Presenting the looking glass to Jayasuriya and Co
View(s):Recently an article in an Australian newspaper discussed about the Australian woes in India and the coming Ashes tour where they would have to cope with the gutsy Englishmen on their own backyard.
The author of the article was lamenting about the Australian batting woes in the aftermath of the Ponting-Hussey era and was convinced that the new generation of players besides skipper Michael Clarke was not equipped enough to take on either the English or for that matter the Indian bowling attacks. However, there was also an interesting passing mention about the friendly Lankan bowling attack which failed to point out any of the above faults while they were playing the three Test matches Down Under. In fact Sri Lanka lost all three Test matches and they did lose the matches very badly.
It was a different story in the limited overs versions where Sri Lanka won both T-20 matches and also shared the rubber with the home team in the five-match ODI series with a 2-all result as the fourth match at Sydney was rained off.
In the shorter version the Lankan bowlers who looked dormant during the Test series came alive and honestly played some tricks with the Australian batsmen and in one game remember the Australians were all out for 74 runs failing to the pace of Nuwan Kulasekera. The matches were played without Ponting, “Mr. Cricket” Michael Hussey or Michael Clarke.
Then the Lankans came back home to take on the ‘not so bright’ Bangladesh outfit, and huffed, puffed and nearly blew their own house down before they beat the visitors 1-0 in the Tests, but slipped once again to share the ODI rubber 1-all.
This magic of the Lankan cricket really intrigues and also scares the daylights out of me on most occasions. They have an uncanny capability to change gears to suit situations and oppositions.
Just imagine in Test cricket Sri Lanka holds the highest team score of 952 for 6 declared against India at the R. Premadasa Stadium in August 1997. They also have reached the mark of 700+ on three occasions and the 600 run mark on eight occasions. The highest innings total is currently held by a country against another in T-20 is Sri Lanka — 260–6 off 20 overs against Kenya in Johannesburg on September 14, 2007.
Sri Lanka has been featured in the World Cup finals thrice in 1996, 2007 and 2011 – winning it in 1996. The Lankans have the honour of being the country to win a major trophy quickest after gaining full status — in just sixteen years.
The man who owns the Test bowling record of 800 wickets is Muttiah Muralitharan, and the more could be added to the list, but it may become exhaustive.
Sri Lanka may hold those firsts and the records, but, as that Australian author said there is some ingredient lacking in its cricket along with the long list of pluses. The Lankan cricket curry is not in its best up to now, some major ingredients are missing.
Originally there were thirteen cricketers from Sri Lanka who signed with the Indian Premier League for 2013. Nevertheless, Nuwan Kulasekera and Akila Dhananjaya who were chosen by the Chennai Super Kings became non starters in the aftermath of the anti-Sri Lankan wave in the Indian State of Tamil Nadu.
However, Muttiah Muralitharan and Tillakaratne Dilshan (Royal Challengers Bangalore), Kumar Sangakkara and Thisara Perera (Sunrisers Hyderabad), Mahela Jayawardena and Jeevan Mendis (Delhi Daredevils), Sachithra Senanayake (Kolkata Knight Riders), Lasith Malinga (Mumbai Indians), Ajantha Mendis and Angelo Mathews (Pune Warriors) and Kushal Janith Perera (Rajasthan Royals) remain in the fray.
In the past IPLs Lankan fast bowler Lasith Malinga bowled himself into the crescent becoming its all-time highest wickets taker, but this season, though he yet remains as one of their strike bowlers, he is not as lethal as he used to be. Even while turning out for Sri Lanka in the latter stages he was given scant respect by the Indian batsmen and it culminated with a vicious attack on him by
West Indies’ Marlon Samuels in the World T-20 cricket finals which were ironically played in Sri Lanka.
Let alone the others …….these are the real stake holders of Sri Lanka cricket today. - Pic Amila Gamage
Besides Malinga, allrounder Thisara Perera has managed to salvage some pride for Lankan cricket, but, even Tissera is not the hottest property at the Sunrisers Hyderabad either.
Then Jeevan Mendis for the Delhi Daredevils, Sachithra Senanayake at Kolkata Knight Riders (He fetched $625,000 in spite of not being a regular for the Lankan side), Ajantha Mendis at Pune Warriors, Kushal Janith Perera at Rajasthan Royals have become passengers in their respective sides, though KKR has put some onus on Senanayake. However the sorriest figures of the IPL season six has been cut by the Lankan seniors. The world’s best bowler in every form of cricket Muttiah Muralitharan is more in the dug-out while T.M. Dilshan is struggling to middle the ball while West Indian Chris Gayle keeps thumping records at the other end.
The other two sorry figures are the much respected Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardena, captains of their respective teams – Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Daredevils. I hope they would realise their own inadequacies and not bid for the next IPL. After seeing hangers on in the international scene like Sanath Jayasuriya and even Sachin Tendulkar to a great extent, we feel that both these cricketers should value their self-esteem.
However the sorriest story comes from the Pune Warriors. The incumbent Sri Lankan Test and ODI skipper Angelo Mathews as captain of his team became an embarrassment to them and soon he was given the orange jacket at the dugout. The captaincy was given to Australian Aaron Finch who is yet to represent his own country proper.
This is the core of the problem. Imagine Mathews has just taken over as the Lankan skipper in Tests and ODIs. Right now he is in India, but cannot find a place in the final XI of the Pune Warriors. He was proved as a failure as a captain where the Warriors are concerned. Just following this tournament he is supposed to be leading the Lankan team for the Champions Trophy in England immediately followed by the shortened tour of the West Indies. Can you tell me what his mind set would be? Couldn’t it be well into the minus right now?
I feel out of the members of the top teams who turn out for matches at the IPL, the Lankans have become the non-performers.
Isn’t it curious? As a team here the Lankans have performed as a unit and reached the pinnacle in the past. But, as individuals they have collapsed like the slipping dominos, thus making them a bunch of left-footed warriors. Can this have an impact in our overall performances?
It is high time even the seniors, the juniors and the bungling selectors just sit tight and look inwards. Well in the Champions Trophy selections, Jayasuriya and company have not taken any risks and even the ‘A’ team selections are more balanced where the four-day games are concerned.
We feel this is not the right time to cut throats or chop arms. This is not the time to promote your political friend’s son. This is not the time to pass the ball and try to put the halo over your blinking nut.
We as a team have begun to fail. Still the true impact has not affected us, but the day is not too far. We also genuinely feel that Sanath Jayasuriya, Hashan Tillekeratne and Pramodya Wickremasinghe have played enough contemporary cricket to understand the real situation. We hope they world do the right things to Lankan cricket before humpty falls off the wall.
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