On a day when Sarfaraz Ahmed mastered chaos, Sri Lanka did a Pakistan themselves, in the wrong way

Sri Lanka roared, cruised, spluttered, then roared again and then finally imploded, similar to South Africa against India on Sunday, to knock themselves out of the Champions Trophy in Cardiff on Monday.

Oh and their opponents? Pakistan, but we won’t talk about them.

Right from the beginning of the match, there was the feeling that Sri Lanka were the better batting side. And they certainly started like that. Despite the early loss of Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis and Niroshan Dickwella were motoring. In particular, Mendis was playing some delectable shots in an easy-on-the-eye, old-fashioned style. It needed something special to dismiss him and it was Hasan Ali going through his defences in a similarly old-fashioned reverse-swinging style. As if to make things worse, Dinesh Chandimal also dragged on two balls later.

Keep calm? What’s that?

But we won’t talk about Pakistan.

Angelo Mathews radiates calm. It often rubs off on the batsman at the other end. Dickwella got to a 50 and looked good for more. The Sri Lankan captain was his usual serene self, merrily ticking on. When Mohammad Amir came on for a spell, Mathews greeted him by coming down the ground and slamming him over his head. The score read 161/3 in 31 overs, the umpires called for a drinks break and Mathews disappeared into the Lankan dressing room and soon reappeared…

...only to disappear again. Mathews played on to the stumps. This woke up the bowlers from slumber. In a blink of an eye, 161/3 had become 167/6. Junaid Khan and Amir had found that certain quality – of finding a way to go full clutch right in the middle of the siege. All while Sri Lanka, right when they were in a position to grab their ascendancy, had gone and thrown it away into the dustbin.

But we won’t talk about Pakistan.

All over the place

They finally managed to get to 236. Most assumed that they had a chance because their opponents didn’t have the greatest chasing credentials. For that, they needed to strike a blow early. Off just the fourth ball of the chase, Azhar Ali cut Lasith Malinga straight to Gunathilaka who promptly dropped it like a hot potato. Next over, Ali rushed down for a single after being called by partner Fakhar Zaman, only to find himself miles out of his crease...except Gunathilaka (again) couldn’t hit the stumps.

But we won’t talk about Pakistan.

After a flurry of boundaries, top-edges which flew for six, other edges which fell short of fielders, Sri Lanka, or more specifically, Asela Gunaratne somehow managed to take a catch. A tumbling one to send Fakhar Zaman back for a 36-ball 50 and leave Pakistan at 74/1 after 11 overs.

Should be easy-peasy, right? More catches started being taken. Dhananjaya de Silva held on (this will become important later) to one offered by Babar Azam. Nuwan Pradeep took another dolly. Suddenly, the Sri Lankan lions were roaring again. The catching became even better. Kusal Mendis, at slip, moved his hands to the left and expertly moved them back to the right again to nab Azhar Ali.

Stealing defeat from the jaws of victory

Lasith Malinga’s yorkers were being kept out. So he went to a short ball. Shoaib Malik feathered it to the keeper. Sri Lanka weren’t getting a run-out right even if it danced in front them – then, Thisara Perera managed to get finger on ball on a Sarfaraz Ahmed straight drive which careened onto the stumps. Fahim Ashraf’s bat was in the air. Almost as if the gods got tired of them missing run-outs. Pakistan were 162/7. The papare band was in full swing. Sri Lanka could smell the semi-final.

Pakistan were doing a peak Pakistan. But, we’re not talking about them, remember?

Sri Lanka had two chances to run Sarfaraz out in two straight overs, the 21st and the 22nd. They missed both. They got another chance in the 29th over...Gunathilaka missed that as well.

They thought it wouldn’t count. Then the Pakistani captain found an ally in Mohammad Amir. Yes, discredited Amir, back in Pakistani colours, winning over his nation. And it started to count. The partnership reached 36.

Just a matter of a wicket, must have thought Angelo Mathews. Just three good deliveries, right? It had to happen. The ball arrived from Malinga. A lovely slower ball. The Pakistani captain tried to hit straight down. The ball came ever so invitingly, in a looping slow arc to Thisara Perera at mid-on…and immediately popped straight out. Malinga, ever smiling Malinga, had a thunderous expression on his face. What was Sri Lanka doing?

But we’re not talking about Pakistan...

…or we should. Because when you play against Pakistan, the one thing you must guard against is doing a Pakistan. Or, to put it simply, prevent yourself from sucked into the vortex of chaos which they inhabit and in which they play their best cricket. It’s a dangerous drug and one which only they themselves can control.

Sri Lanka missed another catch. They gave away countless overthrows. They gave away four byes. They misfielded. By the end, they were a raggedy, rickety bunch. They had grasped glory and dropped it. They, who once had a reputation for calmness, had forgotten some of the basic rules of cricket, finally to get singed by the sheer momentum of Pakistan’s fire.

Or, on a day when their opponents had mastered the chaos, Sri Lanka had just gone and done a Pakistan.