He has become the kind of player that can produce something special, and still be deserving of a scolding because it is widely understood that he is better than that
Andrew Fidel Fernando07-Dec-2024Before “Pathum Nissanka” was ever a search in your device, before his switch to being a primarily white-ball player, before he hit Sri Lanka’s first ODI double-hundred, he was a 22-year-old batter who averaged 63 in first-class cricket. It is worth clocking this early, very good-boy version of Nissanka, because clearly the man himself has moved on so emphatically, it is easy to forget. This guy, once, took 252 balls to hit 103 on debut in Antigua. Nerd.Since first making a name in Tests, he has crashed over 4000 limited-overs runs at pretty solid strike rates, tattoo-sleeves have appeared, and though a back injury had apparently pushed him out of Tests for a while, he’s already hit a rapid, match-winning hundred in England since returning to the longest format. Three-and-a-half years into his international journey, it feels like we’re already on Nissanka version 2.0. The man is speed-running a career.If you know where he’s come from, and how far he’s traveled to get here, you’ll respect the hustle, though. There is no doubt that he’s talented. What you frequently also hear from coaches, is that he’s hungry. You watch this latest version of him at the crease now, and you can sense he wants more than he already has. He’ll leave that ball alone, but the way he shadow-bats a drive after it’s past him, a part of him wishes he’d tried to hit it for four.Related
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There is sense, and quiet, and discipline there. But deep beneath all that, also greed.How else do you explain that dismissal? Apologies that the first mention of his 89 on day two is of him getting out, running at Keshav Maharaj, and yorking himself against an otherwise unremarkable delivery. But even batting coach Thilina Kandamby sounded pretty annoyed, after play.”The way he got out – he only has himself to blame,” Kandamby said. “It was a good opportunity to get a century in South Africa. It’s not an easy thing. Only a few Sri Lankans have ever done it. At a time when the bowlers are tired, and the pitch is flat, he let go a great opportunity. Even I can’t put my finger on what happened, except to think that he lost his concentration suddenly. It’s not easy, because he’s got to to start from zero again to get to a hundred. But he’s a young cricketer, so I think he’ll make sure these sorts of things don’t happen again in future.”If the public criticism sounds especially harsh, it is because there is a widespread acknowledgement that Nissanka has a higher ceiling than almost anyone. He is a phenomenal player of the short ball, as he proved on day two, playing that shot to vicious effect against all three South Africa frontline seamers. On top of which he can be compact in defence when he wants to be, and is devastating against spin, in the shorter formats at least. Maharaj has a slog-sweep shaped bruise in his figures to prove it.Pathum Nissanka defends off the front foot•Associated PressIncreasingly, Nissanka is the kind of cricketer from whom you expect a solid score at some point in the series. Almost seamlessly, this has become expected of him in Tests as well, even though Nissanka 2.0 feels very much like a white-ball sort of guy. Though he himself is the “next big thing” in Sri Lankan batting, in Tests at least, he has to share that space with Kamindu Mendis, whose average (and we promise we don’t mean to shame Nissanka any further on a day in which he has been outstanding) is more than twice what Nissanka’s is, in this format.But Nissanka bats in an era in which other young players are gunning to be the next big thing. Avishka Fernando is around in limited-overs cricket. Charith Asalanka has already risen to the captaincy and excels in the ODI middle order. You’ve got to work for your stardom right now, and Nissanka seems like the kind of guy who doesn’t just want a job for the next 12 years, but wants to build a legacy. He was out for 89, but it felt like he needed 89 minutes to leave the field, so slowly did he amble off it. Though, that might also be because he was steeling himself for the batting coach-bollocking.In any case, in this innings, quelling a confident attack, Nissanka produced another glimpse into his quality. If we’re already at Nissanka 2.0, and he has as much potential as his innings suggest, and as much desire as his coaches say, we may have something special on our hands.For now, he is the kind of player that can strike up a century partnership, quell difficult opening spells, defy short-ball attacks on a bouncy pitch, push Sri Lanka into a slight advantage with his 89, and still be deserving of a scolding because it is widely understood that he is better than that.
