Sri Lanka celebrate turnaround of fortunes, but are they the real deal? – By TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE (eLanka Sports Editor)
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Wannindu Hasarsnga de Silva celebrated his elevation to the Sri Lanka T20 captaincy by leading from the front to steer his home team to an unassailable series triumph over Afghanistan in Dambulla.
Sri Lanka continued their dominance over the Afgans with this win, but the visitors are quickly closing the gap in a format where their raw talent has taken the cricketing world by storm.
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Lesser teams with better structure often falter when on tour, but Afghanistan refuse to be overawed by anyone or any situation trusting their natural ability against the best teams in the world with their fighting spirit and inborn determination.
In the first game it was Hasarsnga’s effort, this time with the bat, as Sri Lanka struggled to 160 in their allotted overs. He smashed 67 off 29 balls to top score for Sri Lanka and the total looked vulnerable as Afghanistan took on the challenge and attempted to chase it down.
In stepped Matheesha Pathirana, a relative unknown in the world game, who produced a lethal spell of medium pace grabbing 4 for 24, to stifle Afghanistan and help Sri Lanka pull of a sensational four- run win.
The 21 year old slinger is fast becoming a key weapon in Sri Lanka’s bowling amoury, and if Angelo Matthews assessment of him is something to ponder, it won’t be long before he establishes himself as a replacement to Lasith Malinga whose exploits are unforgettable.
Game two threw the spotlight on youth and experience as long overlooked former captain Angelo Matthews and young gun Sadeera Samarawickrema laid the foundation for the series decider.
Samarawickrema survived as all around him went cheaply and at 231 for 5, joined veteran Angelo Matthews as the raced to 187 before Samarawickrema was out in the last ball of the innings. Samarawickrema scored 51 off 42 balls while Matthews made an unbeaten 42 off 22 balls to give Sri Lanka a defendable total.
Afganistan was never really in the game as Matthews combined with skipper Hasaranga, Matheesha Pathirana and the rest of the Sri Lanka bowlers to dismantle Afganistan for 115 and a 72 run victory.
Comeback kid Matthews, was rewarded for his allround effort by picking up the player of the match award.
One game remains the as Sri Lanka chase a clean sweep in all three formats.
They have already bagged the Test and one-dayers without duress and a T20 success assures them a revival of sorts after poor efforts in the recent past.
The structural changes appear to have steered them on the correct path. But it is too early to assess their ability until they prove themselves against elite opposition.
Afghanistan have established a solid reputation in their batting at the top, being consistent against some of the best teams in the world. Their bowling and fielding has been their weakness, but it won’t be long before they address these issues and pose themselves as a genuine threat.
Sri Lanka for their part can be satisfied with their turnaround in fortunes and hope the new year brings them back to the glory days where they were feared by the best.
But is this series success an indication of progress? Their performances against the best will answer that speculation.
The talent is definitely there. How it is harnessed and the right combinations for particular situations hold the key.
Game three will be a indicator if they have acquired the killer instinct to complete their mission. A loss will indicate the need to work on not taking their foot off the pedal when in full flight.
