Hat-trick dream start by Wanidu Hasaranga caps Lanka triumph
Dream starts, by all accounts, is soul quenching passion to the rookie debuting on cricket’s big stage, and when it comes in the form of a magical hat-trick indeed, the moment is momentous given its significance! And when this fairytale entry to international cricket happens to be in his teens as it was for 19-year old Wanidu Hasaranga on a day Sri Lanka swiftly sped to a comprehensive 7-wicket triumph over Zimbabwe in the second ODI, it is the ultimate sweet ecstasy scripting.
Hasaranga cleaned up Malcolm Waller, Donald Tiripano and Tendai Chatara in the 34th over to become the third player in ODI history – after Bangladesh’s Taijul Islam and South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada – to take a hat-trick on debut. Altogether it was the perfect day Sri Lanka had been looking for in leveling the 5-match series and atoning for the defeat in the opening match.
VINDICATION OF NEW BLOOD ACCENTUATION
To the Sri Lankans, the win after Zimbabwe was cleaned up for 155 in 33.4 overs was a huge vindication of the rebuilding process Sri Lanka has embarked on mainly accentuated on new blood with schoolboy prodigy Hasaranga rightfully taking centre stage; more so at a time local critics have been pointing daggers at the cricket management initiative of reviving the country’s cricket from a bad patch. Sri Lanka overpowered Zimbabwe by spin bowling with ‘Man of the Match’ Lakshan Sandakan doing the early damage claiming 4 wickets for 50 in 10 overs before Hasaranga, the seventh bowler introduced by skipper Angelo Mathews, completing the mopping up operations. Sri Lanka’s run chase of 156 was perfected in 30.1 overs by an 81-run unfinished fourth wicket partnership between Upul Tharanga who made a 86-ball 75, and Mathews on 28 following a shaky start losing Dhanushka Gunathilake for 8 and Kusal Mendis for a duck. Niroshan Dickwella continued his run vein with a 54-ball 35 inclusive of four boundaries. Tharanga, who batted at No.4, produced a calculated knock spanning eight boundaries. Mathews struck 4 boundaries.
It was sweet revenge for the loss in the high scoring series opener when Zimbabwe made 322 for 4 wickets powering to a 6-wicket win over Sri Lanka who made 316 for 5. It has heightened the interest to the series, the remaining three matches in a world cricket tempo that underlines a significant forward leap by minnow countries in the game in recent times.
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-
