“He does it, he absolutely does it. One of the greatest innings you’ll ever!” Shaun Pollock Shouted in a loud squeaky voice while Sri Lankans all over the world stood up automatically, hands in the air clapping, eyes wet, filled with tears of joy to applaud the greatest innings they have seen in their life time. Kusal Son-of-a-gun Perera have beaten all the odds to secure one of the famous wins ever in the cricketing history!!

Kusal Perera’s 153* at Kingsmead in the 1st test match vs South Africa will be remembered for another century in every one’s mind who witnessed that heart wrenching, nail biting Sri Lanka win. You couldn’t have dreamt it any better. Top order collapse followed by a mini fight back by middle order, only to see another pile of wickets when the chasing team get sniff of the target. Then everyone loses any hope of a win, but only one who believed that it can be done, finishes the game with one wicket in hand. It was just fairytale stuff.

Perera came to the middle when Sri Lanka were 52-3 after Kusal Mendis chased a wide one to pay the price. But he didn’t just walk to the middle when Sri Lanka only needed 252 to win. It wasn’t that simple.

Perera walked to the middle when Sri Lanka were facing a drought of wins. If you ask someone, when was the last time Sri Lanka tasted victory, you would have to think a bit, search the web and look in to the archives. They haven’t won a game in any format since last October. No one believed them. No one gave them a chance, even their fans. But Perera Believed.

He walked to a lion’s den where World’s ranked 01 bowler Kagiso Rabada, ranked 4th Vernon Philander, former ranked 01 Dale Steyn and last series’ man of the tournament for South Africa Duanne Olivier were hunting at their wish, constantly at 140+kph. They were steaming in with bouncers, swinging yorkers to find their next victim but Perera never surrendered.

Perera came from a dressing room where no one is assured of a place, even the coach. Players had to secure their seat in the team before they could think of a win. There have been more than 8 captains who led Sri Lanka time to time in last two years. Permanent test captain Dinesh Chandimal was suddenly rested and dropped from the squad! An Anti-corruption office has been opened in Sri Lanka by ICC and Sports Minister recently declared Sri Lanka Cricket is the world’s most corrupt body. Add to that it has been hectic few months with the coach and the management. “Shambolic” is an understatement to describe the atmosphere at Sri Lanka Cricket. But Perera wasn’t bothered by any those.

This win has come for Sri Lanka despite all those things. Perera came, he slashed, he smashed, he took blows to his hand. He fell on his face but got up to smash again. Perera have guided the long tail of Sri Lanka to their second ever win at South Africa. First win has come when Sri Lanka had the likes of Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, T.M. Dilshan, Thilan Samaraweera and Rangana Herath in their ranks. Current team has two debutants, two players under 5 tests, another two players under 25 years old. Luckily it had a one giant hearted player who knew nothing about giving up.

Perera had many chances to throw this match in to the gutter. When Dhananjaya de Silva was given LBW at 206/6, when Sri Lanka were 9 down with more than 70 to chase, when those mighty figures constantly throws the leather at his body and he was getting his struck all over the body, he could have given up, just like an ordinary fellow. How he kept his nerves to inch Sri Lanka to the glory, I will never know.

This innings by Sri Lankan left hander will be equaled or may be better than to what is considered as the greatest match winning test innings of all time, Brian Charles Lara’s 153* vs a brutal Aussie attack at Barbados in 1999. Lara batting at number 05, scored an equivalent innings to perera’s with West Indies tail to secure them a thrilling one wicket win. Nearly 20 year apart, just like Great Lara, a dashing left hander from a tiny island replicated the same feat, this time away from home, at Durban against a world class bowling line up.

Perera farmed the strike exceptionally well to guard last man Vishwa Fernando but kept his confidence on him when the partnership started to flourish. Their 78-run vigil at the crease is now officially the “highest last wicket partnership in a successful test chase ever”. Fernando scored only six of them. That record itself suggest how mighty Perera’s innings was. His monstrous sixes at the very end of the match should be replayed in national TV every day headlined as “National heroes and their battles”

After that magical innings Perera said “I’m a little tired now. I don’t know what to say. I did something. I did my part, but we won as a team”

You bet you did something my man and you should be tired!. You just played the greatest innings of all time!!