Eranga's demon delivery that rewrote cricket history for Sri Lanka in a Hitchcock thriller

If the penultimate ball victory was not akin to an Alfred Hitchcock thriller then tell me what is ? Every moment, every ball of the final day in the Final Test between Sri Lanka and England was exciting and enduringly spine tingling. And it still is as we write and bask in the glory.

The last pair of Mooen Ali and James Anderson defended the England fortress for well over an hour. When everything seemed to have been done and dusted and England seemed set to veer away from defeat that the penultimate and deciding over began.

Shaminda Eranga, easily Sri Lanka's fastest with the ball ran in and delivered with every nerve, sinew and muscle in his body pumping the ball that brought Sri Lanka victory and defeat for England. Anderson fended the first four balls for dear life. Then came that demon of a delivery that pitched just short of a length and climbed viciously and venomously at Anderson throat. The batsman did his darndest to evade being decapitated but could not get his bat out of the way.

James Anderson in tears

At the presentation Anderson was in tears and was choked for words when Michael Atherton questioned him about the heartbreaking delivery that he failed to fend off. He did not score a single run from the 54 deliveries he faced, because it was not runs that mattered, but staying put at the wicket defending was the name of the game.

The ball hit his bat and dollied to Rangana Herath fielding at short square leg. Every player on the fieldi was shouting 'alapang' 'alapang' - 'catch' 'catch' and what would have gone on in Herath's mind when the ball was dropping his way only he would know.

For a moment his heart would have skipped a beat. He cupped it with both hands and what unfolded after that was unbridled joy after the pent up tension as the 11 gallant players hugged Herath and Eranga and leaped on top of each other in joyful celebration.

After having England on the ropes at 5 for 57, had not Sri Lanka won this Test which also marked their first ever Test match victory in England it would have been a travesty of justice.

Penultimate ball victory

The penultimate ball victory also went to prove the adage that I have always been quoting that - a match is not won or lost till the final ball is bowled. The 15-man Sri Lanka cricketing warriors and the support staff who helped rewrite the cricketing history books need be mentioned for posterity.

Angelo Mathews (Captain), Lahiru Thirimanne (Vice Captain), Mahela Jayewardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kaushal Silva, Dinesh Chandimal, Rangana Herath, Shaminda Eranga, Nuwan Pradeep, Dhammika Prasad, Prasanna Jayewardene, Chanaka Welegedera, Dilruwan Perera, Nuwan Kulesekera, Kithruwan Vithanage.

Coaches: Marvan Atapattu, Chaminda Vaas, Ruwan Kalpage, Consultant Chris Adams, masseur Rohan Priyadharshan Manager Michael de Zoysa.

This epoch making win is all the more great coming in the wake of the glorious victories that were the Asia Cup and World Twenty20 in Bangladesh.

Fighting fire with fire

The tour was all the more sweet for the Lankan cricketers because they were geared to fight fire with fire. Not only verbally but physically too if needed.

England resorted to bringing back the famous bodyline theory they invented and got Harold Larwood to bowl on the body in a bid to stall that run machine Don Bradman.

But what Bradman did to Larwood and Captain Douglas Jardine is written in history.

While the Lankans stood up gamely to the short pitched deliveries from James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Liam Plunkett, Shaminda Eranga, Nuwan Pradeep and Dhammika Prasad returned fire and it was England who came out second best in the bouncer war as the victory ball will show. In the good old days it was an unwritten law that pace bowlers don't bowl bouncers at each other and especially at nine, ten and jack. But that law has now gone with the wind and anything is accepted because winning in not the only thing, it is the thing in today's game where money is not the thing, but the only thing.

Captain Alastair Cook annoyed

Before the Test series began, Captain Alastair Cook who was annoyed by the running out of Jos Buttler in the one-day game at the non-striker's end by Sachitra Senanayake said that the heat would spill over to the Test series.

When Cook won the toss and asked Sri Lanka to bat and when Sri Lanka tumbled to 257 all out and with England on 311 for 3 at one stage and building, it looked as though the game would not go the distance. But the Lankans fought back breathing fire with great contributions from Dimuth Karunaratne, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayewardene and the century of all centuries from skipper Mathews and the gutty Herath was commendable.

Asked to make 350 for victory, which would have been a record breaking achievement had England succeeded, was beyond the reach of the ordinary England batsmen as their collapse showed to sign, seal and deliver a 100-run win for Sri Lanka and the never before won series.

Lot of verbals in series

There were a lot of verbals in the series and what was admirable was that the Lankans were geared up for any eventuality. When it was necessary for a ball change which was prerogative of umpires Steve Davis and Billy Bowden, batsman Joe Root said something that apparently angered Captain Angelo Mathews. Mathews gave as good as he got and it required the umpires to calm him down.

When Root was punched by Australian David Warner in a pub in Australia in the Ashes series the English media was quick to pounce and crucify Warner.

It is now obvious that the exuberance of the youngster would have made him cast a remark at Warner, because Warner would not punch a kid unless provoked.

Mathews came out the winner in the war of words. When the Sri Lanka cricketers arrived in England not many gave them a chance of winning not only the Test series but also the Twenty20 or the One-day series, considering the cold and the fickle weather and the uncertain wickets, but that they cocked a snook at their detractors and had England licking their wounds that were inflicted by Mitchel Johnson and in Australia was just great.

England Cricket Board must rethink

The England Cricket Board must rethink when they next slot in a Test match at Headingley. When bad light was threatening to spoil Sri Lanka's victory push, there were no floodlights to switch on. It was also a moment of joy for Pictures Editor Kamal Jayamanne and the writer to be a part of cricket history when it was made when Sri Lanka won its first ever Test series beating England in England!

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