MUMBAI: On a scale of 1-10, this was a 11. Fire emojis one after the other. Illegal at some level, even. Bowling from the dream factory. A pace masterpiece in front of a sea of blue. A sense of deja vu had already engulfed the Wankhede Stadium long before the final Sri Lankan batter had trudged back to the pavilion. The last time these two sides met, they were bowled out for 50 as Mohammed Siraj went on the charge (6/21). Roughly 45 days later, they hoodwinked the same opposition (including each of the top five from that game).
Thanks for showing up to try and chase 358 when the ball is about to do crazy things in the Mumbai twilight as Rohit Sharma had predicted at the toss. Sorry but not sorry for what's about to happen. 1/1, 2/2, 3/2, 4/3, 5/14, 6/14, 7/22, 8/29, 9/49, 10/55. To watch it all unfold was to be caught up in a fevered dream. A trance.
Even for a fast-bowling attack that has developed military-grade weapons over the last few years, this was pretty close to perfection. Said road to perfection began the very first ball. Jasprit Bumrah's opening spells have been on the money at this World Cup and his first ball on Thursday night was on the spot. It landed on length before curving away like a very fast leg-spinner. Pathum Nissanka's bat was in a different postcode and the umpire adjudged him leg-before. He could have had next man Kusal Mendis multiple times over the next five legal deliveries but the captain survived. The how remains a mystery.
It didn't matter as Mendis failed to pick an angled Mohammed Siraj ball that was delivered from wide of the crease. Having seen the ball move corners, Mendis was unsure so he didn't budget for the way it straightened and breached through his defences before hitting the top of off. Chef's kiss.
Siraj had already picked up two wickets on the night. The first was Dimuth Karunaratne, a red-ball specialist. While Siraj is more expensive because of the way he attacks the stumps, this is why he does what he does. His very first ball was full before getting some late inward movement into the southpaw. He was still completing his flick after the ball had hit the pads and the umpire had the easiest decision of the night to make. Unlike some of the other batters in this line-up, Sadeera Samarawickrama came into this match with some runs. But the No. 4, hung on for three balls, before wafting at something that could have been left alone. Shreyas Iyer did the rest at third slip. Credit must also go to Rohit Sharma who had brought in a third catcher in the cordon after seeing the way the ball was moving. The over read W000W0. It was a physical manifestation of a bowling display that gave the opposition no chance.
Having Bumrah and Siraj in these conditions is a blessing because of their understanding of what works and what doesn't. Having Mohammed Shami in these conditions is basically troll mode. While some of the other bowlers experiment with the wobble and cross seam, Shami is a delightful throwback. He keeps the seam upright and almost always hits the stumps as well as challenges both edges because of the movement he manages to extract. At 4/14 after nine overs, the Sri Lankan batters may have relaxed a touch. Rohit had taken Bumrah off the attack but Shami was marking his run-up. LOL.
He had come into the match, having taken nine wickets in two World Cup games. Three balls into his spell, he had taken his 10th. Charith Asalanka, who had roughly faced 40 per cent of all deliveries thus far, decided to chase a wide delivery but only ended up giving a simple catch to Ravindra Jadeja at backward point. A minute later, Shami's skyward-pointing right hand was out again.
Angelo Mathews hung on for a brief while but his stumps were rearranged by another Shami beauty. It was full before some late inward movement did the batter. 8/29. Just when it seemed like they would set some unwanted batting records, some streaky boundaries saved them. But Shami had enough time to pick his second fifer of the competition before Ravindra Jadeja picked up the final wicket.
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