Lions roar back in defiance to knock the Aussies off their pedestal – BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE
Kusal Mendis
Rangana Herath is elated as he grabs another Aussie victim.
Lakshan Sadakan celebrates another Australian scalp.
Kusal Mendis in full flight against Australia in Pallekelle
Sri Lanka is best known for its production of Tea around the globe but it also is known in mining circles for producing the best gemstones in the world, mainly Blue Sapphires and Rubies, and amidst that backdrop they were able to unearth two rare gems in 21-year-old Kusal Mendis and Lakshan Sandakan, the latter a debutant, who produced a glittering display which blinded the high riding Australians into submission in Pallakelle, Kandy.
Although the performances of Mendis and Sandakan were instrumental in giving the Islanders an unlikely first up Test win, they needed the assistance of ageless warrior Rangana Herath to pull off the unexpected and around this trio was the basis that brought down the World number one to their knees and breathed new hope for Sri Lanka cricket. It was also only the second time that the Lankans have beaten Australia in a Test the last being in 1999 when Sanath Jayasuriya led a strong Sri Lankan side to victory over Steve Waugh’s Australians, also in Kandy.
Youth and experience combined to undo the feared Australian batting lineup as the two left arm tweakers, 38- year- old Herath and 25 –year- old seven gamer Sandakan rattled up 19 wickets between them in a memorable performance.
Berated and belittled by their numerous fans worldwide and at home after successive drubbings in the recent past from India, Pakistan, New Zealand and England, the Lankans looked like lambs to the slaughter against the might of the world’s best team. But they roared like the symbol of the Lion which they are portrayed as showing defiance in the face of all odds stacked against them to pull off a sensational upset that will stir the cock-a-hoop Aussies into refocusing and treating them with the respect of a real competitor.
Led in the end by a match winning bowling performance by Rangana Herath who bamboozled the Australian batsmen with his cunning and guile where he ended with a bag of 9 for 103, it was a victory built on age and inexperience that gave the Lankans a moment of euphoria that they have not savored for quite some time.
The retirements of Mahela Jayawardena, Kumar Sangakkara and Tillekeratne Dilshan left a gaping void in the Sri Lankan ranks and with expected successors Dinesh Chandimal, Lahiru Thirimanne and a few others failing to live up to expectations, the future looked bleak for the islanders in their hope to stay competitive with the world’s best. Only skipper Angelo Matthews and Rangana Herath looks equipped to be among the country’s elite at the current moment. So it was indeed timely that young Kusal Mendis put his hand up to announce his arrival.
Mendis was a study of maturity and concentration for a 21-year old as he took on and mastered the world class Australian bowling attack smashing a fabulous 176 which proved the difference between the two teams in the end as he helped his country to a more than competitive 268 run lead that was always going to be a big ask for anyone on the sub-continent in the fourth innings. His hoisting of Nathan Lyon for six to bring up his century smacked of arrogance and controlled aggression and had a striking resemblance of his predecessor Mahela Jayawardena.
If he continues in this vein Sri Lanka’s search for a solid number three appears covered.
The other revelation was left arm wrist spinner Lakshan Sandakan whose prodigious flight and turn had the Aussie batsmen in a quandary as he befuddled them with more variation than the rest of the more accomplished spinners of both teams. Sandakan’s effort which netted him seven wickets in the match was the third best by a Sri Lankan bowler on debut. He will be a handful to batsmen worldwide due to the amount of turn he generates and with a bit more variation could soon emerge as one of the best left arm spinners ever if his talent is nurtured to its fullest.
Sri Lanka’s cricket administrators need to pull their heads in and work with a common interest of lifting the country’s profile rather than be distracted by events that do not concern them such as who is helping whom in the opposition ranks. The storm in a teacup stirred up regarding Mutthiah Muralidaran’s role as an Australian bowling consultant was unwarranted and a definite distraction as to where the actual focus should have been.
The Aussies will regroup and come back hard in the next two Tests in a true show of the grit that has made them the world number one ranked team so the Lankans need to be wary that they cannot afford to sit back on their laurels of a first up win.
Unlike all predictions when this series began, it now points to a riveting next two Tests as the two teams go at each other to try and secure a series win.
Some stats from this match worth remembering.
Five-fors taken by Rangana Herath in the fourth innings of Tests, equalling Muttiah Muralitharan’s record. However, Muralitharan took 35 innings, as opposed to Herath’s 29. The other bowler to do this was Shane Warne, who did so in 53 innings. Overall, Herath has taken 24 five-fors in Tests – the tenth-highest overall. Herath’s match figures of 9 for 103 were his sixth-best in Tests. He now has 313 wickets in 71 Tests.
7/107 Sandakan’s bowling figures in this match – the best by a chinaman bowler on Test debut. Australian Chuck Fleetwood-Smith’s 5 for 165 on his debut in Durban in 1935 were the previous best. Sandakan’s match returns are also the third-best by a Sri Lanka bowler on debut. Ajantha Mendis holds the record for his 8 for 132 against India in 2008.
19 Wickets by left-arm spinners in this Test – the fourth-highest ever. The record belongs to the famous Bangalore Test in 1986-87 when India’s Maninder Singh and Ravi Shastri, and Pakistan’s Iqbal Qasim combined for a match tally of 24 wickets.
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