After languishing in the wilderness of the ICC Rankings across all three formats for the better part of a decade, Sri Lanka have finally found their way back to the summit, climbing to number five after a hard-fought series win over New Zealand.
For ten long years, Sri Lankan cricket fans have been clutching at straws, waiting for their team to live up to their potential. Now, after what felt like an eternity in the wilderness, the tide seems to be turning. The series win over New Zealand is the clearest sign yet that this team is no longer content with being an underdog.
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It all started with the drought-breaking series win over India, followed by a Test victory in England after a decade. But this win over the Kiwis, the first in 15 years, is a feather in the cap for a side that’s been knocking on the door of greatness.
Sri Lanka, for too long, has blown hot and cold. Yet, these consistent performances are the breath of fresh air the team desperately needed. It’s clear now that they’ve found their rhythm, settled on a formula that works, and can proudly look forward to tougher challenges. The acid test will come when they travel to the cauldron of South Africa in November, followed by a high-stakes series at home against the mighty Australians in December.
The jewel in the crown of this series was, without a doubt, Kamindu Mendis. He equalled none other than Sir Don Bradman, becoming the third fastest player to 1,000 Test runs, reaching the milestone in just 13 innings. Along the way, he shattered Roy Dias’ Sri Lankan record and Vinod Kambli’s Asian record. It was a performance that had the cricketing world sitting up and taking notice. The most astonishing part? Nine of those 13 innings were played at number seven or eight.
To say that Kamindu is a diamond in the rough would be an understatement. Looking back, some might say Sri Lanka should’ve let Kamindu march on to his maiden double hundred, but skipper Dhananjaya de Silva had his reasons. He smelled blood in the water and wanted to pounce on the Kiwis before stumps. In the end, Kamindu, ever the team player, backed his captain’s call. Kamindu didn’t just shine in the second Test—his hundred in the first Test set the tone for the series.
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His cool, calm, and collected approach against William O’Rourke, while the rest of the team floundered, spoke volumes about his temperament. There were murmurs when Kamindu was pushed up to number five, but he took to it like a fish to water, and now it seems inevitable that he will be a force to be reckoned with in Test cricket.
It’ll be interesting to see how Sri Lanka shuffle the deck for the limited-overs series against the West Indies later this month, especially with the batting line-up firing on all cylinders.
Prabath Jayasuriya was another star of the show, spinning webs around the Kiwis and bagging 18 wickets in the series. He has become a master of his craft in Galle, and if the batsmen put runs on the board, you can bet your bottom dollar that it’ll be another 2-0 whitewash when the Aussies come to town in February.
The selectors, too, rolled the dice when they dropped Ramesh Mendis, despite his six wickets in the first Test. But the writing was on the wall—Ramesh was struggling with his lengths, letting the pressure slip. Enter Nishan Peiris, making his debut, and what a debut it was—he took nine wickets and bowled his heart out, though his efforts were somewhat overshadowed by the bigger names in the team.
Dinesh Chandimal, the old warhorse, showed his class at number three. Many doubted whether he could handle the new ball, especially if an opener fell early, but Chandimal proved them wrong, finishing the series with a century and a fifty.
Kusal Mendis, walking on thin ice before the series, found his footing with a century and a fifty, securing his place in the side. The batting unit looks solid as a rock, and with the spinners firing on all cylinders, Sri Lanka’s bowlers are keeping the opposition on their toes. If they can keep their fast bowlers fit and raring to go, the upcoming series against an inexperienced South African side could be a mouthwatering contest.
Sitting pretty in third place on the World Test Championship points table, Sri Lanka will be kicking themselves for dropping the ball against Pakistan earlier in the cycle. That 2-0 defeat may come back to haunt them. But all is not lost. If Sri Lanka can win three of their next four Tests, they’ll have one foot in the door for the final at Lord’s. Now that would be a crowning achievement.
