Phoenix act the Lankan way after holocaust in India
View(s):It’s time to wake from that bad dream. Yes, we all know it was a hasty decision and an ill-prepared tour which culminated in a historical disaster. Yet, it was not holocaust. Still, in spite of facing an almost holocaust, Hiroshima and Nagasaki rose up like phoenix, my distant memory recalls.
Once again it must be reiterated that going with a makeshift team to meet India in India is just suicide. The Indians have taught bitter lessons to fully fledged Australian teams with some of the biggest names in cricket history while taking them in their backyard. So what the Lankan management did was idiotic, but, it is time to bury the dead. Now the Englishmen like the Lankans in India have come for their seven-match 
challenge minus their playmakers — Stuart Broad and James Anderson. Now it is the chance for the Lankans to perform the Phoenix act.
Lankan cricket chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya sees the importance of this opportunity. Speaking to the Sunday Times on his immediate plans, Jayasuriya said: “This is the best opportunity. We are now playing in our own conditions and we must make the maximum out of this series to erase the bad memories of the Indian tour”.
“During the Indian series, we may have lacked the bowling strength, but, the batting was full to capacity. But, they failed; there is no excuse for that. However, what they would have to do is to get to their basics and begin to gel.”
Jayasuriya said he did accept part of the blame for the disappointing tour and added, “I am only the selector; there is a whole machine out there who are trained and are expected to provide us with the necessary ingredients to take our cricket forward. However, it was frustrating to see the youngsters failing to maximise on the opportunities provided to them. For them it would be a task and for us as a whole; it is time to go back to the basics and rebuild our confidence during the England leg of the near future”.
When asked about his spat with the two most senior players – Mahela Jayawardena and Kumar Sangakkara — and how he hopes to rebuild the patchy road ahead, Jayasuriya said he believed that bitter episode was left behind and their job would be to concentrate on the job at hand and the important World Cup ahead.
Jayasuriya said that only satisfactory aspect of the Indian tour was bouncing back to form by Lahiru Thirimanne who batted well in that pivotal number six slot. The chief selector added: “The number six slot in our lineup has given us a lot of problems in the recent past, but, I am glad to note that Thirimanne fitted into that slot and batted well in spite of the pressure he was in, every time he walked on to the crease. He said even in Bangladesh when Thirimanne was asked open he did that job very impressively and that is the hallmark of a utility player.
The Lankan chief selector said they have brought in gritty Kaushal Silva for the warm up matches as an opener.
“This slot is another which we have burned a lot of candles on. We are looking at Silva to open the inning and hold on to one end, so that the others could bat around him. I remember Marvan used to play that role when I opened batting for Sri Lanka. More often than not it worked. Previously Asanka Gurusinha used to play that role — to keep one cautious end and let the others bat around you.
“However, besides that, we also have the idea of using Mahela Jayawardena as an opener. That is one option that we have. Remember during the Asia Cup, Lahiru Thirimanne took up the challenge and batted at the top of the order and was very successful. So I can say now we have quite a few options, but they have to work if we are to do well in our short run to the World Cup,” Jayasuriya said.
The Lankans, however, just as the English visitors, are also handicapped without the services of their reliable seam duo of Suranga Lakmal and Lasith Malinga who are still recovering from their injuries. According to Jayasuriya, Lakmal may be available for the second half of the England tour. But still the chief selector is rather tentative in pushing the bowler in hastily. He said, “It is a catch-22 situation. Our main goal is to have the full attack ready for the World Cup. Yet, at the same time the two main fast bowlers will need a few matches behind them prior to the tournament proper. So we have to act very cautiously.”In the spin department, time-tested Rangana Herath who was rested for the hasty Indian tour will be back in the fray. This means half the woes of skipper Angelo Mathews who had some desperate moments in India will be done away with. However one hopes that the selectors will open their eyes and try out off spinner P.H.T. Kaushal instead of groping in the dark with half-baked trundlers with outside influence. Well, the selectors already have learned some lessons, so why should they risk their reputation further by committing hara-kiri.
Meanwhile, we learn that Sachithra Senanayake finally flew off to India this morning to face the official re-scrutiny of his bowling action at the ICC accredited South Indian facility.
Senanayake whose action was worked upon by the SLC’s Max Academy coaching staff after he was tested privately at the University of Western Australia was bowling to the satisfaction of those who were concerned. A fortnight ago, he flew to the same facility in Chennai on his own steam and came up with encouraging footage. This prompted the Lankan authority to seek permission from the ICC to Test on the bowler again.
Within the next fortnight the official results of Senanayake’s tests should reach the Lankan authorities. If he is given the green light he would be drafted into the Lankan squad immediately.
All in all, it looks as if the Lankans are picking up the pieces and getting on with their cricket in the post-Indian massacre. We fell into that rut knowingly and now it’s our responsibility to get our cricket out of this rut ASAP.