Sharjah: Making a unique comeback, UAE's national coach and former Sri Lanka Test player Chandika Hatharusinghe picked the bat himself to rescue his injury-ridden team in a Twenty20 cricket match organised by the Sharjah Cricket Council.
And what more, Chandika even helped the Emirates Cricket Board Blues stun Fly Emirates, UAE's strongest local cricket team, by smashing 82 off 59 balls with the help of seven fours and four sixes.
"I decided to play because four of our regular players were injured and we were left with only three batsmen. It was nice to get some runs and help my team record a good total," Chandika was quoted as saying by the Gulf News on Monday.
Chandika made UAE's main strike bowlers Javed Ismail and Khuram Khan look very ordinary.
"The Fly Emirates has a very good bowling attack. It was good to experience the bowlers that I coach (in the senior team), from the middle. It helped me assess the bowlers better than from the pavilion," said Chandika, who played for Sri Lanka in 26 Tests and 35 One-Dayers.
Chandika's knock helped the team pile up an impressive 151 for 5 in 20 overs. Emirates were restricted to 119 in 18.4 overs.
Chandika also shone with the ball, taking one wicket with his gentle medium pace, and providing good support to Wasim Bari and Aosaf Ali, who took two wickets each.
"It was good to play for a young team and motivate them to a sensational victory," said 37-year-old Chandika, who had scored eight half-centuries in Test matches and four fifties in One-Dayers in the 90s.
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