Deja vu in Galle?

by Rex Clementine

When Pakistan were in Galle in 2009, they went to their hotel; the fabulous Jetwing Lighthouse; on the penultimate day, thinking they had the Test match in the bag. They were 71 for two and needed a further 97 runs to take the lead in the series. But what followed the next morning was absolute carnage. Pakistan were shot out for 117 as Rangana Herath spun Sri Lanka to a famous win.

It was a game of many milestones. Kumar Sangakkara’s first Test as captain and Angelo Mathews debuted. The brightest man to play the game since Mike Brearley, Sanga rather than relying on spinners who were at home, was convinced that Pakistan’s Achilles heel was left-arm spin and Herath would do the job. So he appealed to the board to fly Herath from Manchester where he was playing League Cricket to replace the injured Murali. The rest as they say is history.

Of course, some believe that the game was dodgy. Left-arm quick Mohammad Amir played that game and so did Salman Butt and was dismissed in horrendous fashion. Both crooks ended up in jail a year later for spot fixing.

Similarly, chasing a target of 131, Pakistan finished day four on 48 for three this time around and need a further 83 runs to win the game. Can Prabath Jayasuriya do a Rangana Herath and become an hero? We shall know today.

Catching has been the big difference in this game between the sides. While Pakistan pulled off some stunners, Sri Lanka dropped Saud Shakeel twice as he went onto become the first Pakistani to score a double hundred in Sri Lanka.

Several Sri Lankan batters in their second innings got starts but failed to support Dhananjaya de Silva. The vice-captain, who had smashed his tenth Test hundred in the first innings again top scored with 82 runs and looked set to do a Duleep Mendis by scoring twin hundreds in a Test match.

But Pakistan took the second new ball just when things were getting out of hand and Shaheen Afridi is too good a bowler not to make an impact and once Dhananjaya was gone, Sri Lanka were done and dusted.

Nishan Madushka did score a half-century opening the innings. He was dismissed soon after completing his milestone as Sri Lanka lost three wickets each either side of the lunch break.

Ramesh Mendis proved what a capable player he is scoring 42 and added 76 runs for the seventh wicket with Dhananjaya. If not for that stand, this game would have ended with a day two spare.

The Galle pitch offers turn for the spinners and if Sri Lanka can put Pakistan under pressure, take their catches and review rightly, this could be their game. Cricket they say, is a funny game.