Why the century against England at Galle is a career defining one for Lahiru Thirimanne

The best time to stand up for your team is when the chips are down when your team is fighting to save a Test match. Sri Lanka were steamrolled by England in their first innings at Galle. The Islanders were shot out for a score of just 135, with Dom Bess scalping a five-wicket haul. And then, Joe Root had pulverized the Sri Lankan bowling attack and had scored a sensational 228.

And, Sri Lanka started their second innings trailing by 286 runs, and were in danger of suffering a humiliating innings defeat at the hands of the visitors. But then, Lahiru Thirimanne came to the fore and thwarted the England bowling attack. The left-hander was resolute in his knock, and at the same time latched onto every loose delivery that the England bowlers bowled to him. And, in a vigil that lasted 251 deliveries, the left-hander scored a sumptuous 111, to take the fight to the opposition.

The Lahiru Thirimanne vigil at Galle

Lahiru Thirimanne looked comfortable during his stay at the crease. He took his time to get his eye in, had a good look at the England bowlers, and forged a defiant partnership of 101 runs with Kusal Perara for the opening wicket. And, some of Thirimanne’s shots were a treat to the eye. His first boundary was a delectable flick off Mark Wood that raced to the boundary. Thirimanne’s balance was impeccable in that shot, and the timing was perfect as well.

The left-hander employed the sweep shot with a telling effect during his innings. He went low and swept Dom Bess to the mid-wicket fence to bring up his second boundary. Jack Leach was given a similar treatment as well, as Thirimanne swept the left-arm spinner past the deep square leg fence. The opening batsman brought up his fifty with a flick off Sam Curran that fetched him three runs. The celebrations from the man were rather muted. He knew he had a job to do, both for himself and for the team’s cause as well.

Thirimanne also sprinkled a bit of innovation into his game as well, when he brought out the reverse sweep against Jack Leach. He was also severe on Dom Bess, when the spinner invited him to take him on. Bess flighted the ball hoping Thirimanne would play a false shot, but the left-hander watched the ball closely and pummeled him past the short cover to the fence.

And then, came the special moment that Thirimanne will savor for a long time. To a short delivery from Bess, he transferred his weight onto the backfoot and cut the spinner for a boundary to bring up his second Test hundred. There was a loud scream of ‘Yes’ from the 31-year-old as he removed his helmet and raised his bat emphatically to the dressing room. It was a statement from the left-hander that he is definitely not finished. Thirimanne’s innings came to a close shortly after his century, as he edged Sam Curran into the hands of Jos Buttler behind the stumps.

A Career defining hundred for Thirimanne

In fact, it would not be far fetched to say that this three-figure score against England is a career-defining one for the left-hander. His last five scores in the whites for his country prior to his century against England read 2,0,17,31 and 4. In fact, the last time he scored a hundred before this game was way back in the year 2013. In the table below, let us take a look at Thirimanne’s performances on a year-on-year basis from 2014 till date.

The above table is pretty self-explanatory. From the year 2014 till the year 2021, Thirimanne has scored just a single century (the one he scored in this game). Also, between 2014 to 2019, the left-hander could not even manage to average more than 25 in a single calendar year. Not even in a single calendar year from 2014 had he managed to score more than 310 runs, and things were going from bad to worse for Thirimanne.

And that is why, the hundred in the first Test, against England, assumes paramount importance for the Sri Lankan.

Thirimanne is not finished yet

This hundred is a statement by the man to his critics, to tell them that he is not done yet. He will still fight every single battle for his side, and will not get bogged down when faced with a tumultuous situation. And, this hundred will allow him to regain a lot of confidence, and prepare himself for future challenges. At the age of 31, Thirimanne is surely here to stay.