Gamble pays off handsomely for Dambulla

• DDS being quietly groomed for number 4 position in Tests
• Spots for National Super League 4-Day final virtually sealed

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Akila Dananjaya has the variations to bowl on any wicket

Following the matches concluded on Sunday, former champions Dambulla and defending champions Galle have virtually booked their places in the final of the 4th National Super League (NSL) Tournament.

These two teams hold a 15-point lead over their nearest rivals Colombo, which is quite a big gap to fill considering the form displayed by Dambulla and Galle.

Following a break for the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, the final round of League matches commence on 20 April with Galle playing Colombo at Dambulla, and Dambulla taking on Jaffna at Pallekele.

Dambulla, who went to the top of the table with a stunning win against Kandy on Sunday, need only a few points in their match against Jaffna to ensure their passage to the final. For Colombo to have a chance of reaching the final, something drastic has to happen in their game against Galle. Galle has to lose badly for them to have any semblance of a chance.

It was a very tactical move by Dambulla Head Coach Thilina Kandamby that saw his team successfully chase down a tall target of 392 and beat Kandy.   

“We wanted to bat the first 20 overs normal and take it from there. We had a good start – a 136-run stand between [Nishan] Madushka and [Ron] Chandraguptha. They were scoring at a healthy rate,” said Kandamby.

“Then, I thought of sending Dasun [Shanaka] and see what he can do because he was in good form during training. Dasun usually bats at no. 6 but we pushed him up to no. 3. I told Dhananjaya [de Silva] to step down and give [Dinura] Kalupahana a chance. If we are struggling, he can come and hold on.” 

“Dasun played a brilliant knock of 100 off 56 balls. We had a small collapse in the middle; after which Sahan Kosala and Vishad Randika batted really well. They held their nerves. At that particular time, we needed only around four runs per over. We were also lucky the weather was good; that was our main concern.”

Prior to the run chase, Kandamby had revealed to his players the experience of playing in a match that set a new world record for the highest fourth innings total to win in a first-class match. 

“My first provincial game was a world record run chase. In 2004, we chased 512 at Asgiriya. Central played Southern, who had a fabulous side with Sanath [Jayasuriya], Marvan [Atapattu], and [Lasith] Malinga. Southern won on first innings and they declared 292-2 and left us to chase 512. Sanga [Sangakkara] and Sajith [Fernando] got hundreds, Thilan [Samaraweera] and Hasantha [Fernando] 90s each, and Central won by one wicket.”

Dhananjaya de Silva being groomed for the number 4 Test batting position

Kandamby said the R. Premadasa Stadium track was good for batting and it helped them during the run chase. 

“Especially in this NSL, a lot of good things have been happening. We have a plan before we go to the venue because we knew exactly what sort of wicket we were going to get. You always get turning tracks in Galle, at Dambulla there was 6mm of grass, and at R. Premadasa Stadium it is a batting track.”

At all three venues, Dambulla’s versatile spinner Akila Dananjaya had got 10-wicket match bags.

“Akila has all the variations and he can manage that under different conditions,” said Kandamby. “In Galle, the spinners get better opportunities, but when you come across flat tracks, you need some sort of variations to get wickets, which he has got. He also has the experience of playing for so many years. He is the difference – whenever he comes to bowl, you can feel that he can take a wicket.”

Dananjaya has in his armoury the leg break, googly, carrom ball, doosra, and off-break, which he bowls with great control. 

Having Dhananjaya de Silva (DDS) batting at number 4 is also a future plan that is being put into operation during the tournament. Currently, that position is occupied by Angelo Mathews in the Test team. 

“We don’t want to get a new guy in that position when it becomes vacant. Dhananjaya has been in the system for the last 10 years and can step up and go and bat at no. 4. He has also got three hundreds in three games batting in that position for Dambulla,” said Kandamby.

“Initially, he was reluctant. He said ‘my record is good batting at no. 6,’ but I told him to give it a try and see because he was the Captain. If Dhananjaya bats at no. 4, we can have a new player knocking on the door like Pasindu [Sooriyabandara] or Sonal [Dinusha] to come and bat at no. 6.”