Cricket World Cup!!! — Sri Lanka is back
Just when we feared this World Cup was becoming predictable and one-sided, dominated by the top four teams and marred by wet weather, Sri Lanka roared back to life with a stunning performance against England that opens up the enter competition.
No-one expected Sri Lanka to beat England at Headingley on Friday. The hosts are a well-oiled unit, full of match-winners, blessed with enormous experience and clarity of purpose after four years of meticulous planning.
Sri Lanka, meanwhile, have been struggling with nearly all aspects of their campaign, from selection and strategy to the form of key players. Our biggest hope stemmed from a proud and hard-earned tradition of rising to the occasion of World Cup tournaments.
Thankfully, that reputation was justified once again by this spirited and fighting performance that will I am sure have reignited interested in the World Cup back in Sri Lanka and restored the faith of the fans.
I thought it was a good toss to win on a flat, dry pitch that was always likely to slow down later and take some turn. A par score was though in the region of 280 and not the 232 that Sri Lanka were ultimately able to cobble together.
Dimuth (Karunaratne) lost his footwork and was a little indecisive against Archer, nicking behind. Kusal Perera’s dismissal, caught down at third man chasing a wide ball, then left Sri Lanka in familiar early trouble.
Avishka Fernando, however, playing his first game in the tournament, responded with a brilliant counterattack. He looked a complete player with all key components that define a top-class batsman: steady head position, good foot movement, ability to be balanced while driving though the off or straight, and very quick to pick up the short ball. Avishka has a lot of time when playing the ball due to minimal and economical movement into the ball.
Again, though, the middle order was tested. Kusal Mendis looked good but couldn’t construct a long innings and, as the pitch got more difficult to bat on, Angelo (Matthews) showed why he is the best batsman in the side by adapting and holding the batting unit together. It was an outstanding innings from Angelo and he was the architect of the winning total.
With the ball, Lasith (Malinga) needed to lead the charge if we were to stand any chance of defending the 233-run target. He had been bowling safely with good economy thus far in the tournament, but he needed to take wickets with the new ball and through every spell. He did just that, rolling back the years with a lion-hearted and skillful exhibition, using swing and clever angles to create mistakes.
The set-up of Jos Buttler, pinned lbw, was a perfect combination of great tactics between him and Dimuth and then clinical execution. With fielders in short both straight and onside for the catch, Buttler was forced into hitting across the line.
Joe Root batted well, but pressure mounted with Eoin Morgan batting a bit too slowly and indecisively. A quick 40 from Morgan would have put the match to bed. An ordinary shot from Moeen Ali did not help England’s cause during a decisive passage of play and Ben Stokes ultimately ran out of partners.
It was a great team effort by the bowlers, led by Lasith but supported but everyone. They really rose to the challenge showing character and a lot of skill.
Sri Lanka can enjoy this win, but there remains much work to be done. The batting must keep improving in the coming matches to deliver consistent runs for the bowlers to be able to defend totals like they did at Leeds.
The victory opens up the tournament slightly, giving Bangladesh and Sri Lanka an outside chance of qualifying if they can win their final three group games.
India resumed their campaign on Saturday also. Undefeated as I write this column, Afghanistan would have to pull off one of the great upsets in World Cup history to win after what has been a disappointingly lackluster tournament from the popular Asian underdogs.
It was disappointing for India losing Shikkar Dhawan at the top of the order due to his injury, but they re-organised themselves efficiently with KL Rahul moving up the order to open and it remains a very well-balanced and dangerous batting unit.
Risbhabh Pant’s call-up into the squad is exciting for the youngster and a great opportunity for him to show what a talented player he is. I am not sure whether he will play but it will definitely be exciting to watch him if he gets the chance.
If India can secure wins against Afghanistan and then West Indies on Thursday they can pretty much confirm their progression to the semi-finals. They don’t want to slip-up though against either, and I am sure Virat (Kohli) will not allow for any complacency.