Excitement as Asitha unsettles batters  

by Rex Clementine  

Records tumbled in Galle as Prabath Jayasuriya became the fastest spinner to 50 Test wickets overtaking West Indian great Alf Valentine as Sri Lanka thrashed the Irish by an inning after the tourists had posted nearly 500 runs in the first innings.  Two Sri Lankans hit double hundreds and two others scored centuries and the efforts of fast bowler Asitha Fernando went unnoticed.

Asitha only took five wickets in the game but on that flat deck where the batters had to commit a mistake or tire out, it was impossible to run through a side and Asitha’s versatility came in handy. The 25-year-old from rural Katuneriya, between Wennapuwa and Marawila in the northwest coastal belt sent Irish skipper Andy Balbirnie back to the pavilion with a vicious bouncer that hit him on the grill of his helmet on the final day.

Then he bowled one at the rib cage of Lorcan Tucker and the ball struck him on the body and then dribbled off to hit the bails much to the delight of the fielders.

Towards the latter part of the Irish second inning with rain looming large and Harry Tector providing stubborn resistance Asitha bowled a yorker that was too good to be kept away and things were wounded up as he cleaned up last man Ben White in his next ball to complete the proceedings,.

Yes we all know that it was only the Irish but if Asitha keeps bowling dream spells like this he should go onto become a feared bowler. Right now he’s a poor man’s Allan Donald. Barring Chaminda Vaas no Sri Lankan quick has had quite the impact in Test cricket since the dawn of the new millennium.

Lasith Malinga yes he was instrumental in winning several Test matches but he chickened out from Test cricket aged 27.  Both Ireland and Sri Lankan captains appreciated what Asitha had to offer.

“He made it hostile. He was accurate with his bouncers. He made life tough for us and bowled an impressive spell. Then, later on he got the ball to reverse,” Balbirnie said.

Sri Lankan skipper Dimuth Karunaratne echoed similar sentiments. “Asitha Fernando is very good with his yorker and bouncer and we used him to unsettle the batters when the ball was hard. Even if you bowl in good areas, that was a kind of a pitch that didn’t offer much assistance to bowlers. I think that worked. When the ball was old and when there was wind, we knew Asitha could reverse the ball.”