In an otherwise inconsistent campaign for Sri Lanka in this edition of the World Cup, Dilshan Madushanka has been a stand-out performer.
At the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, the 23-year-old fast bowler claimed his maiden five-for and became the fourth Sri Lankan after Ashantha de Mel, Chaminda Vaas and Lasith Malinga to record a fifer in the tournament.
After Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to field, the left-arm pacer started with the scalp of Indian skipper Rohit Sharma on just his second delivery. As the day progressed, he removed Shubman Gill on 92 and Virat Kohli on 88 to induce further damage on India’s middle-order, and eventually finished with the figures of 10-0-80-5.
In the process, he also became the highest wicket-taker with 18 scalps in the ongoing World Cup.
Though a batting collapse saw Sri Lanka suffer a humiliating 302-run defeat against India and eventually crash out of the tournament, Madushanka’s efforts earned praise from Sri Lankan fast-bowling legend Chaminda Vaas.
Having seen Madushanka in his formative years, Vaas believes that with hard work and dedication, the youngster has come a long way. “He has certainly come a long way. His commitment and dedication towards the game show his hunger to perform at the international level, and he is becoming a wicket-taking bowler now. The way he is thinking and the way he is bowling to the batters has given him a lot of confidence and belief that he can compete with other top fast bowlers,” Vaas told Sportstar.
Being associated with Sri Lanka cricket for years as a coach, Vaas first saw Madushanka as a net bowler at the U-19 level and was impressed by his skills.
“I was working with the U-19 team, and he came in as a net bowler. One of the coaches - Manjula Karunaratne - called me and said ‘There’s a talented fast bowler, can you see him?’ As soon as I saw him, I knew that he had the potential, but he needed to get a few things right. So, I asked him to come to Colombo, and since then, he has come a long way,” Vaas said.
Sri Lankan bowler Dilshan Madushanka celebrates the wicket of Indian batter Shreyas Iyer. | Photo Credit: PTI
Life hasn’t been easy for Madushanka. Coming from a humble background- his father Sujith Krishantha is a fisherman. He studied up to Grade 11 and fell in love with the sport while playing with his elder brother Sudesh Nirmal. But over the years, with hard work, he has stamped his class.
“Going forward, he needs to work on his fitness and at the moment since he has been playing all the three formats, he needs to hold his front arm a little longer while bowling, to become more effective as a fast bowler,” Vaas said. “If he can work on these things, I am sure, he can go far and emerge as one of the greatest fast bowlers ever produced in Sri Lanka…”
While Vaas was happy with his ward’s performance, Sri Lanka’s meek surrender to India disappointed him.
Two decades ago, Sri Lanka created history by bundling out Canada for 36 - the lowest-ever total in World Cup history. That morning in Paarl, Prabath Nissanka emerged as the player of the match, claiming four wickets, while the seasoned Vaas scalped three wickets to rip apart the associate nation.
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At the Wankhede Stadium, Sri Lanka was on the verge of breaking Canada’s record as it was reeling at 29 for 8 at one stage before finally folding up for 55.
“It’s a repeat of Asia Cup final. I know, we are playing against a top team like India, but I am disappointed with the way Sri Lankans batted,” Vaas said.
The last time India and Sri Lanka faced each other in the final of the Asia Cup, a month-and-a-half ago, the latter suffered a humiliating 10-wicket defeat after being bundled out for 50 and in a must-win World Cup fixture, it was heartbreak once again for the island nation.
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