Sadeera Samarawickrama - silky, smooth, and the newest Sri Lankan sensation

October 26, 2023, Bengaluru, England do not have many to defend but have their tails up after dismissing Kusal Mendis and Kusal Perera. Sadeera Samarawickrama, playing his 28th ODI, has to not only keep the defending champions at bay, but he also needs to eat into the target significantly, for Sri Lanka have a notorious habit of imploding with the bat.

David Willey, who did not start England’s World Cup campaign, is getting the ball to move around too. The pitch at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium is usually conducive to stroke play but today, it is just holding up a touch. Driving on the rise is not easy, timing balls off the front foot is a little more tedious, and waiting for the ball to arrive is probably the way to go.

Samarawickrama, thus, has a fair bit to contend with. Not just the pressure of the situation, but also the tricks the surface is playing. The first ball he faces is pitched on a length just outside off – the sort of delivery that could induce a false response if the batter is not careful.

It also seems a delivery that the batter, especially someone who has not faced a ball yet, should not fiddle with. Defend this, and then hope things get better later as you get your eyes in.

This thought, though, does not even cross Samarawickrama’s mind. The moment Willey releases the ball, the 28-year-old feels it is full enough to drive. Not just drive, absolutely crunch it. On the up and to mid-off’s left.

All of those things that batters should refrain against, in such a situation and on such a surface, Samarawickrama has done exactly that, and he has done so with minimal fuss.

There was risk. But there was a tangible reward too. And Samarawickrama, if you have ever watched him, always treads that line. Some days, it does not quite come off. On days it does, you often run out of superlatives because of how effortless he makes it look.

One shot, especially against a side as pedigreed as England, should not be enough to win the game. But this one had such a profound effect that the defending champions looked bereft of ideas pretty quickly.

Everything they bowled thereafter was lined up by Samarawickrama and his partner Pathum Nissanka, and the pair put on a hundred-plus stand to power Sri Lanka to an eight-wicket win.

Throughout the innings, Samarawickrama played shots all around the dial. He was keen to use his feet against the spinners, both while advancing and while staying deep in his crease.

His supple wrists allowed him to access different parts of the ground, and that forced bowlers to try something different, which then created more run-scoring opportunities.

Samarawickrama averages close to 100 after five World Cup knocks

That trait has been on display this World Cup. Sri Lanka may have lost a high-scoring game to Pakistan earlier, but there is no denying that Samarawickrama grew as a batter through the course of that innings.

A few days prior to the England fixture, Samarawickrama controlled what could have been a tricky run-chase against the Netherlands, getting his team on the board, and making them believe that a late dash for the semi-final spots was still within grasp.

The most impressive bit, apart from the appreciably vast range of strokes he has, has been the way Samarawickrama has handled the pressure. He has soaked it up when required and has transferred it when that has been the need of the hour.

This current Sri Lankan side has been ravaged by injuries and is not one of the most consistent batting units going around. And that adds another layer of excellence to Samarawickrama’s exploits at the World Cup. That it has come on the back of a promising Asia Cup campaign, only illustrates how talented he is, and how he has now become Sri Lanka’s middle-order lynchpin.

Raw statistics, runs, stats et all, however, will not explain the hype around Samarawickrama. Watching him in the flesh, or on television will, and while this may sound a little corny, if you somehow stumble upon some World Cup tickets this year, make sure that they are used to watch him bat.

He is still well short of being put in that world-class category, but the potential is palpable, and the results of the proverbial eye test are, well, eye-catching.

You can almost hear those collective gasps when he drives on the up through the off side or when he whips it off his pads through mid-wicket. Or, when he dances down the track to the spinners and smashes them over their head. Or, when he releases pressure, almost nonchalantly, by just making batting look…easy and run-of-the-mill stuff.

Those that have come before him, or will come after him will testify that World Cup batting is anything but. That, though, just illustrates what a special player Sri Lanka have on their hands. His batting is smooth and silky, and his temperament is solid. And, he is the next Sri Lankan sensation off the rack.

It has taken him a while to get here. An all-format international debut way back in 2017 against Pakistan, especially, seems an eternity ago. But now that he is here, cherish every moment of his batting. There is just something hopelessly romantic about watching poetry in motion, even if it comes at the cost of consistency.

None, at least in Sri Lanka, epitomize that better than Samarawickrama at the moment.