It has become a familiar sight in Sri Lankan cricket. A side plays well against a tough opposition, competing hard, and it manages to get itself into a winning position. No, a virtually unassimilable position, but still manage to lose. Well, that is what happened to Sri Lanka in their 3rd and final T20 clash against India. The series lost; it was an opportunity for the team to win back some pride and get that one win over their rivals from the North. But it wasn’t to be.
To summarize the bizarre scenes that took place on Tuesday at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy: Sri Lanka, chasing a score of 137 in their 20 overs, found themselves at 110 for 1, needing 28 more in over 4 overs. Needing around a run-a-ball with nine wickets in hand, the Lankans still manage to lose in what is undoubtedly one of the worst batting collapses in cricketing history in any format.
A Good All-Round Game for Sri Lanka… Until the Final 5 Overs
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Sri Lanka played almost the perfect game. Going up against a powerful Indian side, a team that, despite resting a number of key players, was a lineup filled with world-class players, the Lankans had to play to their best. And interestingly, they did just that. Picking up early wickets, reducing the Indian batting lineup to 14 for 3, and then continuing to pick up wickets to keep the opposition in check. All the Sri Lankan bowlers played their part in keeping the Indian batting under control, with debutant Chamindu Wickramasinghe putting in a spirited performance, picking up one wicket in his four overs and giving away only 17 runs.
Having restricted the Indians to a below-par score of 137, when chasing, Sri Lanka had the game in the bag, with two top-order players getting into the 40s. But then came the collapse. And boy, what a collapse it was! Oh, and in case we forget, Suryakumar Yadav, the captain of India, bowled the last over and gave away just five runs. We can go on and on. Simply put, the Sri Lankan batsman found a way to lose the game against India, and they did it stunningly.
Super Over Drama That Never Was
When Sri Lanka managed to tie the game with India in the final over, the game moved to a super over. Going in first, the Sri Lankan super over lasted just three deliveries. A single, and two first-ball dismissals, with an extra run in the form of a wide. India thus needed three to win, and captain Suryakumar Yadav stroked the first ball for four, ending the game.
This truly was a remarkable performance by Sri Lanka. It is one thing for a team to play badly and lose, but it is something else for it to play well enough to win and then still lose. There were remarkable scenes in Kandy yesterday. For the Sri Lankan fans, it was only for the wrong reasons. Well, at least the team managed to be competitive against India.
Sri Lanka Cricket – A Team That Doesn’t Know How to Win
A slight correction: It is the Sri Lanka cricket men’s team that seems to have forgotten how to win. The Lankan ladies, on the other hand, are doing just fine, having been crowned Asia Cup champions, beating, you guessed it, India. Sri Lanka, if you have been following cricket in the subcontinent, has been having a hard time competing against the best teams in the world. With their neighbors across the pond, India is the main nemesis.
This is a subject we have discussed elsewhere, but basically, Sri Lanka seems to be suffering from some kind of stage fright or better ‘team fright’ as far as India is concerned. This is a team that has clearly lost something, possibly its nerve when it comes to winning games against the World T20 champions. In terms of a remedy, there is little that can be done on the technical side, as this team is clearly able to compete but just unable to win.
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