By Jonty Ralphsmith
It was the day of Nuwan and season of improvement for Dandenong West.
In the Bulls’ first season down in Turf 3 of the Dandenong District Cricket Association, they had the former Sri Lankan international heralding a deep side with a mix of youth and experience.
Kulasekara smacked them with the stick, sent them down quickly and got … off … in the Grand Final.
Opponents Coomoora, the clear next-best all season, was on the back foot either side of a well-constructed fifth wicket partnership between skipper Liam Hard and Charith Fernando.
For most sides in the competition, the loss of four early wickets, as the ‘Roos were consigned to, would have led to an early finish.
Their depth with bat, both on grand final day and throughout the season, instils confidence that the club will remain a contender next season.
Dandy West’s ascendancy began on controversial footing.
Opener Lance Baptist left a ball alone before lackadaisically wandering out of his crease for the briefest of moments, when ‘keeper Dyl Diacono pounced with a stumping.
It cued questions about whether the ball was dead, given Diacono didn’t immediately release the ball.
“It was huge because Lance has looked exceptional with the stick post Christmas and he was looking really dangerous again today, so for Dyl to be switched on enough to hit the stumps, first of all, and to know Lance was wandering around a little bit was really important, because it opened the game up slightly for us,” skipper Anthony Brannan said.
It was part of an excellent display of glove-work across 40 overs for Diacono, who also came up to the stumps against seamers when demanded and took a spectacular lunging catch to reach a high ball later, preventing the tail from wagging.
“He’s really confident, he wanted the batters to change a few things that he had seen so he does a really good job,” Brannan said.
Kulasekara struck twice the following over, removing Coomoora’s two best batters, Rahoul Pankhania looking to clear the infield and Dean Krelle with an in-swinging yorker.
“We got Suppree to the wicket early and the big part to that was that Nuwan knocked over Pankhania and Krelle. We knew at that point we had made a big dint in them and bowled our top two five each upfront and then Atkinson worked because he could Suppree first ball of his spell.”
Coach Andy O’Meara’s confidence on the sidelines when Nick Suppree fell illustrated the faith the club has in its deep batting order.
After stemming the loss of wickets and seeing off the quick bowlers, Hard and Fernando really got going in spinners’ Malinga Bandara and Shaun Weir’s later overs.
Overs 18-29 were bowled exclusively by spinners, with the run-rate in that period eclipsing 4.8 to restore some flow to the Coomoora innings.
Fernando looked to come down the wicket when possible and Hard was beaten and struck on the pad several times. In between, he crashed one off the back foot that just about went into nearby backyards, and in between his slot balls, he increasingly pushed his defensive prods into gaps.
The highlight of Fernando’s innings, meanwhile, was an off-drive onto the Lois Twohig Reserve clubrooms which would have gone 90 metres.
Both overall were knocks of fearless intent which put the Bulls under as much pressure as they have been under this season with the partnership worth 105 to put the game back on a knife’s-edge.
“We didn’t do anything differently, we just stuck to our processes and plans and gave the ball to the right people at the right time,” Brannan said.
“When we needed to change it, we changed it and allowed ourselves to have some options at the back end, we had four seamers who had overs up their sleeve and that was key to holding them back and in Turf 3 cricket it is difficult for batters to get seamers away.”
The pair smashed six boundaries between them but each was dismissed virtually immediately after reaching 50 with the death overs still to come.
Their premature dismissals wiped at least 20 runs off what they at one stage looked like getting – ultimately, Kulasekara’s masterclass with the bat meant it would have mattered little regardless.
For Dandy West, Diacono saw the shine off the new ball before Nathan Power batted through with Kulasekara.
The former Sri Lankan international showed his class not only by scoring 88 at better than a run a ball, but with some glorious textbook cover drives that far exceeded the level of cricket he was playing.
He’s smashed runs, taken wickets, kept it tight this season, but arguably, more importantly, he’s taught.
Brannan has seen the maturity of batters Diacono, Howarth and Power grow, with the assistance of Kulasekara.
In preseason, Brannan lauded Kulasekara for opening himself up as a resource for others to tap into.
“He’s brought in drills and added leadership which has allowed for the advent of more individualised coaching within the group,“ Brannan said in preseason, and reiterated during the campaign as his mentorship continued.
Left-armer Noman Khan, who has opened the bowling in recent weeks for the Bulls is another magnificent story of a diamond in the rough.
He arrived at Dandy West several years ago as an E Grade player willing to learn. He’s come up through, performed at each grade and returned to the First XI this season when injury opened up an opportunity.
He hasn’t let that opportunity go, averaging a wicket a game, only once going at an economy rate of more than four.
As well as Kulasekara, the club has leveraged the experience of Brannan, Weir, Peter Atkinson, and fellow former Sri Lankan international Malinga Bandara.
Brannan has been a middle-order linchpin, Atkinson bowled some crucial late overs on Saturday and Bandara’s inclusion allows other spinners such as Weir, an allrounder, to play an auxiliary role.
Perhaps the only question mark in a season that’s had just one loss is the sustainability of Kulasekara getting the Bulls out of jail.
For all the maturity of Dandy West as a team, they would likely have lost all three clashes with Coomoora if not for the 40-year-old, whose return remains unclear.
“Another top order bat,” Brannan said when asked what his team needed to be viable in Turf 2.
“We have to be clear about the fact that next year we’re probably playing two day cricket so we have to potentially move into that space as well. I don’t think the gap is huge between Turf 3 and Turf 2.”
Regardless, Dandy West is back amongst it in Turf 2, where they probably feel as though they belong and at a level more cognisant with the standard of cricket their individuals are capable of.
DANDY WEST PREMIERSHIP XI
Shaun Weir: a long-time Bulls clubman who led the batting this season and has chipped in this season. Also bowls handy leggies.
Dylan Diacono: the only Turf 2 ‘keeper to open the batting, he’s better suited to two-day cricket yet has still played an enormous role in 2022-23. Finished with 277 runs including two half-centuries and plenty of balls absorbed taking the shine off the new ball.
Nathan Power: the youngster has come on in leaps and bounds this season. Puts in the hard work and his role is to anchor the middle-order and allow others to bat around him. Played that role well, overtaking his skipper on the runs tally thanks to a solid finals series.
Anthony Brannan: his experience in the middle-order has been important this season and has different tempos he can bat at. Overall, plays a similar role to Power.
Nuwan Kulasekara: elite pace and cunning change-ups with the ball, and an entertaining bat. They got him in and gee, he’s done what they’d hoped.
Malinga Bandara: hasn’t gone to the same levels as Kulasekara this season but as well as his spinners, his late-order batting is handy. The second home and away clash against Coomoora is an example of his important batting.
Bailey Howarth: is one who will be an important asset for Dandy West for a long time. Limited exposure down the order this season but finished some innings well to give the Bulls momentum.
Thushira Madanayaka: limited role in the decider for Dandenong West but always turns up and does what’s needed of him.
Peter Atkinson: been at the club his whole life and has been in and out of the First XI this season, but his seamers were important in the final.
Adam Reid: his death bowling is as good as anyone’s in the competition according to his captain. Would be the best seamer in any other team, yet is probably third best in this XI. What ridiculous depth.
Noman Khan: didn’t come into the XI until post Christmas, but the left-arm seamer opened up on Saturday and while it was Kulasekara who did what he does, it came about partially because of good partnership bowling from Khan. Slotted into the opening bowler’s role seamlessly and his impossibility to attack really clamps down top orders.
