Image Source- AP
You want to root for Sri Lanka, and why not? They have
appeared in 12 finals and have won six of the 16 men’s Asia Cups (ODIs and
T20Is).
Although they may not have the legendary players from
the past like Muttiah Muralidaran, Mahela Jayawardene, or Kumar Sangakkara,
they do have a captain in Dasun Shanaka who is beloved by the supporters and
who has led a turnaround in the team’s performance. And in white-ball cricket,
there is a young but formidable middle order emerging with Kusal Mendis,
Sadeera Samarawickrama, and Charith Asalanka, which frequently brings its fans
joy.
“Fans have been amazing in the recent past,”
Shanaka said. “The days the guys have performed has attracted more crowds
to the game. The youngsters have been amazing in the last two years, and the
record is good. The fans see that we are fighting in the middle, whatever the
end result is. That is what is important.
“Even in the India game, we fought after the
[first] ten overs in the bowling. Fans like to see the kids Dunith Wellalage
and Matheesha Pathirana, and [how] the young batsmen like Charith Asalanka and
Pathum Nissanka chip in the game. Not to forget Sadeera and Kusal Mendis as
well. They eagerly waited [for] so long for these guys to perform. Now everyone
wants to watch what they are doing. The fans need to enjoy apart from their
jobs, and they are devoting time. That’s the best thing that has happened.”
However, Sri Lanka rarely begins a multi-team
competition as the favoured. The unit led by Shanaka has come to accept and
perhaps somewhat relish the label of “underdogs.” One noteworthy
quality, though, has been their ability to maintain composure and emerge
victorious in games under extreme pressure, such as the one on Thursday against
Pakistan, which was practically a semifinal.
The fact that the nearly full Premadasa Stadium
audience remained there well beyond 1am to support the team showed how popular
this side has become. Smartwatches advised their owners to move to a calmer
area after the winning runs were hit due to the noise.
“It’s not a new thing for Sri Lankan fans,”
Shanaka said ahead of the Asia Cup final against India. “After a match
finishes, I get a lot of messages: ‘Why [do] you guys always give us heart
attacks?’. We were very emotional [on qualifying for the final] – and the crowd
as well. It is a big thing for us to come to the final in two consecutive
years.”