Another wonderful gesture by Sri Lankan cricket. As Dimuth Karunaratne gears up to walk out to the middle, a guard of honour has been presented by youngsters from school cricket, raising their bats as Karunaratne walks past. Oh wait. not so soon. Not before you meet me, says Angelo Mathews. He stops Karunaratne right in his tracks and embraces him, with a warm smile. Probably muttering in his ears, ‘Aye, you leaving before me? Not fair!’ Jokes apart, Mathews leads him for a foot or two and then lets Karunaratne soak in the moment. And here come the Aussies too. Steven Smith is readily waiting for him, congratulating him and then embracing him in a hug as well. Really nice scenes to view. And now, we are ready for the match to begin. Mitchell Starc has the new ball in his hand, with two slips and a gully waiting behind. Pathum Nissanka, Karunaratne’s opening partner, will face the first ball, understandably so, letting Dimuth settle down with his emotions. Here we go then…
