Dubai: While shaking the gallery of the Dubai International Stadium and waving the Lankan flags, there was no end to the protests in the city of Colombo. When Bhanuka Bhandara Rajapaksa was beaten by a lone batsman in his hometown of Colombo, the Lankan police were retaliating against the famous Pakistani bowling line-up. From a country that was sinking politically, economically, administratively and sportingly into nothingness, the Sri Lankan cricket team marched to the throne of the continent in Perumchud, Dubai.
The crown that should have been crowned in front of its own people at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground had to be lifted on foreign soil due to internal problems. When the cricket representatives of the Sinhalese kingdom returned home after winning the tournament to be hosted by their own country, they wrote with love, ‘This is for you, our countrymen’. Jayasuriya, D’Silva, Muralidharan, Sangakkara and Chaminda Vas all made their debuts in Sri Lanka. None of them were in the top list of ICC rankings. The team was announced a week before the Asia Cup. When the senior players were injured, the team flew to Dubai with the youth team.
Arawa had lost nine of their last 11 matches. In the first match against Afghanistan, the world reckoned that Lankan cricket had written its death knell in the Asia Cup after being bowled out for 105 runs. But, later saw another Lankan. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan all stumbled and fell when the Sinhalese courage faltered. The Lankan team returns with the Asia Cup with six consecutive wins.
Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the opponents, they implemented the tactics woven by coach Christopher Silverhood and captain Dasun Shanaka on the field. The captain reveals that Lanka studied Chennai Super Kings, who batted first in the last IPL final and won the title on the field where the toss was crucial.
All odds were against Lanka in the Kalasha War. Losing the toss first, the top five returned for 58, conceding nine extras before the first ball. Thus, Lanka defeated Pakistan by overcoming all the adverse conditions with a brilliant performance. Disciplined fielding did not make a single mistake.
Rajapaksa, who resigned after former coach Mickey Arthur judged him to be unfit, came back and played a royal innings against Pakistan. Pacer Pramod Madhushan, who broke Pakistan’s top order, came out for the second match of his career on Sunday. This dream crown is also for the fielders who understood Pakistan’s weaknesses and waited by the boundary line.