Asia Cup 2022: Sri Lanka’s fairytale triumph could act as a healing balm to crisis-stricken people back home – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

It was only fitting for one of the most exciting multi-nation tournaments in recent memory that the team that was comprehensively outplayed in its very first game would finish as the victors in the final.

The last two weeks witnessed the Sri Lankan team, which had been competitive in recent fixtures but still weren’t counted among the title favourites, begin their campaign with a resounding eight-wicket loss at the hands of a spirited Afghanistan side. And after losing their fourth wicket for just 77 runs while chasing a steep 183 to win in the subsequent Group B clash against Bangladesh, the Sri Lankan board would’ve begun booking their return tickets to Colombo.

Read: From underdogs to champions, what worked for Sri Lanka

Wicketkeeper-batter Kusal Mendis though, had other plans and together with the rest of the middle and lower order, marked the beginning of what was to be one of the most triumphant comebacks the game has witnessed in a long time.

Sri Lanka defeated Bangladesh by two wickets in a nail-biter and would just not look back since then, collecting a hat-trick of wins in the Super 4 stage before dishing out a clinical performance in the final against Pakistan to win their first major multi-nation tournament in eight years.

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In an interview with IBN7 during the launch of his autobiography Controversially Yours, former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar was quizzed about the 2011 World Cup semi-final against India in Mohali by anchor Ashutosh. “Hume zyada zaroorat thi (We needed it more)” Akhtar said in the interview, emphasising on how Pakistan needed the victory more badly than India in that iconic game in front of a sold out PCA Stadium.

And the reason he offered for his analysis was the dire situation back home — breakdown in governance, dealing with the effects of terrorism, corruption, among a host of other factors. The ‘Rawalpindi Express’ felt a victory would’ve united a nation in a state of crisis like no other.

Sport after all, does act as a great unifier, helping bring people from across cultures, faiths and geographical divides closer. Even in the worst of times, people do look up to sport as an escape from their harsh reality.

More than a decade since that interview, which took place shortly after his retirement from the sport, Akhtar’s words ring true, albeit for a different team. Ironically, it was Pakistan that ended up unintentionally providing that healing touch to the Sri Lankan team through a series of dropped catches, some wayward bowling in the death overs and their slow approach with the bat in the summit clash in Dubai on Sunday.

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It’s not just in the world of cricket where Sri Lanka had been lagging; the country has been going an prolonged economic and political crisis for months now, arguably among the worst the world has seen in years. From the nation running out on fuel, power and other essential supplies and barely having enough funds to keep its population on their feet to angry citizens storming the Presidential palace and forcing a comprehensive change in the government, life sure has been quite grim for the average Sri Lankan.

Former cricketers such as Roshan Mahanama too have had to step in to help the needy and was seen selling tea and buns in the streets of Colombo while others such as Sanath Jayasuriya joined protests against ex-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. And things eventually got so dire in the island nation that Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) were forced to stage the tournament in the cricketing haven that is the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Perhaps Sri Lanka did need this win more than anyone else, or at least that’s what the Lankan supporters will very strongly feel. And for a nation that was counted among the powerhouses right from the late 1990s to the early 2010s, the steep fall post-2015 would’ve been quite the bitter pill to swallow. Especially the way they would routinely get outplayed by the Indians, both at home and away, and at times even struggled to compete against teams such as Zimbabwe.

There was the occasional flash of brilliance, as was the case in the iconic Test series in South Africa in 2019, but the team simply couldn’t recreate the magic that the side of the old would on a regular basis.

So to see a team that was completely bereft of star power in their ranks, as one Bangladesh team official so eloquently put during the group stage of the tournament, function like a well-oiled machine match after match would’ve brought a tear of joy in the eyes of both former cricketers as well as the fans at the venue and back home. The team might not have superstars yet, though the likes of Wanindu Hasaranga are well on their way towards becoming one eventually, but possessed the ingredients vital to the recipe for success — hunger and passion.

And who knows, this victory could very well have the same effect on Sri Lankan cricket as the 1996 World Cup victory did on the previous generation, and the 1983 World Cup did on Indian cricket. For once, skipper Dasun Shanaka and coach Chris Silverwood possess a side that believes in itself and refuses to give up until the very end.

At the very least, Sri Lanka will count among the title contenders for the T20 World Cup that takes place in Australia starting next month. And until then, Shanaka and Co will have done enough to ensure ordinary Sri Lankans have something to smile about in their everyday life.

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