When West Indian captain Kieron Pollard dropped a sitter at slip off Kusal Mendis off Jason Holder when he was on 2 Sri Lanka were wobbling at 13 for 2 at one time and had the catch been taken the score would have been 13 for 3.
And with that dropped catch, the visitors gift wrapped, sealed and delivered the one day series to Sri Lanka at the Sooriyawewa International Cricket Stadium at Hambantota under lights on Wednesday losing by 162 runs.
From the moment Pollard, as if in sympathy, graciously showed his benevolence and dropped that sitter from Mendis who was struggling to find form, the air went off the wheels of the Windies cricketing wagon and what everyone saw after that was an ugly exhibition of all aspects of how cricket should not be or be played at this level.
The dropped catch caught on like the prevailing coronavirus on the other fielders who too dropped catches.
Bad fielding, dropped catches, no-balls, short pitched, wides and full tosses were freely on display and did not opener Avishka Fernando and Mendis make a meal of a Windies attack that is not up to standard in any form of cricket to score grand centuries.
The two who made centuries were also associated in a record breaking third wicket stand of 239 for the third wicket and take their team to an imposing 345 for 8 in 50 overs. Both batted in the manner born with strokes cascading from their bats as all the Windies could do was chase leather all round the ground and it could be best described like watching an athletic meet.
When opener Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Perera gifted their wicket chasing balls wide outside the off stump off Cottrell and Sri Lanka 11 for 2, it looked like the Lankans could be in trouble and the Windies bowlers would run through the rest of the batting and keep their chances alive in the series.
But that dropped catch made the difference and a big difference at that. Pollard who dropped that sitter after the game had salt rubbed into his wounds when he was bowled first ball by a googly from Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva and during his walk back to the pavilion would have wished that the ground would open up and drag him in considering that he was the captain and he should have set an example. Mendis sure would have said a big ‘thank you’ to Pollard after the game for dropping that catch.
There’s nothing much to write about the Lankan batters who followed Fernando and Mendis, probably they threw away their wickets looking for more runs to swell the total and put it beyond the reach of the Windies.
When the Windies chased they ran in to a clever spell of leg spin/googly bowling by Hasaranga and the mesmerizing left arm spin of Sandakan and they could manage only 184 in 39. 1 overs.
With the series won the Sri Lankan selectors would not be faulted if they field their second stringers in the final game in Pallekele today giving them a taste of what this form of the game is all about.
The eagerly looked forward to first one day game between West Indies and Sri Lanka ended in a nail biting finish when Hasaranga nudged a ball to mid wicket in the first ball of the final over to give the country a one-wicket win.
That was not a victory to caw about. Thanks to the level-headed batting by Hasaranga who kept his cool when wickets were falling around him that finally saved the blushes for Sri Lanka.
True, Hasaranga played a sterling innings of 42 not out that saw the team through, while that knock should be appreciated and applauded, it would do everyone a lot of good and the player immense good if a big song and dance is not made of the effort of the player.
Hasaranga is still learning and coach Mickey Arthur sees a lot of potential in him. But critics should not go overboard and imagine that in Hasaranga is born a cricketing messiah.
When we saw him for the first time bowling the most difficult art of spin bowling – leg spin, googly we saw a spinner with great talent and predicted a bright future for him.
He has lived up to that. Now coach Arthur must tell him to take it game by game and continue to deliver regularly reminding him that one swallow does not make a summer.
Hasaranga has good control of his variety of spinning. He bowls a teasing leg-break, not fearing to flight and also sends down a well disguised googly which batsmen find difficult to spot and play.
Now that we have found a rare cricketer we must not try to compare him with some of the international greats and make him think he is the greatest. Ignorant critics compared Thisara Perera with the great Lance Klusner. And what has happened to the local Klusner is now clear.
It is hoped that those who matter will continue to persist with Hasaranga and if he fails not dump him like they did to two others of Hasaranga’s kind, Malinga Bandara and Seekkuge Prasanna.
In the euphoria of the victory, pity that the magnificent century of stylish Windies right hander Shai Hope was forgotten. Sri Lankan fans were watching him for the first time and he played an innings that brought back memories the centuries made by their former greats whose names are too numerous to mention.