IT was a comeback that thrilled one's senses. Russel Arnold, Suresh Perera and Marvan Atapattu fashioning a stunning win for Sri Lanka just when everything seemed lost.
A side, with its back to the wall at 27 for four chasing 237, actually going on to win the contest by five wickets. This doesn't take place every day.
It happened at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on July 25, amid scenes of jubilation in a thin but passionate crowd.
The match also brought to the fore the depth in the Lankan line-up. Skipper Sanath Jayasuriya, Avishka Gunawardene, Romesh Kaluwitharana and Mahela Jayawardene, all failed, yet the host romped home in the end.
It was inspired batting under pressure. Never was the need to get runs at a good clip lost on the batsmen. They knew well that despite the setbacks, the asking rate should not be allowed to climb too high.
There is a lesson to be learnt for India from the manner in which the Sri Lankans approached the target. Too many times in the recent past the Indians have got bogged down in pressure situations, making their task even more difficult.
It must be said though that New Zealand was without its captain and key batsman for the game. Stephen Fleming and nippy paceman Dion Nash were both down with upset stomachs, upsetting the Kiwi plans.
The start was disastrous for Lanka under cloudy, murky conditions that prevailed throughout the day. Jayasuriya received a rough leg-before decision against paceman Kyle Mills, Gunawardene perished to a spectacular catch by Chris Harris at point, Romesh Kaluwitharana nicked an away seamer from Mills, and Jayawardene was a victim of a brilliant piece of fielding by Mathew Sinclair, who hit the stumps from covers, as the batsman set out for a run.
This brought together Atapattu, technically the most accomplished player in the side, and Arnold, easily the most determined, and Sri Lanka began to claw its way back.
Both Atapattu and Arnold had done little of note so far in the tournament and when they came together at 27 for four, the Kiwis were definitely sniffing their second win in the tournament.
The feature of Atapattu's batting is his body balance, and this was evident in the manner he drove, flicked, and cut the Kiwi bowlers, shifting his weight on to either foot with ease.
Arnold does not quite possess the natural gifts of Atapattu, but he is a tenacious customer and plays to his strengths - essaying shots square of the wicket.
The two put on 110 for the fifth wicket in 151 balls, providing Lanka with a platform to launch an onslaught on the Kiwi bowlers. It was intelligent batting, the bad balls were put away and singles were taken off the good ones.
Atapattu (66, 90b, 7x4), timing the ball sweetly, was poised for bigger things when his attempt to pinch a second run was foiled by a brilliant piece of fielding from Lou Vincent.
In walked the young athletic Suresh Perera, for whom this is becoming a tournament to remember. The Lankan is a slippery paceman and a lower order batsman who goes about his job with a refreshing sense of freedom.
Giving Perera a promotion in the order was a clever move by the Lankan think-tank. The 22-year-old boy from Colombo had come up with a useful knock towards the end against India and he was raring to go.
Yet, he is no slogger, and some of his driving in this game was classy. He also played the pull with gay abandon, and managed to pick the gaps more often than not.
The young man has a lot of natural ability and in this tournament he has shown that he possesses the required temperament to back it as well.
The game was slipping rapidly away from New Zealand and McMillan's lack of experience in the new role surfaced too. Lanka needed 77 off the last 11 overs, by no means an easy task, and it was incomprehensible why he brought himself on in the climactic stages, sending down up and down mediumpace stuff.
And in the end McMillan's harmless bowling proved fodder for Arnold and Perera. The match was over with nine deliveries to spare, Arnold (91 not out, 116 balls, 7x4), and Perera 56 not out (51 balls, 6x4), along with Jayawardene, who doubled up as Perera's runner in the latter stages after the youngster injured his thigh muscle, presenting a happy picture. It was a famous win for the Lankans.
Earlier, the Kiwis, for once, got off to a good start with Nathan Astle and Mathew Sinclair putting on 70 for the first wicket. Astle went to make a strokeful 54, that followed his 117 in the earlier encounter against India. There were two other highlights in the innings. First, Gunawardene's spectacular one-handed catch diving to his right as Lou Vincent unleashed a pull off Arnold captured attention. Then, Adam Parore struck two sixes towards the end in a lovely cameo that took the Kiwis to a fighting 236 in 50 overs.
