I would like to begin this story by asking you a question, who is the most entertaining Sri Lankan batsman ever?
Free hit Contributor – Thushan Perera
Your first thoughts could be Jayasuriya, Aravinda, Mahela, Sangakkara, Mathews, Dilshan, Kusal Mendis, Arjuna, Roy Dias, Tissera, Tennakoon or even Sathasivam. All of them were crowd pullers when on song.
Although amongst all those great names, an honorable mention could be Muttiah Muralitharan.
The 5’ 7” tall warrior from Kandy only scored just over twelve hundred runs in Tests at around 11 runs per innings. In his heyday, Muralitharan found areas in the ground where no other batsmen had mastered at that time. If there was ever a competition for scoring runs over the keeper’s head, Muralitharan could make it to the top 10 without breaking a sweat. He was truly Mr. 360 at that time, a true trailblazer of his era.
A lower order batsman making runs is undoubtedly a treat to watch. Watching those underrated contributors adding valuable runs using all the armory they possess is as priceless as watching Mahela Jayawardene’s classic cover drive or Roy Dias’ flick over and over again.
>>5 defining moments of Sri Lanka Cricket<<
Lower order batsmen are an underappreciated lot. However, I would like to revisit 5 memorable innings of Sri Lankan lower order batsmen.
The Assist of the Century
Sherlock had Watson to unveil many mysteries. Kusal Janith Perera had Vishwa Fernando to complete a miracle. Vishwa hung in there for 27 balls and an hour and 13 minutes to assist not only Kusal Janith Perera to play one of the all-time great innings but also to win an all-time great game.
He came to the crease when Sri Lanka was in deep trouble. Kasun Rajitha was the 9th wicket to fall when Sri Lanka required another 78 runs. But you all know it ain’t over till the fat lady sings.
Vishwa scored only 6 runs and 5 of them came because of an overthrow. He played and missed many times, the Proteas bowlers banged it short to him many times, yorked him many times but he kept his head up and treated all those bowlers with a Sri Lankan grin and assisted to win a remarkable test match in South Africa for the first time since 2011.
This innings surely goes down as one of the classic rearguard assists in world cricket history.
The Partnership
The season was 1995/96. Sri Lanka was still two months and 1 day away from being crowned the World Champions. Sri Lanka was desperate to win the final league game vs. Australia to reach the final of the B&H World Series.
Australia scored 242/4 in their 50 overs. Steve Waugh scored a splendid century. Sri Lanka was on course to chase down the target with Romesh Kaluwitharana’s 74 and Aravinda de Silva’s 45. However, Sri Lanka lost Roshan Mahanama and Aravinda de Silva in quick succession let the chase get out of hand, then Arjuna Ranatunga lost his wicket to make matters even worse when Sri Lanka still required another 21 runs to be made in 17 balls.
This target is not a very difficult task today with 3 wickets remaining. But in 1996, this was a challenging target. 100 meter boundaries at MCG made it more difficult. Glenn McGrath had 2 overs in hand.
>>What is wrong with the Sri Lanka T20I Team?<<
Then came the acceleration from two up-and-coming players.
The Dharmasena and Vaas duo accumulated 11 runs by the start of the 49th to bring down the target to five runs off six balls. Dharmasena then scored the winning boundary and Sri Lanka went through to the final of B&H World Series tournament.
Romesh Kaluwitharana was adjudicated as Man of the Match for his 74 in 68 balls. However, those valuable runs scored by Vaas (13 off 8) and Dharmasena (24 off 24) paved the way to the finals.
Towering over the Mighty Aussies
Tall left arm seamer – Nuwan Zoysa played 95 ODIs and 33 tests for Sri Lanka. He was at his peak in 2004.
Sri Lanka had already lost the series 1-3 to the mighty Australians. The dead rubber at SCC on 29 February 2004 saw Australia win the toss and score only 198 for 7 in their 50 overs. Zoysa took 3 for 34 runs.
The chase was not on from the start. To make matters even worse, Upul Chandana, a capable batsman, lost his wicket when 136 was on the board with 3 wickets remaining. Sri Lanka needed another 63 runs to win.
Alongside Russell Arnold, Nuwan Zoysa steered Sri Lanka to the win. He scored a magnificent unbeaten 47 off 42 balls. He hit 2 towering sixes off Brett Lee and Brad Hogg on the way to this famous win.
Once upon a time in Kandy
Murali is legend of not only Sri Lanka cricket but also of world cricket mainly because of his bowling, but he was an intelligent lower order batsman too. I picked this innings over Murali’s 33 vs. Bangladesh and 32 vs. Pakistan purely because of the nostalgia associated with this innings.
This came vs. India in 2001 in his home town. Muralitharan walked into bat when Sri Lanka was 140/7 in the 2nd innings. Sri Lanka secured a slim 38 run lead in the first innings. Therefore, Sri Lanka was 178 runs ahead when Murali came to the crease. Everyone knew 178 was not enough to challenge the Indian batting line up.
Soon after, Sri Lanka was reduced to 157 for 9 because of Venkatesh Prasad’s double strike. Then the Muralitharan show began. I still remember, as fresh as a daisy, how fans flocked around TV sets hoping to see Muralitharan scoring a ton in his home town. Shop owners began to close their shops even, readying fire crackers to celebrate, expecting a once in a lifetime event. But to disappoint many, he was dismissed for a well-made 67, he made his career best alongside Ruchira Perera who made an unbeaten 6 runs off 28 balls. The duo added 64 runs for the last wicket.
Later, India chased down 264 runs to win the match by 7 wickets. But Muralitharan’s innings is one of the vivid memories of Sri Lankan cricket history.
The Great Escape: Melbourne Miracle
Sri Lanka landed in Australia in 2010 with the determination of winning a bilateral series for the first time Down Under. Sri Lanka was one of the top teams in 2010. We all had a hope.
The first ODI was at MCG. Australia won the coin toss and batted and Mike Hussey helped them set 240 runs. Then debutant – Xavier Doherty ran through the Sri Lanka middle order to reduce them to 107 for 8.
Angelo Mathews was still at the crease and he was joined by Lasith Malinga. Then they tried to counter-attack. While Mathews was accumulating runs at the other end, Lasith Malinga began to express himself. He preferred to hit straight over the bowlers’ head, hitting two massive sixes. He applied a simple and familiar formula, ‘clear the front leg and smash it between the bowler and mid-on’.
Malinga and Mathews broke the world record for the best partnership for the 9th wicket on the way to the win too.
Malinga was run out by Steve Smith on the brink of a win but the legend himself Murali came in to complete another miracle.
*Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of ThePapare.com.
