It was a welcome break to divert some attention from the ongoing off-the-field ramblings in the India-Pakistan ODI Series. For starters, a cricketing nation that I follow as close as my own took the field against the might of the World Champions in their own lair. It was VB Series final time at Adelaide and to be fair, it was a really gripping encounter, which eventually the least-fancied team in the series won. After a success vacuum in ODI's for Sri Lanka against India and New Zealand, it was almost certain that they would finally hit gold somewhere, and no better place to do it than Australia.
It was an ideal game for the Lankans, as they won the toss and chose to bat first, perhaps a priority in their strategy. Having done that, the onus was on them to post a challenging score for the Aussies and let the bowlers ease into the situation. They seemed pretty comfortable with the entire surrounding of a major final. There was a clear indication of intent as Marvan Atapattu strode out to bat with Sanath Jayasuriya. Positivity flowed from both bats and after a lean patch, as Mark Nicholas summed it up "the cover drives were back !". Kumar Sangakkara, playing the role of the propeller of the Sri Lankan batting scored a fluent 83, putting the Aussie bowlers to the cleaners. And this knock proved to be decisive for sure. Youngster Chamara Kapugedara played the catalyst in Sri Lanka reaching a more-than respectable score of 274.
From the moment Sri Lanka scored 274, it seemed like a mission impossible for the Aussies. Considering the gameplan of the Lankans, the introduction of slow bowlers like Malinga Bandara, Murali and Dilshan, it for sure looked like a task beyond them. And it indeed turned out to be that way. Tillekaratne Dilshan, showed the world why he was such an impact player on the field - effecting four run outs and one catch. The Aussie hope was fading apart, one by one, players returning back to the hut and a lone warrior fighting his way to glory was Micheal Clarke, who himself got run out as the last wicket. There were three attributes, this entire Sri Lankan performance was revolving around - intense self-belief, positivity right from the outset and indeed deliverance from the players. The entire team looked like a different bunch of boys when they came out to field.
This win augurs well for the future of Sri Lankan cricket. To beat Australia for the first time in a VB series finals since 1997/98 (South Africa had beaten them at MCG) itself is a task worth appreciating. As Marvan Atapattu remarked in the presentation "Everybody before the start of the series thought it was a two horse race (referring to Australia and South Africa). But here is the third horse, in the finals and winning it". Those words reflect a great sense of character in the Sri Lankan dressing room. To be in the finals is one thing, and to win it is a totally different thing altogether. The second finals to be played at Sydney Cricket Ground could well have a tag of history attached to it, if Sri Lanka wins, that is. It will be their first VB Series, earlier known as the World Series of Cricket and a recognition of the feat would be none less than winning a World Cup or lets say a mini-World Cup. One hopes for the future of Sri Lankan cricket, that they deliver a similar if not a better performance at Sydney, a ground where they have felt homely in the past three encounters, amassing well over 300 in as many matches, a mini-fortress of sorts.
For Australia, it will be an interesting challenge to come back from behind. One felt that they missed McGrath (he's with his wife, who has a recurrence of breast cancer) . Buchanan and Co, would take this loss, as one of their off-days. The utter miscommunication among the batters was a reflection of it. So, the men in gold have to get to their drawing boards and plot their way into contention for the trophy. All one can say now is that Sri Lanka have one hands on the VB Series already and Sydney would decide if they can snatch it away, or allow the Aussies to smell some much-needed blood and taste the champagne.
It was an ideal game for the Lankans, as they won the toss and chose to bat first, perhaps a priority in their strategy. Having done that, the onus was on them to post a challenging score for the Aussies and let the bowlers ease into the situation. They seemed pretty comfortable with the entire surrounding of a major final. There was a clear indication of intent as Marvan Atapattu strode out to bat with Sanath Jayasuriya. Positivity flowed from both bats and after a lean patch, as Mark Nicholas summed it up "the cover drives were back !". Kumar Sangakkara, playing the role of the propeller of the Sri Lankan batting scored a fluent 83, putting the Aussie bowlers to the cleaners. And this knock proved to be decisive for sure. Youngster Chamara Kapugedara played the catalyst in Sri Lanka reaching a more-than respectable score of 274.
From the moment Sri Lanka scored 274, it seemed like a mission impossible for the Aussies. Considering the gameplan of the Lankans, the introduction of slow bowlers like Malinga Bandara, Murali and Dilshan, it for sure looked like a task beyond them. And it indeed turned out to be that way. Tillekaratne Dilshan, showed the world why he was such an impact player on the field - effecting four run outs and one catch. The Aussie hope was fading apart, one by one, players returning back to the hut and a lone warrior fighting his way to glory was Micheal Clarke, who himself got run out as the last wicket. There were three attributes, this entire Sri Lankan performance was revolving around - intense self-belief, positivity right from the outset and indeed deliverance from the players. The entire team looked like a different bunch of boys when they came out to field.
This win augurs well for the future of Sri Lankan cricket. To beat Australia for the first time in a VB series finals since 1997/98 (South Africa had beaten them at MCG) itself is a task worth appreciating. As Marvan Atapattu remarked in the presentation "Everybody before the start of the series thought it was a two horse race (referring to Australia and South Africa). But here is the third horse, in the finals and winning it". Those words reflect a great sense of character in the Sri Lankan dressing room. To be in the finals is one thing, and to win it is a totally different thing altogether. The second finals to be played at Sydney Cricket Ground could well have a tag of history attached to it, if Sri Lanka wins, that is. It will be their first VB Series, earlier known as the World Series of Cricket and a recognition of the feat would be none less than winning a World Cup or lets say a mini-World Cup. One hopes for the future of Sri Lankan cricket, that they deliver a similar if not a better performance at Sydney, a ground where they have felt homely in the past three encounters, amassing well over 300 in as many matches, a mini-fortress of sorts.
For Australia, it will be an interesting challenge to come back from behind. One felt that they missed McGrath (he's with his wife, who has a recurrence of breast cancer) . Buchanan and Co, would take this loss, as one of their off-days. The utter miscommunication among the batters was a reflection of it. So, the men in gold have to get to their drawing boards and plot their way into contention for the trophy. All one can say now is that Sri Lanka have one hands on the VB Series already and Sydney would decide if they can snatch it away, or allow the Aussies to smell some much-needed blood and taste the champagne.
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