Feature

Classical Silva the opener SL need

Though unlike the flamboyant Sri Lankan openers of the past, Kaushal Silva's value to the side may extend well beyond his batting output in years to come

Kaushal Silva remained unbeaten on 80 at stumps on the second day  •  Ishara S.Kodikara/AFP/Getty Images

Kaushal Silva remained unbeaten on 80 at stumps on the second day  •  Ishara S.Kodikara/AFP/Getty Images

Kaushal Silva watches Zulfiqar Babar's left arm flap away in the bowler's approach, observes the work on the ball, reads its trajectory, shuffles across his stumps and shoulders arms. It is day two's final delivery from the Fort End - the last Silva would face before stumps.
Across all three downsized sessions, against both seam and spin, Silva shuffled across to leave, ducked beneath short balls, or strode forward to defend. Of the 197 deliveries faced in this innings, he didn't attempt to score off 123. It's possible Silva spends more energy on his pre-ball routine, (which involves the strumming of an invisible ukulele, a weird, arching inspection of the back of his bat, and loads of pad fiddling), than he does on playing most balls.
Silva will know he's a dwindling breed now, because in Sri Lanka and across the world, openers are increasingly dynamic. With Dimuth Karunaratne and Upul Tharanga his likely long-term opening partners, Silva might spend much of his career watching more adventurous batsmen have more fun and earn more headlines, at the other end. But equally, he will know his team needs a sober foil - men driving Ferraris need a tow-truck to haul them out of a ditch every now and then.
Sri Lanka has had trouble nailing down a stable opening combination since the early noughties, when Sanath Jayasuriya and Marvan Atapattu shared the first stand. Of the many experiments since then, Silva's neurotic method, appears the most likely to bring long-term success. Even when he's scratching around, letting bad balls go unpunished, he gives the impression his innings will come good eventually. Selectors have been won over this way too. His average floats in the mid-30s after 16 Tests, but since his recall in 2013, his place in the side has been virtually secure.
He had good fortune on Thursday, but then this Pakistan side has its daily dropped catch quota to fill, so you expect to be reprieved occasionally. On 6 from 17, Silva threw his bat at a short, wide ball, sending it straight to the point fielder Yasir Shah, who seemingly attempted to trap it with his wrists.
A nervous starter in any case, the chance appeared to put Silva even further on edge. Kumar Sangakkara bore the worst of Wahab Riaz' short-ball inquisition either side of lunch, but while the senior batsman tried to unsettle the bowler with a pull shot every now and then, Silva squatted swiftly beneath the bouncers.
Slow bowlers arguably posed greater threat on an already-turning pitch. He batted with three left-handers on day two, but though Babar and Yasir Shah were taking the ball away from him, Silva managed the spinners best, crouching in defence until a long hop came along to pounce on. The cut shot was his most productive stroke, bringing 26 runs, though he drove the half volleys equally efficiently, if not as often.
Younger Sri Lanka batsmen may not look enviously at Silva's cricket, but the odd tip on temperament might not go amiss. Lahiru Thirimanne - the man being groomed for the soon-to-be-vacated no. 3 position - carelessly holed out to mid on for eight, having seemed in good touch till then.
"The best thing we can learn from Kaushal is his patience," Thirimanne said. "On a track like this, where it turns a bit and it's tough for batsmen, there's a temptation to go for unnecessary shots. He played an excellent innings, and he's been consistently scoring runs for Sri Lanka. He trusts his technique and doesn't think much about being aggressive."
Silva's value to Sri Lanka may extend well beyond his batting output in years to come, when Sangakkara's retirement leaves behind a top order brimming with men in their mid-20s. Silva, 29, has limited experience in international cricket, but Angelo Mathews will appreciate his level head and quiet determination, when he attempts to manage a side full of players making names for themselves. Already Mathews is looking for cricketers to whom he can turn for reasoned counsel. Jehan Mubarak's recall at 34-years-old is understood to be partly driven by this desire.
Kaushal will resume 20 short of his first hundred against a top-eight side. He has a spate of good fifties behind him - mostly innings where he'd seemed secure, then found a way to get out. Perhaps this is the series his patience truly begins to pay off, for him, and his team.

Andrew Fidel Fernando is ESPNcricinfo's Sri Lanka correspondent. @andrewffernando