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CAPTAIN Kieron Pollard’s assault on Akila Dananjaya was brilliant and decisive. The Sri Lankan bowler, bowling off-breaks sprinkled with leg-spin, had collected a hat-trick of wickets an over earlier and was threatening to demolish the West Indies’ innings. Pollard threw caution to the wind and launched a counteroffensive against the diminutive bowler that changed the shape of the game and carried his team to victory.
This was action in the first T20 of the series between the two countries, played at the Coolidge cricket ground in Antigua on March 3. Sri Lanka (SL) only managed 131 for 9 after being put in to bat.
The young, immature SL batting side appeared short of practice and experience. Although unconvincingly, WI won by four wickets.
Most people were blinded by the exploits of the WI skipper, and understandably so, as the strokes, bar one, were exquisitely played with superb timing and the correct addition of power. It was something to witness live, for replays will always take away the spontaneity of the moment.
Intriguingly, the massacre of the hapless Dananjaya took place in the over after he magically picked up the hat-trick. This made the event more surreal. A dramatic turn of events. There was no pause by Pollard for introspection.
The game in itself was strange, in the way in which only a cricket game tends to fluctuate. Here was WI chasing a minuscule 132 to win in their 20 overs and cruising at 52 for 0 wickets, suddenly to lose three main batsmen for no addition.
Evin Lewis, in command, lifted the spinner into the waiting hands of Danushka Gunathilaka at long-off.
The return of the 41-year-old Gayle was brief, capitulating after facing one delivery. His forward lunge did not quite make it to the pitch of the ball, which turned and rapped him on the back pad, the review proving he was palpably lbw.
He was replaced by another left-handed batsman of prolific stroke play, the 24-year-old Nicholas Pooran. A batsman with tremendous talent, he reached too far out to a ball a foot outside his off-stump and the off-break bounced and struck the outside edge of his bat. Pooran left, leaving the Sri Lankan team in a tizzy over the performance of their bowler.
Then, in the space of one completed over from the other end, the Lankan team’s joy at the achievement lapsed into shock and amazement at Pollard’s pyrotechnics.
To have two fantastic feats within three overs in the same game is fascinating.
WI’s bowling was steady but not great. It has to be measured by the Sri Lankan batting, which was apprehensive and uncertain. Our batting was hopeless, apart from Pollard’s innings plus a sound start by Evin Lewis and Lendl Simmons.
In the second game, at the same venue, on March 5, Angelo Matthews won the toss and batted first. Although he was sent in to bat in the opening game and was bowled out in 18.4 overs, he showed courage and confidence in his young team by boldly opting to bat on winning the toss. Runs on the board first, then let one’s opponents try and get it, was his plan. These are runs already scored. A couple of mistakes by the side batting second and opportunity is lost as nervousness and fear could take over.
In T20 cricket the pitch does not go through any drastic changes like the wear and tear in a game lasting more than one day; hence the only difference is in the mental approach.
The batting of SL was more confident in this game, having had a look at the home bowlers in the first match. They were more in control. Opening batsman Gunathilaka appeared to be more sure of himself and played delightful strokes. And though the others were not proficient, at least they stitched together a few small partnerships to build a competitive total of 160 for 6.
Pathum Nissanka played his part in the opening partnership of 94 until he was brilliantly run out by Dwayne Bravo off his own bowling.
I certainly thought that 161 to win was a bridge too far for the team’s deficiency in playing spin. They crumbled embarrassingly for 117. WI bowling was mediocre, as in the first game, with no one outstanding. Bravo though, did bowl well.
WI batsmen seem to lack the skill and temperament to play good spin bowling. The final T20 game would’ve told a story.
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