3 reasons why Pathum Nissanka can become one of the best Test openers in the world
st Scotland's Brandon McMullen, then English wicketkeeper Jamie Smith and finally Sri Lankan opener Pathum Nissanka - the last weekend was one of the most brilliant if you are a fan of young, elegant right-handed batters who stand out in their national teams due to their unique skills.
We have already spoken a lot about Smith on this website and McMullen is on our radar too, as we see him grow into a special talent for Scotland. But Monday (September 9) is all about Nissanka.
In a few hours of this piece's publishing, the 26-year-old would be on the verge of winning Sri Lanka a historic Test against England at the Oval. After his side bowled a casual-looking English lineup for just 156 in the third innings, Nissanka came out and smashed 53 runs off 44 balls with seven boundaries.
The series is lost but like always, Sri Lankan cricket is fighting for something much greater. They are fighting to stay relevant and strong enough to challenge in overseas Tests and they have just 125 runs stopping them.
You can expect Nissanka to bat with a similar ruthless intent that he did on Sunday but even if he gets out early and/or Sri Lanka lose the Test, he has shown enough to put his name in as potentially one of the best Test openers in the world. Here's why:
#3 High-intent top-order batters is the way to go in Tests
Nissanka made his Test debut all the way back in 2021. He was dropped after a year despite scoring a century and five half-centuries in nine Tests.
Whats's the guarantee that it won't happen again? Well, this time, the timing is perfectly right for him.
This is slowly becoming the era of high-intent Test openers. It started with England and India but now almost every team is working towards openers who are dynamic and not just defensive and wear-down-the-shine types.
When impatience becomes popular in Tests, teams will move more towards ODI players with the game to counter-attack and not let bowlers settle. Nissanka, a double-centurion in ODIs, has already shown he has exactly that kind of a temperament.
In fact, he's one of the best ODI openers in the world currently. How he has batted so far in this Test series shows so many similarities with another ODI great who made it big as Test opener in the latter half of his career - Rohit Sharma.
Like India have backed Rohit and the match-winning knocks have followed, the same could be likely for Nissanka. He just needs more confidence in his gameplan which he seems to be getting under Sanath Jayasuriya and team.
#2 Pathum Nissanka has the technique to succeed all around the world
Sri Lankan captain Dhananjaya de Silva has one of the best batting techniques in the country, which is why he often stands like a rock without giving too many chances to the opposition in pressure situation.
This is what he said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo, after Sri Lanka lost the first Test of the series where Nissanka didn't play:
"Pathum is the best batter in the country at the moment. He has a good mindset and he has a good technique. If we can get him into the team, that's great. I have been talking about it for a while now. I think he will adjust to any format."
The pitch at the Oval isn't the easiest to bat on. Even on the fourth day, and even under a blanket of sunshine, it offered substantial swing and seam movement for bowlers.
But Nissanka has shown he has the technique to counter that. Having grown up in Sri Lanka, his spin game is unquestionable but even against pace, his backfoot game and the ability to play it late plus pick his moments and gaps to score runs is exemplary.
That would not help him succeed only in England but also in Australia, South Africa and the sub-continent. There aren't many in Sri Lanka's top flight like that and it'd be foolish to not back him for the foreseeable future.
#1 Has shown all the temperament and maturity one can by age of 26
Techqniue isn't everything. But technique combined with temperament is. And you can't score an ODI double hundred without the right portion of both, ask Rohit or Jayasuriya.
Nissanka is just 26 years old and he has already been Sri Lanka's second-highest run-scorer in an ODI World Cup while also scoring at least one half-century against every opponent he has faced more than once in ODIs.
Some of these have been high-intent knocks in extremely difficult situations. And, surely, it can't be easy to play like he has so far against England when you have been given a chance at a time where if you fail, you would almost be seen as the scapegoat for the loss.
There's so much promise in Nissanka's batting. Now it's on Sri Lanka to get the best out of him.