It was not bitter, sweet memories, but vice versa for off spinner Akila Dananjaya when after capturing a hat-trick he was smashed for six sixes in his next over by Windies captain Kieron Pollard in the first T20 in Antigua. In the third match he was hit for three sixes by Fabian Allen.
In the second game the Sri Lankans kept breathing winning it and kept the series alive. But were outplayed in the final game and conceded the T20 series 2-1 to the home team.
So it will be seen that the Lankan game is going from bad to worse with no silver lining ahead and when they will redeem themselves and be worthy competitors and raise their game will be interesting to watch.
In the first 50-over game the Lankans were outplayed by the Windies losing by eight wickets with opener Shai Hope blasting a century (110) and putting up a 143-stand with Evin Lewis (65) chasing 233 to win. It was another show by Karunaratne (52) that gave them a grand stand putting on 105.
There was a bit if controversy when opener Gunathilaka was given out for obstructing the bowler Pollard who was attempting to run out the batsman. The on-field umpires referred and the third umpire after a close study of the incident ruled the batman out. That was it and there was no need for coach Mickey Arthur to seek clarification from match referee Richie Richardson.
Back to Dananjaya and capturing a hat-trick in a match is a rare feat and the delight and the pleasure knows no bounds. Coming back after remodeling his action, he had the wickets of Lewis, ‘universe boss’ Chris Gayle and Pooran to jump in the air and enjoy his feat.
But in the next over he was made to look ordinary as Pollard smashed him for six sixes and join a rare brand of batters who have achieved this momentous feat with the willow. Then when Sri Lanka looked set for victory in the third game he was hit for three sixes in the penultimate over by Fabian Allen that saw Sri Lanka crash to defeat.
Coming back to Dananjaya, his career was threatened when he was ‘called’ and went off the radar for sometime having to remodel his action. That he fought his way back and to perform this feat of taking a hat-trick is remarkable.
A Dissanayake is the need
With Sri Lanka cricket going fast backwards as for us the need of the hour is a dynamic personality of the calibre of former President of the Cricket Board the incomparable former Minister Gamini Dissanayake who with his dynamism and eloquent speech obtained the elusive Test status for the country.
In his endeavor he had strong support from two excellent Vice Presidents in R. Rajamahendren and Dham Wimalasena and the man who brought him to the cricket pitch as President of the Cricket Board the one and only Abu Fuard the former Sri Lankan off spinning and outspoken all-rounder.
The first stroke played by Dissanayake and his team was to breach the defence of the Lords at Lord’s and obtain entry into the elite of cricket as a Test playing nation. Dissanayake to put it in cricketing parlance practiced hard with Rajamahendren, Wimalasena and Fuard and when it came to his turn to address the Lords at Lord’s seeking full Test status he hit for six the lame excuses put forward that had prevented the country of Test status.
In a speech that had the Lords dumbfounded he broke through the defence of the Lords who listened to him dumb struck and the final result was that the Lords bowed down to him and had no stroke to defend but grant the country the long elusive Test status.
The moment the country was granted Test status Vice President Rajmahendren who was at the scene phoned me when I was the Sports Editor of the Times Group and informed me of this historic information and I wrote the story that was carried as the lead story in the Daily Mirror the next morning which sent the country into raptures. Sri Lanka had finally captured cricket’s Mount Everest.
Once Test status was achieved Dissanayake set about getting as he promised the infrastructure. For starters he redid the ground of his old school the Asgiriya ground to Test playing standard.
Then he set about getting the all important headquarters and it was during his reign that Sri Lanka won its first ever Test match beating Kapil Dev’s Indians at the Colombo Oval in 1984.
President J.R. Jayewardene who was watching the final rites of India’s demise elated by the historic victory declared a public holiday the next day and the whole country celebrated. Dissanayake who allowed Fuard to look after the development of the game while concentrating on putting the finishing touches to the infrastructure had control of Fuard knowing full well that Fuard had, with no malice the knack of antagonizing all and sundry. Fuard’s keeness at times got the better of him and Dissanayake had to at times tighten the hold he had on Fuard.
Fuard who knew the mentality, talent and the language the players understood, treated them that way and got every player selected to represent the country to give of his best and nothing but the best because they knew the task master in Fuard.
And the cricketers of that golden era realized that they had to perform and every cricketer knew what was expected from him and performed with dedication and determination and put into practice what the coaches had taught them and took the game to a high level.
So it will be seen that cricket in the country has hit a new low and a President of the caliber of Dissanayake and loyal Vice Presidents such as Rajamahendren, Wimalasena and Fuard who worked from out of their skins to make Sri Lanka cricket a jet propelled force feared and respected by other test playing countries are the need of the hour.