Sri Lankans prove Test cricket is alive

We pity those cricket fans who left Kingsmead Stadium – or turned off their TVs – on Saturday, when Sri Lanka were 226/9, needing 304 to win. At that stage, the bookies wouldn’t have given you odds on a Test match win by the visitors. Those supporters missed the “Lazarus” turnaround when Sri Lanka came back from the dead to snatch the win from under the noses of the Proteas. In the process, Kusal Perera and number 11 Vishwa Fernando shared an unbeaten stand of 78, the highest last-wicket stand to win a Test match.

The humble Perera, who hit 153 not out and smashed the winning four, was the architect of the stunning victory, showing remarkable disdain for South Africa’s supposedly deadly bowling attack, sending many of their deliveries on a magical mystery tour over the boundary ropes.

Yet, Perera was the first to admit he couldn’t have done it without the stoic Fernando, who kept his head – and his wicket – scoring just six runs off 23 balls.

It’s a story which emphasises the saying that “it ain’t over till it’s over” … and that Test cricket is still alive and kicking.