Sri Lanka's grand opening act

Sri Lanka’s first World Cup win in 1996 had many factors behind it. From captain Arjuna Ranatunga’s accurate decisions to Muttiah Muralitharan’s big off-spinners and Chaminda Vaas’s effective left-arm seamers. But the story would not have been complete without the dangerous opening pair of Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana, who revolutionised batting in the ODIs with big hitting and great camaraderie.

A history of sorts is on the verge of being repeated in the ongoing edition. A clever Kumar Sangakkara is in place of Ranatunga, Vaas has been replaced by slinger Lasith Malinga while Murali remains as dangerous as he was in ’96.

And the role of Jayasuriya and Kaluwitharana is being played by Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga. If the former pair revolutionised ODI batting, Dilshan and Tharanga have modernised it in the days of powerplays with their unconventional and brave shots.

Both the batsmen have been a force to reckon with in the ongoing World Cup. The two have been the talking point at the moment with two double century and three half-century partnerships. They (Dilshan (144) and Tharanga (133)) also created a World Cup record of 282 for the first wicket against Zimbabwe, scripting a massive win for Sri Lanka in the group stage of the Cup earlier this month.

If Zimbabwe as an opponent was weak, then count this. On Saturday, the two thrashed pre-tournament favourites England mercilessly to chase a not so challenging target of 230 on a slow turner at the R Premadasa and handed Sri Lanka a 10-wicket win in the quarterfinal.

Mind you, England had a decent attack in Chris Tremlett and Tim Bresnan, and who can forget the Ashes hero and offie Graeme Swann.

Dilshan went onto score an entertaining 108 from 115 balls with two sixes and 10 fours while partner Tharanga got 122-ball 102 including 12 fours and a six.

If Dilshan is an attacker who likes to play his shots right from the word go, Tharanga takes his time before getting into the groove. And one could see that on Friday, when Dilshan seemed unstoppable. People swear by his square cuts and cover drives over the fielders during powerplays.

Skipper Sangakkara praised the duo after their impeccable performance. “It requires a special performance to win big games and in that aspect, Dilshan and Tharanga combined to give that little spark of inspiration. They were absolutely magnificent and ruthless,” he said.

“They were cramping up a bit and they could have thrown it away at that time. But it shows how hungry they were to do well and finish it off when they had that opportunity,” he added.

Lankan batsmen are known for their partnership-building abilities, Sangakkara feels they have been fortunate. “We have been fortunate to have some great batsmen and their partnerships. It is a small country, hence, we know each other well as we play together regularly,” he said.

Former skipper and current chief selector Aravinda de Silva seemed impressed with the batting of the duo. “They batted well against England in the quarterfinal. If they keep up the good work I think we can repeat our 1996 feat,” he told DNA.