FROM THE ARCHIVE: The Analyst on Sri Lanka’s historic 2014 victory

When Sri Lanka beat England at Headingley in 2014 with the penultimate ball of, not only the Test, but the series, it sent shockwaves throughout the cricket sphere...

When Sri Lanka beat England at Headingley in 2014 with the penultimate ball of, not only the Test, but the series, it sent shockwaves throughout the cricket sphere. Thankfully for The Cricketer, The Analyst was on hand to give his opinion.

Sri Lanka showed amazing resourcefulness and versatility to beat England in the one-day series and win their first Test series in England. They had enjoyed a fantastic start to 2014, winning the Asia Cup and the World T20, but this victory is the first time that England have been beaten in an early-season series since they were introduced in 2000.

Sri Lanka is a remarkable country. What strikes you about their cricketers, apart from outrageous skill, is their attitude. When you arrive in Sri Lanka on holiday, you are taken at once with the beauty of the country and the overwhelming friendliness of the locals. They smile constantly and are excessively polite and softly spoken. They seem the nicest people in the world.

^{Sri Lanka beat England 1-0 away from home in 2014}

Put a cricket ball or ball in their hand, however, and they experience a vivid transformation. They are ferociously competitive and hard as nails. Just ask Jos Buttler after he was surprisingly (almost ruthlessly) run out backing up at the bowler’s end during the ODI at Edgbaston. They do anything within the laws of the game to try and win. They make the Australians look like koala bears.

I witnessed this for myself on my first visit to Sri Lanka as a 20-year-old. The wicketkeeper of my club side, a guy called Russell Hamer, who played for Sri Lanka before they had Full Member status and was later the groundsman at their main Test venue, was a quiet, unassuming character. The only clue to his gamesmanship was a cheeky sense of humour. In one of our early matches were were struggling to get one of the opposing batsmen out. Russell came up to me at the beginning of an over and told me to bowl a fast half-volley down the leg side third ball. Why, I asked. You’ll see, he said.

^{The Analyst in his playing days}

As I ran in for that third ball I tried not to be disconcerted by him sneaking up to the stumps behind the batsman’s back. I did as I was told, the batsman overbalanced trying to whip the full delivery to leg and Russell was up to the stumps and collecting the ball one-handed down the leg side. In one amazing swoop he grabbed the ball and whipped the bails off as the unsuspecting batsman fell out of his ground. He did that a couple more times off my bowling. They were the only stumpings I ever got in my career.

It was indicative of the kind of cricket Sri Lankans play: imaginative and uncompromising. Angelo Mathews encapsulates that. He is a pleasant bloke to meet. But he’s a smiling assassin. Politely, coherently.