Sanga bounces back
by Tyrell Peiris
 After several defeats Kumar
Sangakkara has at last done it. Winning the tri-nation ODI tournament in
Bangladesh by beating India in the final has brought back some prestige
for Sri Lanka. That is after slipping from third place to seventh in the
ICC rankings.
The result, for Sangakkara as the Sri Lanka captain is a big boost.
Not only did he lead his country to the trophy, Sangakkara also won the
‘man of the series’ award. This was mainly for some fine batting
performances and for leading from the front. His wicket-keeping also
peaked in this tournament.
Sangakkara made several noteworthy contributions with the bat in the
No.3 position to ensure that his country won the trophy. His 55 in even
time in the crunch game that saw a 93-run partnership with Tillekeratne
Dilshan for the second wicket was the foundation stone towards that end.
For Sangakkara, who took over the captaincy from Mahela Jayawardene
who stepped down several months ago, this result is huge for him. He had
been facing much criticism after his early success when he led his
country to the Champions Trophy.
A string of defeats had not helped his cause as a much talked of
captain. In that context, Sanga, as he is referred to has put his team
back on track. That is when we Sri Lankans look at the next world cup in
March next year. This win with a combination of experience and young
blood can be seen as the turning point in getting the right team for
one-day cricket’s biggest showpiece.
It has to be said that at last we have got Chanaka Welagedera to
partner Nuwan Kulasekera as the opening bowlers. The inclusion of off
spinner Suraj Randiv and allrounder Thissara Perera also augurs well for
the future. |
