Apart from a number of stunning surprises the Sri-Lanka Pakistan Test Series played in this island nation was marked by the outstanding performances of Sri Lanka’s bowlers, notably three unheralded blokes: Nuwan Kulasekera, Rangana Herath and Thilina Thushara (who has "Mirando" emblazoned on his shirt).

The series commenced with sudden news to the effect that Murlithartan was injured. This meant that the side was seriously weakened – or so we thought – at the outset. In contrast, Pakistan was greatly strengthened by their measured decision to omit the over-rated prima donna and non-team man, Shoaib Akthar. But they then undermined themselves by omitting squad member, Danish Kaneria, from their starting Elevens in the first two Tests. Kaneria can be profligate with loose balls, but he is a wicket-taker in conditions of the sort found in Sri Lanka – as the Third Test showed.

Pakistan also contributed to their downfall with shoddy fielding (to judge from written accounts by others) and by some injudicious strokes from well-set batsmen at crucial moments, which helped trigger collapses.

The Sri Lankan team can be proud of its wins in the first two Tests and a sterling recovery that enabled them to draw the Third Test at the SSC grounds; but they will be aware that their batting was brittle and patchy. As pleasing for the future was the arrival of Angelo Mathews as a Test player of potential class. He developed in maturity and underwrote the promise revealed earlier in the different format of T20. A reasonable and intelligent fielder, his capacity to take the odd wicket as a medium bowler of military medium-pace compounds his primary asset, the capacities as a batsman.

Again, it is pleasing to see Thushara’s emergence. I have never had doubts about Kulasekera’s steadiness and heart. But with Thushara, there was question-mark in my mind about his consistency of length. Well, he answered me strongly by revealing steadiness and an ability to hold his nerve in difficult match conditions. Especially notable was his spell at the start of the last day at Galle when he combined with Herath toset off a stupendous Pakistani batting debacle. Thushara also brings one other plus to the side as a bowler: he is tall and lanky, an asset in bouncy pitches. This lankiness restricts his athleticism and there is a question-mark around his fielding; but his recent ODI fielding demonstrates a capacity to improve and suggests that he will not descend to the depths of a De Zoysa.

Rather in contrast, the wonder-boy, Ajantha Mendis, the inventor of the carrom-ball and the tormentor of India at home just one year back, had limited success, though the few wickets he secured were an important contribution to Sri Lanka’s wins in the first two Tests. But, overall, he was tamed by the Pakistanis.

He was omitted in the Third Test – for the wrong reasons. The Selectors decided to re-insert Chaminda Vaas in the side because they wished to offer him a farewell testimonial match and, to conjecture, because the SSC pitch has been his happy hunting ground. In the result, the Selectors (and here surely Bayliss and others would not have supported the decision) skewed the balance of the XI.

Vaas is a lovely fellow and Sri Lankan cricket owes him a great deal. But this last encomium was not the way to go. Chaminda himself was one source of the confusion regarding his retirement – to judge matters on the basis of Sa’adi Thawfeeq’s article on the issue. But if he was to be parachuted into the side, it should have been at the expense of one of the three medium-pace bowlers not Mendis.

In any event, I hold firmly that this was not the type of final bouquet to provide a great player. There is no room for sentimentality in composing sides. Sri Lanka was weakened by his presence instead of Mendis (and the other medium pace bowlers secured better results than Vaas). It would have been a far better setting for both Vaas and Sri Lanka if SLC had organised a special ceremony for this lion-hearted servant of cricket prior to one of the ODI matches at Khettarama Stadium – in front of a massive crowd that would have contrasted with the paltry few at the SSC.

What would have been the outcome of the third Test if Mendis had played instead of Vaas? Or, alternatively, what would have happened if one of Kulasekera, Thushara and Mathews been omitted instead? Let me leave readers today with these two impossible conundrums.