And despite the early inroads made by the Kiwi bowlers, it was not enough. It was the Lankans who registered their third win in three matches.
The scores:New Zealand: M. Sinclair c Jayasuriya b Fernando 21; N. Astle b Arnold 54; J. Oram c Jayawardene b Dharmasena 11; C. McMillan b Muralitharan 38; L. Vincent c Gunawardene b Arnold 30; C. Harris c Gunawardene b Dharmasena 13; A. Parore (not out) 37; D. Vettori c Atapattu b Jayasuriya 3; Kyle Mills c & b Dharmasena 0; G. Bradburn (not out) 2. Extras (lb-15, nb-4, w-8) 27. Total (for eight wkts. in 50 overs) 236.
Fall of wickets: 1-70, 2-98, 3-120, 4-164, 5-184, 6-210, 7-217, 8-217.
Sri Lanka bowling: Vaas 6-0-24-0; Perera 5-0-23-0; Fernando 3-1-18-1; Dharmasena 10-0-52-3; Muralitharan 10-0-31-1; Jayasuriya 10-0-51-1; Arnold 6-1-22-2.
Sri Lanka: S. Jayasuriya lbw b Mills 5; Avishka Gunawardene c Harris b Tuffey 5; R. Kaluwitharana c Parore b Mills 0; M. Atapattu (run out) 66; M. Jayawardene (run out) 0; R. Arnold (not out) 91; S. Perera (not out) 56. Extras (b-1, lb-4, nb-2, w-10) 17. Total (for five wkts. in 48.3 overs) 240.
Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-5, 3-27, 4-27, 5-137.New Zealand bowling: Tuffey 6-1-19-1; Mills 8-0-32-2; Oram 7-0-38-0; Vettori 10-1-38-0; Harris 10-0-49-0; Bradburn 2-0-12-0; McMillan 3.3-0-35-0; Astle 2-0-12-0.
EVERY captain would love to have a player like this tough-as-nails southpaw in the team. He relishes the pressure situations and puts his best foot forward when his team needs him the most.
Like the other day at the Premadasa stadium when all of Arnold's fighting qualities were on display. The left-hander entered the ground with his team staring down the barrel and went on to play a typically effective innings.
His unbeaten 91 was worth more than a hundred as far as his team-mates were concerned. It won them the game. Man of the match, he certainly was.
Earlier in the day, he had sent down his off-spinners effectively, scalping two Kiwis, and coach Dav Whatmore believes Arnold is improving all the time in this department.
With the bat, he does the basics right, knows his limitations and plays well within them as we saw when he picked a majority of his runs square of the wicket, his area of strength.
His game revolves around a sound defence, and in a side of strokemakers, he has a vital role to play with his calming influence.
The cut and the pull are his bread and butter shots. Arnold patiently waits for the right deliveries and when the opportunity comes puts them away ruthlessly.
In the game against the Kiwis, we saw glimpses of Arnold's intelligence with the bat. The manner in which he changed gears when the need arose was praiseworthy.
In fact, he is a perfect team man. When Perera came in, Arnold was quick to talk to the youngster, lifting his spirits. These are small things but do make a huge difference.
Players like Arnold may lack the dash and flair of the natural strokemakers, may not make the headlines as often as some of the superstars, may not figure in 'big money' endorsement deals, may not be a 'glamour boy', yet these are the very cricketers who are the heart of the side.
Coming back to Arnold's knock, the manner in which he took the responsibility upon himself revealed a mature head on young shoulders. And in the climactic sages, he wisely allowed Perera to go after the bowling.
A wonderful fielder as well, Arnold is representative of the new breed of Lankan players who have made the transition phase in the island cricket a smooth one. Batsmen like Arnold, Jayawardene, and Sangakkara have a lot to offer to Lankan cricket. Probably, Arnold more than anybody else for he fights till the very end.
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