NOT for nothing are the Sri Lankans rated high in one-day cricket. They are extremely dangerous because they are resilient.
This trait in Sanath Jayasuriya's men was again on view in the lung opener of the Coca-Cola triangular series, a day-night clash at the Premadasa Stadium on July 18.
The skipper himself responded to the challenge magnificently, sending down 10 overs of tight left-arm spin when the contest was still in the balance.
Earlier, he had held the innings together with an innings of determination and discipline, refusing to blaze away in a manner so typical of his.
Despite Jayasuriya's 80 (160m, 108b, 8x4) the Lankans appeared in trouble, being bowled out for 220 inside 50 overs. But as coach Dav Whatmore said earlier, this Lankan team plays the game hard and handles tough situations exceptionally well.
The body language of the Lankans, as they walked in to defend the modest score, was positive. They appeared charged on the field and it was clear that they meant business. Building mental toughness in the youngsters is again an area where Whatmore is working on.
The Kiwis were rocked early in the chase with senior left-arm paceman Chaminda Vaas forcing the hard-hitting Nathan Astle to play on, and then the nippy Suresh Perera trapping Mathew Sinclair in front. Soon the red-hot Dilhara Fernando was introduced into the attack.
Interestingly, the Lankan selectors have chosen five pacemen for the tournament, and there was no shift in the thinking even when spearhead Nuwan Zoysa had to pull out. In came Dinusha Fernando, another seamer.
The Lankans have firmly set their sights on the 2003 World Cup that will be played on the bouncy pitches of South Africa and, again, as Dav Whatmore said, this is a step in the right direction.
Coming back to the strongly built Dilhara, he ran in fast, bowled quick, and rattled the Kiwis. The youngster is very clear in his thinking - he wants wickets, and wants them fast.
And he did strike two telling blows, scalping the Kiwi skipper Stephen Fleming and the dangerous Craig McMillan just when the two had moved into their 20s, the former miscuing a pull and the latter slashing one to 'keeper Kaluwitharana.
With the Kiwis at 61 for four, the game was definitely on. And when off-spinning wizard Muttiah Muralitharan began weaving his web of deceit, the visitors were in even bigger trouble. Lou Vincent, another batsman who got a start, was bowled through the gate even as the bowlers' big eyes lit up.
This brought together Chris Harris and Adam Parore, both known for their fighting qualities. Both strove hard, Harris making 48 and Parore ending up unbeaten on 51, yet the visitors, docked one over for slow over-rate, finished 16 runs short.
In the climactic stages, Jayasuriya's left-arm spin and Kumara Dharmasena's off-spin supported Murali wonderfully well, and though the Kiwis managed to come close, they were always up against it.
When Harris fell in the 41st over, the decisive point of the contest, the Kiwis still needed 64 runs in 56 balls, but the Lankan spinners and fielders stuck to their jobs as the game headed for conclusion. And then the home boys celebrated.
It was indeed a day when the Lankan pace and spin attacks, backed by sharp fielding, rose to the occasion.
Earlier, the Kiwis too had fielded quite magnificently with the swift Lou Vincent sliding down on his knees to run out Kaluwitharana and Chris Harris scoring a direct hit to catch Dharmasena short.
Also on display was the efficiency of the Kiwi attack with spinners, left-armer Daniel Vettori and Chris Harris, who 'rolls' his leg-spin, stemming the flow of runs in the middle-overs even with the explosive Jayasuriya around. Pacemen Darryl Tuffey and Kyle Mills were adequate too.
In the same breath it must be said that on a wicket that was slightly two-paced the Lankans, with the exception of Jayasuriya, were guilty of wrong shot selection, resulting in soft dismissals.
However, as far as the Lankans are concerned all's well that ends well and they were a happy lot as they returned back after completing the job under the lights.
