It’s not the end of the world
View(s):We Sri Lankans are often self-believers. I remember way back in 1960, Sri Lankan born Bill Forbes who built up a singing career in England came up with that hit single “It’s not the end of the world”. Notwithstanding the drubbing we received at the hands of minnows Zimbabwe in the warm-up or what happened in the World Cup opener against New Zealand yesterday; I still believe in that pragmatic indulgence “It’s not the end of the World”.
Being aligned to Lankan cricket for the past few decades, I have learned that the Lankans do have that uncanny ability to up or down their standard of performance according to the opponent at the other end of the wicket. In short inwardly against a strong opponent always in crux tournaments like the World Cup the Lankans have upped their performance – tightening a few sagging corners.
Likewise they also have come down and lost. Sri Lanka lost to teeny-weeny Kenya in the World Cup of 2003, giving a little known leg spinner Collins Obuya his niche in cloud nine — even for a while. Remember the 2003 batting lineup contained names like – Sanath Jayasuriya, Marvan Atapattu, Hashan Tillekeratne, Aravinda de Silva, Mahela Jayawardena, Kumar Sangakkara, Russell Arnold and Avishka Gunawardena. That’s how they downed their game according to the opponent.
Yet, it was not the end of the world for them. The Lankans then ran up to the semi-finals till they were undone by the ultimate winner Australia — rather convincingly. Yet, they did reach the semi-finals.
However, Sri Lanka’s 1999 effort also flashes across my mind. There are still some big names associated with that debacle in the Lankan dressing room – like head coach Marvan Atapattu, Chief Selector Sanath Jayasuriya and fast bowling Coach Chaminda Vaas along with the most experienced playing cricketer in the game, Mahela Jayawardena.
They are well aware of what in-house squabbles are and their consequences, as had been the case in 1999. They know as to who were originally chosen by the selectors and who did finally turn up in England. They very well know all about the uneasy situation that prevailed in the dressing room. They are well aware of what did take place in the aftermath of getting kicked-out in the first round while defending their hard earned World Cup title in 1996. We cannot erase from our mind how Saurav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid pulverised the Sri Lankan bowling attack.
From the 2003 pick-up, the Lankans were twice runners-up of the ICC World Cup — in 2007 and 2011. So they know about what it is to be up there almost on the pedestal. The sometimes-admiring-and-sometimes-envying eyes keep looking at you.I remember while covering the 2011 final in India – the day prior to the game I was watching this cricket debate on television where Sanath Jayasuriya said, “Those eleven soldiers carry the aspirations of twenty million cricket crazy people in Sri Lanka”. Then one of the panelists, a former cricketer, countered the claim by saying – “Back in New Delhi I have twenty million neighbours, but, those guys who will take the field tomorrow carry the aspirations of many more people”. Yet, Jayasuriya’s contention had more appeal, I thought.
Ironically, the Lankans lost the final to India and left the host nation with some unfinished business.
Back in 1996, the Lankans finished their part of the ICC World Cup business by winning the trophy running against the wind.
A few days ago, our the Sunday Times Business Club invited Arjuna Ranatunga, Aravinda de Silva and Muttiah Muralitharan to talk about the 2015 World Cup and the Lankan chances. Being avowed Lankan supporters, they backed Sri Lanka to win the trophy, but, did not forget to take their former colleagues – the national selectors — to the cleaners.
They also spoke about how they won the Magical trophy that brought focus upon Lankan cricket. I like to share a few anecdotes that were discussed that night.
It was the day of the final against the big guns Australia at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. Former Pakistani captain Imran Khan who knows the conditions of the Lahore wicket more than anyone else walked into the Lankan dressing room and said, “If you win the toss, you bat on it”. Yet, the Lankans knew where their strength laid. Arjuna Ranatunga confessed, “When I walked on to the field I was a bit puzzled. So was my team, we knew that Imran Khan meant well and he knew what he was talking about. Besides he already had led Pakistan to a World Cup win. Yet, my intuition told me to hold my cards close to my heart – Soon as I won the toss, I said you bat and the rest is history”.
Muttiah Muralitharan was talking of the 2011 defeat in the final. “I still rue that decision to bat first. In the 1996 World Cup final I was not a senior and I did not have a voice, but in 2011, I certainly had. We all knew about the evening dew and how the conditions would change in the second session of the game. So I was vehement that we should bowl first and chase. But, in the midst, the loss of Angelo Mathews who was batting well in the middle to injury, affected us. So the batting department did not want to take the onus on chasing a sizable total. So we weighed the risks and decided to bat first and like we feared, the bowlers lost the grip of the ball and the game when the dew arrived.”
Yet, the present situation is a bit more complex. Right now what ails Lankan cricket is the bowling. Yet, this same bowling attack won more One-Day Internationals than any other team in 2014. They won the Asia Cup and the ICC T-20 title. They white washed the Englishmen on their own backyard. To complete that, fast bowler Shaminda Eranga was spot on with a bouncer in the penultimate ball of the final Test match.
Then, what went wrong in just four months? We won those accolades with the same set of players and the team management. Now we are on the slide with the same set still in focus. The squabble is in the bowling department. Disharmony ruined the 1999 effort while defending the title. But, this time is it job security of some vital positions that is driving the team bus backwards? Or else this is just a prelude of – “It’s not the end of the World – we are on our way back!”