Daijiworld Media Network - Colombo
Colombo, Feb 17: There was a time when Pathum Nissanka’s home in Kalutara was so modest that even a determined school coach struggled to find it. Years later, the same boy would script history on the global stage, becoming the first centurion of the 2026 T20 World Cup and guiding Sri Lanka into the Super 8 with a breathtaking knock against Australia.
The journey began in hardship. Pradeep Nishantha, a school coach from Colombo, had heard of a prodigious batting talent in Kalutara and was keen to secure his admission. But locating the small government-built house—one among many constructed for tsunami-affected families—proved impossible. Finally, a call was made. They would meet at Kalutara Bodiya, the famed temple where Nissanka’s mother sold flowers to devotees to support the family.
On the temple steps, with admission papers in hand, the young boy signed up for a new life. “This is the greatest blessing you can get,” Nishantha would later recall, underlining the significance of that moment.
Nissanka’s father worked as a ground staff member at the Kalutara Esplanade cricket ground, preparing pitches where other children chased their cricketing dreams. For him, the ambition was simple yet distant — to see his son become a cricketer in Colombo, the hub of Sri Lanka’s cricketing future.
Even after securing admission, financial hurdles loomed large. Living expenses in Colombo were a constant strain until help arrived from an unlikely quarter. Nishantha’s friend, employed at Jayaratne Florists, persuaded his company to provide a monthly allowance for the talented youngster. Their faith was rewarded when Nissanka, on his Test debut in the West Indies, struck a century. The florist who once supported him quietly even gifted him Rs 2.5 lakh ahead of the tour.
On Monday at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, the boy from the temple flower stall blossomed fully. Facing Australia in a must-win clash, Nissanka unleashed a masterclass — a 52-ball hundred studded with ten fours and five sixes. Calm, compact and commanding, he dismantled the Australian attack with authority.
Speaking through translator Jehan Mubarak, Nissanka remained understated. “The wicket was pretty good today and I played my normal game,” he said, brushing aside the enormity of becoming the first centurion of the 2026 T20 World Cup.
His partnership with Kusal Mendis laid the foundation during the powerplay, but it was Nissanka’s composure and calculated aggression that carried Sri Lanka home. Australia had planned for pressure situations; what they encountered instead was a batsman forged through years of patience and perseverance.
Fittingly, his name translates to “hope” in Sinhala. From signing school admission papers at a temple to raising his bat on the world stage, Nissanka’s journey reflects the power of belief — of a coach who searched, a father who toiled, a mother who sold flowers, and strangers who extended quiet support.
Between the temple steps of Kalutara and the roaring stands of Pallekele lies a story not just of cricketing excellence, but of faith rewarded.