MATCH STORIES
Follow UsImagine you’re a batter playing on a surface that’s a borderline rank turner. You’re being tormented and attacked constantly by three world-class spinners, and batting is hell out there in the middle.
But you’ve somehow managed to find a way to not just survive, but score runs.
Batting is difficult, yes, but you’ve suddenly managed to stitch a 41-run stand with the batter at the other end.
So, in a situation like this, would you ever, in a million years, gift your wicket away for free to the opposition when you’re NOT OUT?
Well, that is exactly what Sri Lanka’s Janith Liyanage did against India in the first ODI in Colombo on August 2nd (Friday).
Liyanage was in the middle of a fine 41-run stand with young Dunith Wellalage when Axar Patel, on the second ball of the 35th over, ripped one past the outside edge of Liyanage when the right-hander looked to dance down the track and loft the left-arm spinner. The ball missed Liyanage’s bat, but it deflected off the wicketkeeper KL Rahul and went to the fielder at first slip.
Confident that Liyanage had nicked the ball, the Indian fielders went up in unison. However, their appeals were shot down by the on-field umpire Joel Wilson, who ruled the batter not out.
However, this was when Liyanage forced Wilson’s hand by voluntarily walking off, giving himself out. Wilson was forced to raise his finger as a result.
For a while, the batter was being applauded for his impeccable sportsmanship but, shockingly enough, minutes later, replays showed that Liyanage had in fact not made contact with the ball. The sharp turn Axar managed to generate gave the illusion that Liyanage had hit it, when, in fact, all the batter had done was hit the ground with his bat.
The brain fade from Liyanage ended up giving India a huge lifeline just when the sixth wicket partnership was threatening to cause them trouble.
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