Colombo: Mohammad Siraj first silenced the capacity Sunday crowd at Premadasa Stadium with a dream spell of 6/21, which included 4 wickets in an over.
The fast bowler literally finished off Sri Lanka’s challenge in the Asia Cup final even before the home team had settled down after opting to bat first. And when Team India galloped to a 10-wicket victory in just 6.1 overs, Siraj was the obvious choice for Man-of-the-Match award.
Presented with a trophy and cheque for $5,000, Siraj won over the crowd, fellow players and officials with a great gesture – giving his entire prize money to members of the ground staff.
“I want to give this cash prize to the groundsmen. They deserve it. If they were not around, this tournament would not have been successful,” Siraj said at the post-match presentation.
Siraj was referring to the stellar work done by ground staff at Premadasa Stadium over the past week or so, when wet weather was a constant irritant in the Sri Lankan capital city.
Rain and wet outfield affected almost every match played at this venue, and it was their tireless work after the weathergod relented that made the ground fit for cricket.
Be it covering the pitch and surrounding area quickly after the onset of rain or mopping off water from the covers and drying up the damp outfield, the ground staff were super efficient.
Even today, a heavy drizzle just 10 minutes before the start of play delayed proceedings. But the groundsmen made sure that the final got underway soon after the rains relented.
