What it must have been like to be Dinesh Chandimal scoring a breathtaking double-century when you thought your Test career was done. What it must have been like to be Prabath Jayasuriya to spin your country to one of their greatest wins on debut when you thought you might never have a Test career. What it must have been like for Dimuth Karunaratne and Angelo Mathews to walk around the stadium posing for selfies with the hundreds of fans and ground staff to cap off this most glorious of chapters of their illustrious Test careers. What it must have been like to be a Sri Lankan cricketer at Galle over the last four days as your country awakened to a new beginning.

Less than a week ago, it all seemed doomed. The fuel crisis had worsened. The economy had fallen further into strife. The government in power was refusing to budge. The protests of those demanding change continued to fall on deaf ears. Sri Lanka was suffering with no real hope in sight. The light at the end of the tunnel was beginning to fade very quickly.

It was pretty much the same on the field too. Karunaratne & Co had been handed a