Making of a real General
It was a heart stopper in spite of all other distractions. Yes, at one point of time, food was laid on the table with the scorecard reading a healthy 120 for 3 with plenty of overs to spare, and Lankans only had to just gobble it up.
Angelo Mathews -- the face of a born leader with a straight tongue - Pic by Amila Gamage
Yet they choked and nearly puked before some Mendis special calmed their nerves and sanity was restored.
After the game, there was something more significant and special on show. When Lankan skipper Angelo Mathews was called to air his views about the win, he did not mince his words.
He took the onus upon himself following their middle order choking that nearly cost them the game. Mathews said: “I admit that I played a ‘cow shot’ that time and I got out and that nearly cost us the game”.
I really felt that it was the man in Angelo that really spoke at that moment. I do not remember another Lankan skipper who could admit in public and take the blame for the near defeat.
Incidents of that nature give us the reassurance to a whole gamut of things. To the team, he depicted a captain who is not afraid to speak out and say “Yes, chum, I was wrong”.
For the team management, it was a signal that there is a man among them who is not afraid to face reality. He would not hide behind excuses.
My interpretation of that gesture is that Mathews is ready to shoulder the burden of captaining the Lankan team from this point onwards and taking it across to the other shore where the grass is greener.
They may have Dilshan, Herath, Malinga, Chandimal or Thirimanne in their ranks at this point of time, but, the pivot is Mathews.
The present national team is full of green horns, but they are talented yet fragile in their temperament. In that particular game, this was amply proved.
Young Danushka Gunatilleke took the crease with a lot of assurance and was middling the ball well, but the moment the things began to go awry, like the rest of the folks, he too lost his feet and it was nearly lambs to the slaughter.
After the rains and the long layoff the wicket was unresponsive to spin bowling and the Lankans were left with only one more over of seam bowling.
Yet, in spite of a looming injury, Mathews bowled his seamers with a short run up and bowled three overs and managed to restore some balance.
This is not a narration of what transpired during the first ODI, between the Lankans and the West Indians.
This is an expression of views on the leadership qualities of a person who has been bestowed with the difficult task of turning the tables on a side which is admittedly short of experience and exposure in the International arena.
The Lankan Interim coach, Jerome Jayaratne, is another extreme.
Though he was thrust upon this task of shaping this young Lankan, he had the exposure and insight into what was happening in the coaching department day-in-and-day-out for nearly a decade. For him it was a matter of putting his accumulated insight in to practice.
When asked how the Lankan Interim coach saw this proposition of taking Mathews as captain he said, “For a while Mathews was under the apprenticeship of Sangakkara and Jayawardena and then was given the task of leading the side.
It was good he was under the tutelage of the two greats who guided him initially.
“Now that he has been given the task of taking reins on his own, he is shaping up well. He is not a leader who is tough or a captain who is lenient.
He has the respect of the entire flock, at the same time he is not afraid to shoulder the responsibility and shepherding the lot.
“In the lineup, he is not the best batsman, the best bowler, or the best fielder. Neither does he possess the perfect batting technique.
Yet, he accomplishes all these tasks with responsibility and the results are shown by example. We see that he feels that he is accountable to the happenings of the young Lankan cricket team.”
He cut his teeth in the big time by taking the most difficult foe in the arena – Australia in 2011 — by its horns. No Sri Lankan would forget that the last wicket stand that brought reality into a Lankan victory.
Spurred by Mathews’ brave knock, the number ten batsman Lasith Malinga held on and saw the Lankans row into an unlikely victory after the 132 stand between the two batsmen.
From the time the Lankans attained Test status way back in 1982, they always could boast of combinations that were worth talking about.
From the Warnapuras to the Mendises to the Diases to the Ranatungas, the Lankans always had larder full cricketers that could fit the bill. Strangely the same could not be said in this instance. When it came to the end of Mahela/Sanga era, Mathews stood like the one-eyed jack.
Now as captain his mission was accomplished when the team coasted to their encouraging eight-wicket win and the third game at Pallekelle yesterday was only of academic interest.
But, that does not mean that he can afford to loosen their grip, especially in view of the upcoming New Zealand series in alien conditions. That would be a good Test for him as captain in the first Mahela/Sanga-less series.
Always it is going to be a long and winding road that would take him to his pinnacle. From this point the terrain is bound to get unsympathetic.
The high-riding New Zealanders will not entertain the same slow and gentle strips that the Lankans primed. But, it is his job to confront all challenges and conquer them with the help of his battling army.
Only then, would he be decorated as a real General.