By Srian Obeyesekere
Pathum Nissanka, who imbibes an all frills body language walk to the middle, almost playing to the crowd, yesterday did walk the walk in a brutal devastation of Australia to the brink of exiting the T20:World Cup by a brutal unbeaten herculean century off 52 balls in a 97 second wicket pairing with Kusal Mendis 51 off 38 to bat Sri Lanka into the next stage of ICC’s short format crowd seller cricketing showpiece in a display of the fast and furious that the game is all about as Sri Lanka made light of an imposing 182 target in a box seat 8-wicket luxury winning with 12 balls to spare as the Kandy hill capital came alive in an exhilarating showdown of high class drama to a roaring capacity home crowd at the Pallekelle International Cricket Stadium.
Indeed, the rocking fire filled drama bathing the night sky lit up by the sophistication of floodlights in an Australian fury of 104 for no loss off 50 balls when Skipper Mitchell Marsh 54 off 27 and Travis Head 56 off 29 after being put in to bat of what looked an ominous revival of their cup hopes following the shock defeat to Zimbabwe, all came apart in a 10 wicket collapse for 77 off the last 70 balls as Sri Lanka shifted it all led by spin replacement Dushan Hemantha for Wanindu Hasaranga in a willing hit me bait 3 for 37 taking out both, the threatening Head and Marsh, the Aussie captain leg before wicket playing back and missing to nailing the vital wicket of pinch hitting Glenn Maxwell held by Nissanka in stunning airborne as acrobatics in compensating for letting him off before that. It was a super feat by the innocuous looking spinner, not of the Hasaranga magic strike type, but more a willing wicket buyer tempting his bait in inflicting a stomping seizure over the high riding Aussies that began with the head of Head held by Kamindu Mendis.
Dushmantha Chameera’s 2 wicket death over supplementation did in the Aussies in that skid in.
Australia’s 181 yet looked a healthy T20 score, but for Nissanka’s super act in the brute of 5 over the top and 10 across as this 27-year old decorated in a mercurial of a debut test ton, a record unbeaten ODI double century and the fastest to 2000 runs in 68 appearances, produced that dexterity here when it all mattered for his side in their third triumph in Group C, the fifth team through to the next stage.
Of course, Kusal Mendis remained center piece to that overall run up by match winning contributions in all of those, the first to the half century mark yesterday in a flowing knock filled with 6 boundaries and a six after the recalled Kusal Janith Perera for Kamil Mishara had gone for 1.
That young Pavan Rathnayake provided the culminating sparkle in that final canter cutting loose to the tune of six handsome strokes to the boundary in his 28 off 15 was a heartening spread in Sri Lanka’s new batting discovery just on the blocks in the wake of his Player of the Match 50 in the previous game against Oman as they go into their final group match vs Zimbabwe on Thursday.
Sri Lanka 184 for 2 (Nissanka 100, Kusal Mendis 51) beat Australia 181 (Head 56, Marsh 54, Hemantha 3-37, Chameera 2-36) by eight wickets
Courtesy Sri Lanka Cricket