Two days after making a duck, legspinning allrounder Seekkuge Prasanna narrowly missed out on breaking Sanath Jayasuriya's 20-year old record for the fastest century by a Sri Lankan in ODI cricket. Prasanna harrumphed nine sixes, each seeming more violent than the last, to back up Kusal Perera, who was comparatively sombre during his 135. The upshot was that Sri Lanka reached 377-8 and, even on a benign day and blameless pitch, Ireland were left facing a humbling defeat.
Prasanna's innings was utterly out of sync with an ODI average of 9.19 from 26 matches. Promoted up to three after Perera and Danushka Gunathilaka added 147 in 26.2 overs, Prasanna promptly smote his first delivery over long-off for six, a shot whose violence was in keeping with the rest of his innings. He heaved to the legside with impunity: one nonchalant pick-up off Boyd Rankin over square leg was particularly imperious, clearing the man stationed for the shot with ease, and embodying Sri Lanka's disdain for the Irish attack.
This was Prasanna's 24th ODI innings but already the eighth position he has batted, which hints at Sri Lanka's uncertainty in how to use him. Few situations will lend themselves so gladly to empowering Prasanna to heave without regard for his wicket as today, but the innings holds out the promise that he will establish himself as a dangerous floater in the line-up. The only shame was that, attempting another smear over the legside to hit his 10th six, he was bowled by Tim Murtagh five runs shy of Jayasuriya's record.
In the circumstances Perera's innings came to seem almost like a throwback to a more genteel age of ODI cricket. Not that he was remotely prosaic: 135 came at well over a run-a-ball. If Prasanna's innings was defined by heaves to the legside, the abiding image of Perera's was of crisp driving through the offside, often over the heads of those in the 30-yard circle.
So dominant were Sri Lanka that they freely shuffled around their batting order: Thursday's centurion Dinesh Chandimal emerged at No.7. Ireland's death bowling was admirable - just 15 came from the final three overs while four wickets fell as Sri Lanka's batsmen attempted to invoke the spirit of Prasanna - but this in no way made up for what had gone before. Ireland's bowling was ragtag and full tosses given away too readily, including by Rankin, who ended with 1 for 86, the fourth-most expensive figures by Ireland in ODI cricket. At least Ireland just about retained their sense of humour: when Prasanna and Perera had fallen in quick succession and Sri Lanka were 310-3, Kevin O'Brien chirped: "Come on lads, make it 320-5 here".
(espncricinfo)
