This is not the first time the Sri Lankan batsmen have been dismissed for such a low score. In 2012, a star-studded batting line up, which was composed of top-quality batsmen in the calibre of Mahela, Sangakkara, Dilshan, and Mathews, was dismissed for just 43 runs – Sri Lanka’s lowest total in ODI matches – against Proteas in South Africa. In this year alone, our batsmen were bowled out for paltry scores of 73 and 76 against India and New Zealand respectively in the backyards of both opponents. Then how come the disheartening performance last Sunday generated a disproportionate and emotional backlash? The huge difference was this contest was held in front of a packed home crowd (some of whom who had bought tickets at Rs. 40,000) in an Asia Cup final for which there was a great deal of pre-publicity and hype. Also, the Sunday plans of the Islanders to enjoy a good time with partying and boozing went awry, as the game ended in less than two hours. Hence, it was no surprise to see people expressing their anger and frustration in a rather high-octane manner.
Jagath Perera
