Day/night cricket returns to Dambulla after six years:

Team wants to reward retiring Dilshan with a win

by Saadi Thawfeeg

DAMBULLA: The best way to reward retiring Sri Lanka opener Tillakaratne Dilshan from One-Day Internationals is to win the third ODI of the five-match series against Australia at the Rangiri Dambulla Stadium today. This is what Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews and his team are aiming to do to show their appreciation towards a wonderful servant of the game.

“Dilshan’s been an absolute brilliant servant for Sri Lanka cricket over the past 17 years he’s is equally done the services of Mahela (Jayawardene) and Sanga (Kumar Sangakkara), we are going to miss him a lot,” said Mathews at the post-match press conference.

“Unfortunately Dilshan has called it a day and we respect that decision.The whole team wishes him all the very best for the future. If we can win this ODI for Dilshan that will be the best farewell we can give him for the great service he has rendered towards the game. All the players are proud to have been part of teams that played with him,” he said.

“Filling Dilshan’s boots is going to be a tough ask, it won’t be easy it will take us a little time but I am confident with the squad I have the youngsters taking a lot of responsibility it can be achieved.”

Dilshan is due to make his 330th and last ODI appearance for his country today, making him the fifth highest in the list for Sri Lanka. He is one of four batsmen to have scored more than 10,000 ODI runs for his country and is the third highest in the number of centuries with 22. Dilshan’s present form doesn’t suggest that he is in good nick but you never know with a player like him. He is a man for the occasion who could produce something out of the ordinary either with his batting, bowling or fielding.

Mathews said that they had not finalized the team for today’s contest but added, “We don’t want to upset the playing eleven but we will have a chat with the selectors and decide tomorrow morning. We won’t be having too many changes because the boys have done really well.”

The five-match series stands level at one-all after Sri Lanka bounced back after losing the first ODI by three wickets to register a convincing 82-run win.

For the Australians playing at Dambulla will be a new experience as none of their players have done so in the past. The only two occasions they played at Dambulla was in 2004 when they won one match by 84 runs and lost the second by one run.

Dambulla Stadium, brainchild of present Sri Lanka Cricket president Thilanga Sumathipala has been shunned as an international venue after international teams complained about the lighting system deployed which was far below the international required standards. The last day/night cricket match took place in 2010 and since then international matches played there have been day games.

With Sumathipala being elected president again Dambulla has once more come into the limelight and on this occasion the original lights have been replaced with one’s that are suitable to play day/night cricket.

The Sri Lanka team which has several youngsters also has players new to this venue. “All 14 members had a little hit especially to get used to these conditions, we are playing here after a little while and the whole squad had good batting sessions yesterday and today,” said Mathews.

“We haven’t played a lot of cricket in the recent past in Dambulla the last time I played was in 2013. Obviously it’s different conditions to Colombo slightly cooler and not as humid. It’s going to be tough cricket once again so you have to scrap your way through,” he said.

“We played good cricket but we can’t be complacent in these games because we know the Australians are going to come hard at us. It’s one-all and it’s anyone’s game so we have to play our best cricket. Yes, we have the slightest edge but we are not going to take it lightly.”

WARNER AUSTRALIA’S 23RD ODI CAPTAIN

Australia will have a new ODI captain, their 23rd for today’s match as well as the remaining games in the series in David Warner. Warner was named captain after appointed skipper Steven Smith was sent home at the end of the second ODI on Wednesday which Australia lost.

Warner is not new to captaincy having led Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League to the title early this year. Captaincy brought the best out of the aggressive opener as he plundered 848 runs in 17 innings at a blistering strike rate of 151.42 which was only second to Indian superstar Virat Kohli. “Over the last couple of years, the experience in the IPL has given me a great insight into myself as a person,” Warner told the media.

“You always think you’ve got capabilities of being a captain and a leader, but it’s about getting feedback from your peers and how they come to you when a challenge arises.

“I’ve had some great feedback over the last couple of years in the IPL, now it’s about putting my mind out here come this game and see what I can bring to the table as a captain,” he said.

Team mate James Faulkner said that Warner’s got experience in all three formats and he was captain in the IPL as well and did very well.

“One thing I know is that he is pretty honest with the bowlers with their fields and he is going to back each and every one of us so much the same as Smithy,” said Faulkner.

“They are both very good leaders they got a lot of presence on the ground and their records suggests that as well. I am sure David will fill the position really well and when Steve’s back he’s obviously done a great job, so we got plenty of good leaders in our group.”