Sri Lanka v Australia, 3rd Test, SSC, Day 1 - Dinesh Chandimal and Dhananjaya de Silva lift Sri Lanka's spirit

At stumps, Dhananjaya de Silva is not out on 116 off 240 balls while Dinesh Chandimal on 64 off 204 balls. Now, I don’t think, this pleased you much. Well, the scoring rate is too slow and there is no flavour of an Indian, Caribbean or Bangladesh Premier League or Pakistan Super League. For you batting means, big strokes, boundary-based batting where the ball will disappear in the stands and the girls will dance to satisfy your inner lust and dirty mind which becomes stronger as the night gets deeper.

But do you know, the big boys are those who are blessed with compactness and composure rather than the rush of blood. They know, how to mix caution with aggression and for the last hundred years, the game of cricket has been enriched to have those big boys who glorified this game via a format name Test cricket. It’s the format of the big boys who makes the girls blush via their acts on the field and not via any TV interviews.

Test cricket is for the men. Test cricket is beautiful and if you try to deny this format for the sake of so called bloody modernization, then, I am sorry, cricket is not for you.

116 off 240 balls and 64 off 204 balls look too bad. No? Then, what would you have preferred to do, when a team was in tatters at 26 for 5? Some swashbuckling stroke-play, the 360 degree bullshits, earn some accolades from those who have no knowledge about the game and then let your team drown? Well, they might happen on the shows organized by the cash-hungy craps, but not in Test cricket.  

Mitchell Starc was deceptive while Nathan Lyon, introduced in the sixth over, helped Starc to set jitters in the Sri Lankan batting line-up. Dinesh Chandimal was there, but this time he discovered a new partner to aid him for the resuscitition. Dhananjaya de Silva and not Kusal Mendis, playing his third Test, was the architect of damage-control project and both of them spoiled all the hard works of the Australians.

Dhananjaya, whose dreamy world was devoured by the Tsunami in 2004, started off in an attacking mood, but curbed his aggressive intent and mixed caution with aggression so well, that he was able to survive the nervy passage of play. He was edgy and lucky, but when you notice his stroke-play through the offside, you forget those nervy moments and let the fresh air from the south enter your room through the window. His patience paid rich dividends. A maiden Test hundred and what a silky knock it was!

But, my player of the day is Chandimal. More often, we forget those who play the sheet anchor role and keep engaged with the big scorers. People still forget Rahul Dravid’s role at Kolkata while talking about that Test match of 2001 against Australia. If one notices, Chandimal’s occupation at the crease, holding things tight at the other end and maneuvering the strike had been crucial behind Dhananjaya’s brief stay at the crease and scripting such a marvelous knock.  

Both of them scored a 'few runs' by facing too many balls. But had they not done such, Sri Lanka’s innings would have ended up in a disgraceful manner. They faced too many balls, as spending time at the crease was very important than triggering orgasms. In such critical situations, spending time at the crease is very important. When you decide to occupy the crease, the critical phases of play, automatically aids you to improve your technique and strengthen your temperament.

Be a man and not a kid.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar