Everybody talks about how Jayasuriya invented pinch hitting in the first 15 overs. Athula Samarasekara was the pioneer of that and this match was a good example. When Mahanama was too slow chasing 300+ score, Athula went after the bowling and raised a 31-ball 50. That set the platform for Arjuna and co. Despite not playing all the games of that World Cup due to injury, Athula was the third best Sri Lankan batsman after Arjuna and Mahanama. Surprisingly he was replaced by Chandika Hathurusinghe in the Australia tour that followed. This was a heart break for him and he left the country and settled in Australia while so much Cricket was left in him. He made himself available again for the '94 Pakistan tour but the selection committee again ignored him. Sri Lanka lost an awesome player who would have become as big as Sanath Jayasuriya.
Comments
20 November 2008
2 hours 12 min
Great! Thanks for posting!
20 November 2008
2 hours 12 min
Here's an article about the match: http://www.espncricinfo.com/wctimeline/c...
Everybody talks about how Jayasuriya invented pinch hitting in the first 15 overs. Athula Samarasekara was the pioneer of that and this match was a good example. When Mahanama was too slow chasing 300+ score, Athula went after the bowling and raised a 31-ball 50. That set the platform for Arjuna and co. Despite not playing all the games of that World Cup due to injury, Athula was the third best Sri Lankan batsman after Arjuna and Mahanama. Surprisingly he was replaced by Chandika Hathurusinghe in the Australia tour that followed. This was a heart break for him and he left the country and settled in Australia while so much Cricket was left in him. He made himself available again for the '94 Pakistan tour but the selection committee again ignored him. Sri Lanka lost an awesome player who would have become as big as Sanath Jayasuriya.
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