The scores:Sri Lanka: S. Jayasuriya c Oram b Vettori 80; A. Gunawardene c Vettori b Tuffey 13; M. Atapattu c Harris b Vettori 22; M. Jayawardene c McMillan b Harris 14; R. Arnold lbw b Harris 9; R. Kaluwitharana (run out) 14; K. Dharmasena (run out) 9; S. Perera c Sinclair b McMillan 19; C. Vaas c Fleming b Mills 4; M. Muralitharan c Vincent b Oram 6; D. Fernando (not out) 1. Extras (b-1, lb-7, nb-12, w-9) 29. Total (all out in 48.5 overs) 220.
Fall of wickets: 1-39, 2-95, 3-124, 4-145, 5-170, 6-187, 7-187, 8-197, 9-217.
New Zealand bowling: Tuffey 8-1-40-1; Mills 10-1-41-1; Oram 9-0-41-1; Vettori 10-0-42-2; Harris 10-0-42-2; Astle 1-0-4-0; McMillan 0.5-0-2-1.
New Zealand: M. Sinclair lbw b Perera 1; N. Astle b Vaas 2; S. Fleming c Perera b Fernando 21; C. McMillan c Kaluwitharana b Fernando 20; L. Vincent b Muralitharan 25; C. Harris c Perera b Jayasuriya 48; A. Parore (not out) 51; J. Oram (run out) 6; D. Vettori c Kaluwitharana b Muralitharan 3; K. Mills b Dharmasena 2; D. Tuffey (not out) 6. Extras (lb-10, nb-3, w-6) 19. Total (for nine wickets in 49 overs) 204.
Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-3, 3-43, 4-61, 5-100, 6-157, 7-170, 8-174, 9-186.
Sri Lanka bowling: Vaas 7-0-37-1; Perera 3-1-18-1; Fernando 6-0-28-2; Muralitharan 10-1-36-2; Dharmasena 10-1-29-1; Jayasuriya 10-0-32-1; Arnold 3-0-14-0.
AS a captain, the soft spoken Sanath Jayasuriya has grown in stature over the past few months. It is not just the runs he scores or the wickets he takes or the moves he makes. It's more about the sheer effort he puts in on the field, for his team.
This was very much evident against New Zealand when the Lankan captain won the Man of the Match award hands down.
He deserved it for his battling 80 (160m, 108b, 8x4) when wickets were falling at the other end, his 10 overs of well-directed left-arm spin, his commitment while fielding and finally for the manner in which he marshalled his men. At the Premadasa Stadium the other day, Jayasuriya was a winner.
The left-hander did survive a confident shout for leg-before when he padded up to one from Tuffey that held its line, but went on to play some spanking strokes, crashing Tuffey through cover, and cutting the same bowler to the point boundary.
The man's hand-eye coordination is quite remarkable and he can make the ball disappear in a hurry. Indeed, his short-arm pull and cuts, his trademarks shots really, are breathtaking.
There is none doubting the incredible talent in the man, and now his god-given skills have been honed. Seeing that it wasn't too easy to play strokes on the two-paced wicket, the Lankan captain cleverly decided to accumulate his runs after the initial flurry. He was adept in this role too, working the ball for the ones and the twos. In the past he might have been accused of perishing to rash strokes, but then, Jayasuriya is a much more matured cricketer these days.
Indeed, the Lankan skipper appeared set for a hundred when his skied hit off Vettori ended in Jacob Oram's hands in the deep. There had been just one chance that the man from Matara had provided during the innings - when he pulled Chris Harris dangerously close to the short mid-wicket fielder. He was on 41 then. And with the ball he has always been more than useful and can surely be termed a one-day all-rounder. Jayasuriya, quicker through the air, fires them in relentlessly, and it's not easy for the batsmen to make room and smash him, especially during the end overs.
A simple man with a ready smile, Jayasuriya has a major job ahead of him when the World Cup arrives in South Africa. He has struck a wonderful rapport with supercoach Whatmore and this augurs well for Lankan cricket.
There is no doubt that Jayasuriya's exploits in the cricketing world have inspired a whole generation of young players in Lanka. His booming strokes have scorched the various grounds, and in him Sri Lanka has a wonderful role-model.
He is a superstar, but, with a humble touch.
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