Our direction to win the HK title was clear-Skipper Madushanka
Of course, known to be the only competition in existence in the world to be competed among a mixture of teams consisting full and associate members of the International Cricket Council (ICC), the Sixes, is one of the two global events staged annually by Hong Kong, next to its renowned rugby competition, the Hong Kong Sevens.
The last and only time Sri Lanka won the Hong Kong Sixes was in 2007, when they beat an All Star side that consisted Shane Warne and Shivnarine Chanderpaul. And Sri Lanka’s Saman Jayantha, known for his antics as a dashing opener, became the leading wicket-taker with six scalps.
This shortest version of cricket, mainly designed for television viewing, with rules and a venue that encourage aggressive batting and high scoring, however, took an entire different path after Sri Lanka ended up as champions with an unblemished record. True to its potential, from the point of selecting its players, Sri Lanka perhaps eyed the plum with a well-executed plan with seven of its talents, out of many hundreds, playing their parts to complete the mission.
“All seven were equally skillful and confident. From the moment we were picked, it was one direction and that was to win those five games and grab the title,” stated skipper Madushanka, a white-ball player to turn out for Sri Lanka at four ODIs and three T20s, the most among the seven players in terms of national representation.
“We knew each other, competing with and against each other at domestic level. So each one of us knew our strengths and we wanted to utilise them for the best, which we did eventually”.
Under the captaincy of Madushanka, the team included power-hitting all-rounders Sandun Weerakkody, Tharindu Rathnayake, Nimesh Vimukthi, Lahiru Samarakoon, Dhananjaya Lakshan and Thanuka Dabare, who played as a unit far better than the other 11 contenders in action.
Competing under Group ‘D’, Sri Lanka won both their first round games against Oman by 4 wickets and against Bangladesh by 18 runs. Oman posted 80-2 in their six overs, to which Sri Lanka responded with 82-2 in 4.1 overs and batting first against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka posted 107-3 and restricted the opponents to 89-3 in their group games to reach the quarter-final stage.
They batted first against Nepal in the third quarter-final only to post 123-2 and bowl them out for 83, setting up the semi-final clash against Bangladesh, who posted 103-5. Keeping their title hopes alive, Sri Lanka reached the required target of 104, losing three wickets and a delivery to spare. The final was a virtual one-sided affair after Sri Lanka restricted Pakistan to 72 and chased down the target losing three wickets and with an over to spare to claim the Hong Kong Sixes title.
“Our unity as a team was evident throughout all the five games played, and the support given by the team manager, as well as the fans at the venue and back home gave us the confidence. We are glad that we were able to justify the faith Sri Lanka Cricket and the selectors had on us,” relished Madushanka.
Out of the lot, skipper Madushanka has more caps than the rest appearing in four ODIs and three T20s for the country. He has 14 ODI runs and 22 T20 runs, but Madushanka’s four ODI wickets standout as a capable bowling allrounder. Opener Sandun Weerakkody and paceman Dhananjaya Lakshan have represented the country thrice in ODIs, with Weerakkody raking in 73 runs with 58 as his top score. Lakshan, meanwhile has a sole ODI scalp and has scored four runs in the three games he played for the country. Nimesh Vimukthi and Lahiru Samarakoon have represented Sri Lanka on one T20 at the Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China in 2023, in the quarter-final game that recorded a close loss to Afghanistan. Tharindu Rathnayake and Thanuka Dabare were the only uncapped players in the side.
Yet, Rathnayake ended up as the leading wicket-taker of this year’s Hong Kong Sixes with eight scalps, and best bowling figures of 4 for 33 in five games. Dhananjaya Lakshan and Lahiru Samarakoon shared the fifth slot among bowlers with five wickets each. Among batters, Sandun Weerakkody finished at fourth with 180 runs and a best of 50 not out in five games. Skipper Madushanka finished the tournament with three wickets and 116 runs, including a top score of 48 not out.
“It was a combination of seven skillful players, who were eager to deliver the goods for the country. When one failed, the other stood up, and that’s the beauty of a well-balanced side,” the skipper boasted.
Fielding an aspiring set of players, Sri Lanka’s perfect execution in Hong Kong made the desired changes at its annual gala cricket extravaganza, which was meant to entertain the crowd. Madushanka’s men perfectly proved that adding professionalism could add more glamour to entertainment at the Hong Kong Sixes, where most teams included mostly retired international stars of yesteryear. Now, their eyes are set at the bigger stage, which they failed to consolidate.
“This is the most entertaining and fast-paced version in white-ball cricket next to T10 and T20, where allrounders play a bigger role. We will be honoured to represent the country at the bigger stage if and when the opportunity is provided. But for now, we accomplished the mission we were assigned to,” Madushanka, who himself a perfect allround material, stated.