For months together, the Sri Lankan team- once a power pack of sorts including talents like Malinga, Mendis, Sangakkara, Mahela- has been criticised for producing what, at best, was mediocre cricket. They came to India as of the last year, toward 2017-end. And just what happened?
They were rogered, for the lack of a better word. Lankan tigers mauled by Indian batsmen, the headlines begun foraying the territory of the wild. Scenes were sombre, and where Virat Kohli and his fantastic double hundred was concerned, even bitter for Dinesh Chandimal’s side.
Yet, the worst treatment of the lot went to the playing eleven at Delhi. Against, what was clearly a polluted template of a frazzled game at Delhi’s Kotla, the players when not on their feet, laying on the ground were seen wearing a mask and clearly unhappy to contest in what were unplayable conditions.
Yet, Sri Lanka marched on. Even though, they were, clearly defeated. It didn’t help their cause that, previously, they had been hammered left, right and, centre by Pakistan in both ODIs and T20s.
They would still find a way to battle hard and secure a rare Test win. This was, mind you, a side that neither had the providence of power in blokes like Sanga and Mahela alone- the lonesome figures restricted in commentary boxes, preferring to forgo the pain at seeing the Lankan battering nor had any charm of seeing their bowlers exulting seeing their wickets column.
Then, a fresh challenge arose. The Sri Lankan team was scheduled to visit the Caribbean. Commentators and pundits who, nowadays, function as brand marketers, spiking up excitement in a Test series using key and interesting math found a convenient albeit peculiar mantra for Sri Lankan visit to Brian Lara, Curtly Ambros and Shivnarine Chanderpaul-land: calling it the occasion where Sri Lanka would chase history, in the sense that they’re yet to win a maiden Test series.
And almost immediately in Trinidad (first test), there emerged a man who now seems confident to carry forward the Sri Lankan dream, that of solidifying their bowling department. His name is Lahiru Kumara. And his age is only a prickly, terribly young 21. This is an age where most of Lahiru Kumara’s contemporaries are either spending time on Instagram bird watching and at the most, dandy boys growing up in a cricket-crazy culture, prefer to chill out in bars and lounges, raising a toast to a Heineken, Tuborg or Kingfisher.
Instead, just a couple of hours back, a few days post Trinidad’s one-sided outcome that hurt his Sri Lanka badly, a maniacally bearded Lahiru Kumara exulted with a tight clench of his fist. The reason? He’d nearly sent among the most indomitable forces of the current youth brigade of the West Indies- Shai Hope- back on his way. Delivering a peach of a faster one, though pitched short, rising back sharply, to move into Hope, the red cherry made direct contact with the ribs. Even as it wasn’t the intent, West Indies’ hero against England at the Headingley last year- got a taste of what’s it like to face his opponent number in the Sri Lankan camp.
Surely, a yard of extra pace and the angle changed from short pitch to good length may have enforced an error from the studious, very focused Shai Hope’s bat. But Kumara wasn’t elated at seeing Hope uncomfortable. He stood there in midst of the Darren Sammy stadium at St. Lucia motionless, although along with the ensemble of his team-mates.
Hurting Hope wasn’t his intent. Stealing his wicket was. Just like he had stolen 7 wickets already at the lost cause in Trinidad and Tobago, which included a 4-for in the very first inning.
For a better part of the current, ongoing 5-day saga at St. Lucia, Lahiru Kumara has been mounting incredible pressure on the Windies batsmen, often confounding them with absolute unease, hurling pacier, feistier deliveries that only just beat the outside edge and miss the stumps by the daintiest of margins. Could he be the man that could save Sri Lanka’s bowling woes?
Could Lahiru Kumara offer something special and provide meaningful support to Suranga Lakmal?
Who’s to know?
What does seem possible, in any case, is that even if Lahiru Kumara may seem lacklustre in forthcoming days and even goes as far as emerging wicketless, say in Barbados, he would still head back from his touring Island paradise to his own in Sri Lanka having pocketed 11 Test wickets.
Would that really suck, akin to a beleaguered score in a subject on a sorry-looking report card, considering this is only Lahiru Kumara’s maiden visit to the Caribbean?
Let us contend with a disclaimer: viewers’ discretion advised!