Cometh the hour, cometh the man

Sa'adi Thawfeeq reporting from Dambulla

DAMBULLA, Saturday

The wonderful game of cricket is replete with cricketers performing beyond expectations when the going gets tough or when the chips are down. It is in such situations that the inner strength and character of an individual surface, not when the going is good and everyone joins in the bandwagon.

Sanath Jayasuriya not only displayed bravado but guts, courage and discipline to steer Sri Lanka to an important three-wicket win over India in the lung-opener of the Indian Oil Company one-day tri-series played under lights at the Rangiri Dambulla Stadium on Saturday.

His unbeaten knock of 43 off 50 balls saw him ward off a late Indian challenge to wrest the game away from Sri Lanka. The Indian bowlers did a good job to defend their modest total of 205 by reducing Sri Lanka to 104-4 in the 28th over when Jayasuriya with his dislocated right arm heavily strapped and a few pain killers injected into his solid frame walked out to bat amid a roar and cheers from the spectators packed to near capacity.

It soon became 112-5 when Russel Arnold got out immediately. But Jayasuriya undaunted by the prospect of losing the last recognized batsman forged useful partnerships with debutant Dilhara Lokuhettige, Upul Chandana and Farveez Maharoof to add 97 runs to the total and see his team past India's score with ten balls to spare.

What mattered most was Jayasuriya's presence in the middle if Sri Lanka was to swing the match their way. As long as Jayasuriya was there, there was hope. The late order rallied around him splendidly to fashion out a victory, which at one time seemed a distant dream when they had lost seven for 172 in the middle of the 41st over.

The one factor that stood in favour of Sri Lanka was that they had plenty of balls in hand to attack the Indian total and were under no pressure at any stage to take risks. Jayasuriya made certain that the asking rate remained within reasonable limits by picking up singles and twos and sometimes threes. He kept rotating the strike and ensured the scoreboard did not become immobile.

That the onus fell on Jayasuriya to make the winning hit (a boundary to mid wicket) after the scores were level fitted the occasion because his partner Maharoof had tried his best in the previous over to finish the match off. But each time he made an attempt to score the winning single the ball always found a fielder.

Jayasuriya was grateful to team physio C.J. Clarke and Dr. David Young for attending to him and patching him up so that he could go out and bat at the fall of the fourth wicket.

"I was in some pain when I went into bat because the painkillers took at least 20 minutes to take effect. I was restricted in my stroke play initially as I couldn't cut and pull," admitted Jayasuriya later.

Had Jayasuriya batted in his usual position as opener he may have easily got the 76 runs that would have taken him past 10,000 runs in one-day internationals. But team commitments took precedence over personal achievements.

"To achieve 10,000 runs would have been special. Although the milestone was important missing out on it didn't matter. What mattered was winning the match. Everything happens for the best. I take it as it comes," said Jayasuriya who rated it as one of his most memorable knocks.

An innings that comes to mind in close comparison to Jayasuriya's courageous knock is the one played by the man he succeeded as captain Arjuna Ranatunga. The former captain played a typical gritty innings with a broken thumb to steer Sri Lanka to a two-wicket victory over Pakistan in the first match of a three-Test series played at Rawalpindi five years ago. The win set up a 2-1 series victory for Sri Lanka where Jayasuriya was captain.

Unlike most cricketers who may have retirement in mind at the age of 36, Jayasuriya is cast in a different mould altogether. His powerful frame is the embodiment of the tough childhood life he went through in Matara, his hometown.

Unlike the Colombo-bred cricketers who have all the facilities to progress up the ladder, Jayasuriya had to work hard for recognition to get to the top. To break into the national ranks from a virtual obscure town and then to go on and captain his country is an inspiration to other aspiring young cricketers outside Colombo. Jayasuriya's steely determination and the awesome power he packs in executing some of his brutal strokes especially the traditional square cut belies the shy and gentle nature of the man.

He is the very epitome on which Sri Lanka can build their 2007 World Cup hopes on. He did it once for his country in 1996.

There is nothing better than to end his career by helping his country achieve it a second time, a feat that has been achieved by only the West Indies and Australia.