Charith Asalanka emerged as the hero for Sri Lanka in the nail-biting contest between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the semi-final of the Asia Cup 2023. Asalanka did something really impressive which displayed his game awareness, he did something that is often overlooked when the match is finished but this time it did catch the eye of some fine names of the game. - R Ashwin and Venkatesh Prasad.


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"Absolutely! Just, He missed the ball, Asalanka was charging down the pitch ( high octane pressure ) and yet this guy stood his ground until the keeper missed his attempt and then started running," wrote R Ashwin.



"All I can say is that these sort of reactions come from practice and this happens mostly in Tennis ball cricket."


"Great game awareness from Pramod Madushan yesterday night. Did not leave the crease until Asalanka made it. Very impressive. @ashwinravi99 probably one of the finest at making good use of  the rules would be v impressed," wrote Venkatesh Prasad.


What exactly happened?


Asalanka was back on strike, giving Sri Lanka the upper hand. With Sri Lanka needing six from three, Pakistan gained momentum thanks to a dot ball and a single. Pakistan appeared to be winning with Pramod on strike and Zaman growing more and more confident. But everything was altered by a flash of underappreciated brilliance. Pramod attempted a swing but missed, and Zaman bowled full, slow, and outside off. Asalanka, meantime, had already left for a single. Pramod could have—or rather, should have—sprinted off in order to complete the single and avoid handing Pakistan another wicket after spotting his partner more than halfway over the track.


Law 30.2 of the MCC, pertaining to "which is a batter's ground" explains that: "If only one batter is within a ground, it is his/her ground and will remain so even if he/she is later joined there by the other batter. If both batters are in the same ground and one of them subsequently leaves it, the ground belongs to the batter who remains in it."