Cricket heat shifts to Dambulla as Sri Lanka brace for Bangladesh
Cricket heat grips Sri Lanka as never before. That Sri Lanka’s the Test loss to Bangladesh last week has lent to a charged up scenario as Sri Lankan cricket fans at large, and of course the cricketers look for evening up of scores. In such a tempo, that the rivalry shits in to the instant cricket would not matter for the die hards for whom a match is a match, and that bleeding Bangladesh is what matters from a Sri Lankan perspective when the contest shifts to rural Dambulla. The opening day-night gets underway on Saturday 25 with a sell out crowd expected.
Indeed, from a local fan point of view defeat to the minnows of Test cricket was a tough call in the own backyard, and grant as they would that their sub continent neighbours had won it in a straight forward tough battle, certainly the Sri Lankan valor of wanting to come tops in the international big stage is a matter of cricketing pride; a cricketing pride derived by a 21 million populace known to eat, sleep and drink cricket that has become part and parcel ever since the island nation won world cricket’s jackpot the 1995 World Cup. Since that new skyrocketing chapter of Sri Lankan cricket in the international hemisphere, cricket, at any form from Tests to ODIs and the advent of the new fad, the T20s has fired the adrenaline of Sri Lankans.
In that backdrop, the big stage performers do realize the home spectator onus on them to party big, and certainly to party big in the middle will be the fired up ego of a mainly youth outfit of the starry eyed led by a veteran in opening batsman, Upul Tharanga. That the action will get in to full swing in the historical city of Dambulla overlooked by the famous Sigiriya Fortress is bound to lend to a patriotism requiring top performance knowing that Bangladesh are no more pushovers. Of course, the Sri Lankan camp will need to brave the handicap of injury sidelined lynchpin batsman Kusal Janith Perera ruled out up to the second game from a hamstring suffered during the trial run orgy match won by the Sri Lanka President’s XI by just 2 runs having made 354 for 7 to which Bangladesh replied with a game 352 for 8. The inform Niroshan Dickwella is expected to open in his absence.
It will be interesting whether middle order cameo batsman, Thisara Perera would win back a recall on his 42 on Wednesday. Top scorer Sandun Weerakkody could consider himself unfortunate not to be in the 15-mam squad, particularly in view of his enterprising half century against South Africa.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh, led by 32-year old Mashrafe Mortaza will go flat out to knock the sails off Sri Lanka knowing that their ODI cricket has been their strong point over the years having shocked India and Pakistan in world cup dramas.
Sri Lanka squad:
Niroshan Dickwella
Dhananjaya de Silva
Kusal Mendis
Asela Gunaratne
Dinesh Chandimal
Kusal Janith Perera
Danushka Gunathilake
Suranga Lakmal
Lahiru Kumara
Vikum Sanjaya Bandara
Thisara Perera
Sachith Pathirana
Seekkuge Prassanna
Lakshan Sandakan
By Srian Obeyesekere
-The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Sri Lanka Cricket-
