Since reaching the finals of ICC Cricket World Cup in 2007 in the Caribbean, Sri Lanka have had a tough time in ODI cricket dropping further and further down the rankings.

Currently they hold the joint number six position with England, just above West Indies, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. There were many setbacks during the last two years which included series losses to England and India (twice) at home and the loss in the tri-nation Commonwealth Bank Series in Australia.

The win in the Asia Cup came as temporary consolation and Sri Lanka may have turned the trend with a series win against Pakistan a few weeks back.

One issue that worried the team throughout the disappointing times was a struggling top and middle order. Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene have shouldered most of burdens and the late emergence of Thilan Samaraweera maybe the solace the Sri Lankans were so desperately looking for.

He did struggle in the series against Pakistan, making his comeback in the ODI team after four years. Against Pakistan, he managed scores of 10, 38 n.o., 0, 2 in the four matches he played and the selectors would have moved on had he not hit a purple patch during the Test series against New Zealand, where he hit successive hundreds.

But at the age of 32, he will turn 33 when Sri Lanka play their first match of the Champions Trophy tournament in South Africa, with the World Cup two years away, the selectors would have looked at other options if he hadn’t made a big contribution.

And when it mattered most, he delivered with his maiden ODI century, having played his first ODI 11 years ago.

That should put any doubts about his place in the side to rest as other middle-order batsmen, with whom the selectors have persisted, have failed to show hunger. Take the case of Chamara Kapugedara! He has played 65 ODIs, but hasn’t made a century. Jehan Mubarak is yet to make a hundred having played in 38 ODIs while Chamara Silva played in 55 ODIs scoring just a solitary hundred.

Samaraweera, meanwhile, has only played 22 ODIs and, with Tuesday’s match winning knock, warrants a regular place in the side to end Sri Lanka’s desperate search to end their middle-order woes.

"I felt my ODI career was over. But then, something also told me that with the middle-order struggling in One-day cricket, I could get an opportunity, especially as I had done well in Test matches during the last 18 months," Samaraweera told journalists after his Man of the Match winning effort.

He added that there was pressure after questions were raised in some quarters arguing his place in the ODI side.

"A lot of people felt that I wasn’t good enough to play ODI cricket and that created a lot of pressure. But the fact that I scored successive hundreds against New Zealand in the Tests gave me some confidence. After getting to 50 here, I felt I could play some shots and that paid off," he added.