a strange twist of fate, it was a couple of youngsters, Kusal Mendis and Lakshan Sandakan backed by skipper Angelo Matthews and unsung hero of the past few years Dilruwan Perera, who have spearheaded the wins. Along with the nuggety and ever reliable left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, the side brought down the mighty Australians in a David and Goliath encounter.
The unheralded Lankans showed the tourists how to play in sub-continental conditions, despite Aussie legend Rod Marsh’s insistence that they had done their homework and covered all the necessary groundwork to be better equipped to overcome the home team.
The embarrassed Aussies have lamented their lack of understanding of how to play spin friendly tracks in the sub-continent. However few will agree with their explanation as many Australians have been exposed to these types of wickets and conditions over the past few years in the IPL and other tournaments but their record has proven that they have a lot to learn.
Australian coach Darren Lehmann was quite frank when he labelled his team less than international standard, his comments obviously levelled at the atrocious batting by his team.
The pitch in Galle held few terrors for the batsmen, just poor shot selection and the inability to play the correct line. And it certainly was not just a spinner’s paradise as Mitchell Starc will openly testify. He valiantly tried to swing the game towards Australia by rattling the local batsmen with speed and swing.
An elated Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Matthews said,”Well, my team backed me all the way through, so special thanks to them. Also thanks to SLC for backing us right throughout and also the selectors. They said we’ll get a bit of stick when we lose a few games, but if we do our processes is right, we will along the way win a few games. To beat the No. 1 team is very satisfying. We also thank the fans for being there with us. It’s never an easy task when you lose games to keep persevering. They kept believing in us and supporting us.”
Sri Lankan coach Graham Ford will be elated at the turnaround of his charges as he negotiates through a minefield of political obstacles in his quest to build a world-beating side.
The truth is that only a handful of their current administrators would have provided them with genuine impetus for this memorable achievement.
After a smashing first up triumph in Kandy despite being skittled for 117 in their first innings, Sri Lanka paid the Aussies back in kind by sending them crashing to their lowest score of 106. This was masterminded by spin twins Herath and Perera, the latter’s haul of 10 for 99 in the match after useful contributions of 49 and 35 rightfully making him man-of-the-match.
The decider in Galle was a no brainer. I predicted anyone batting first and making 300 would win the game. Sri Lanka’s 281 was close enough on a wicket notorious for its vicious turn and unpredictability from day three onwards. This time 21 wickets fell in a day on day two and the match only went half the allotted time.
Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews has referred to Dilruwan Perera as a “silent hero” after the off spinner became the first Sri Lanka player to take ten wickets and score a half-century in a Test. Perera was both the most economical and the most penetrative of Sri Lanka’s frontline bowlers in the match, taking 10 for 99.
In the process he also became the fastest Sri Lankan to 50 Test wickets, achieving the milestone in 11 Tests, to beat Ajantha Mendis, who got there in 12.
His second innings’ score of 64 was also higher than any the Australia batsmen had mustered through the series so far.
“We talk a lot about Rangana Herath, but not as much about Dilruwan,” Mathews said after the match.
“But he’s just become the fastest Sri Lankan to 50 Test wickets. When Murali was there, we didn’t speak that much about Rangana, so I guess it’s the same thing with Dilruwan. He’s a silent hero. In the last match he didn’t bowl well, but he was very diligent and knows how to bowl in Galle. He worked very hard in training with the coaches. He’s someone we can get a lot of profit from in the years to come.”
“After having a quiet first Test, he backed his potential and came back really hard,” Mathews said. “He was one bowler who the Australians found it really hard to score off, especially on this track.”
With the Warne-Murali Trophy happily locked away, Sri Lanka can now look towards a better tomorrow as their cricket-mad fans anticipate a clean sweep. They will also be anticipating a fiery reception when the Islanders tour Australia this summer for a limited overs series in Melbourne, Geelong and Adelaide.
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