Lankans hold their nerve and make it easy for themselves
Thisara Perera used his experience to score a half century and change the game in Sri Lanka's favour - Pix by Amila Gamage
In the run up to the game, it promised to be a blockbuster but, the marauding Lankans had other ideas. The game started with Lankans losing the toss. But, they were invited to bat by the opposition. The result was a resounding seventy run win for the home team to level the series at one-all at the Sinhalese Sports Club, yesterday.
Moreover for the Lankans the win would have been more significant because it was their first win in eight ODIs. This time, since losing the toss, the Lankans made hardly any mistakes and this time, surprisingly even their fielding was of a much better quality. There was hardly an individual hero. It was an amalgamated effort and every member of the playing eleven accomplished their given task.
Though Bangladeshis said that it was up to Lankans to make a game of it, in reality the onus was on the Bangladesh team to win the game and seal their first series win on Lankan soil. Sadly that did not happen.  The only shining light for Bangladesh was the half century scored by Mehedi Hasan who delayed the inevitable by several overs.
One wondered what the par score would be on that SSC wicket which looked a belter from the very beginning. At the inspection it was said, to win the game, the side batting first would have to score well over 300 runs, while the Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza opined that he would be satisfied if they could restrict the Lankans to a score close to 275.
Nevertheless, in international cricket one of the most important facts one has to master is how to overcome the pressure. You just cannot afford to get overawed by the situation at hand. There was no doubt that the Bangladeshi batsmen had the right ingredients to make a match of it skill-wise, but, the Lankans once again proved that they had been in such situations on many occasions prior to this and this was just a another repeat.
Mortaza on winning the toss invited the hosts to take first lease of the crease, but, unwittingly gifted two consecutive wides in the first two deliveries. When such things take place, the opposition begins to sense that the other camp is not sure of themselves. At the end of the game Mortaza said that they lost the match at the end of the first ten overs of both batting and bowling.
Openers Dhanushka Gunatilleke and skipper Upul Tharanga made full use of the docile wicket, the new ball and the initial fielding restrictions. The two openers in 10.5 overs put on a 76 run stand. But, once the fielding restrictions were over and the ball grew older, it was a different story. Only a batsman in the calibre of Thisara Perera could have written a script. His 52 came in only forty balls, with a six and four fours.
At the end Perera who was also the man-of-the-match said “I am happy that I have come back into the national side after six months, this is the result of my hard work at practices”.
Milinda Siriwardana falls short of his ground before completing a run
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