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Testing time for Sri Lanka on their return to India
Mirror, mirror on the wall
In the space of 3 weeks and seven ODI’s Sri Lanka were knocked off its cricketing perch. In terms of their ranking they were second, behind the mighty Aussies. They have pushed back to number four and should India clinch the ongoing series against the Lankans will tumble down another rank.A month or so ago, Marvan Atapattu was honored at the ICC awards, walking away with the prize of best one day cricket captain for the year. That suddenly became history. A number of tactical moves made by the skipper were questioned. This included bowling changes, the batting order and the wisdom of electing to bat first in the seventh game, when there was definitely going to be assistance from the pitch in the early overs. In fact the batsmen struggled for about twenty-five – nearly half the number.

Now the team is back in the same territory. The mission is different because it involves the longer version of the game. One day cricket and five day cricket is a whole different ball game. That is the first issue the players must get into their heads. Most of the faces they will see in the opposition ranks will be the same. What must be remembered is to focus on their own game first and play to their best potential.

India will naturally go out as favorites in the three match series. Their playing form is good. The batsmen have been amongst the runs, the bowlers in good rhythm and the fielding outstanding. They will go out confident, knowing they only need to affect that mental adjustment. The adjustment that requires the batsmen to concentrate for longer periods of time. Give more respect to the good deliveries because there are more attacking fielders. The bowlers need to be prepared to bowling more spells and naturally more overs. Patiently concentrating on bowling to the set field and trying all possible variations to dismiss the batsman. They are playing on home conditions. It will help them go out feeling even more secure.

The Sri Lankan selectors pulled out the daggers even before the ODI series was concluded. Not a wise move in my opinion. The team was faring poorly alright but remember, they beat India 3 times and won the “Indian Oil” tri nation series. They beat a depleted West Indies team in a two test series and then the weak Bangladeshi’s in another series. It was the same players, same captain, same coach. Then there seemed to be no foresight to strengthen the bench players, infuse new blood and increase the selection options.

Suddenly, veteran Sanath Jayasuriya becomes scapegoat number one. He is a player whose value and contribution to Sri Lankan cricket is almost immeasurable. He has had to leave the stage in a very unceremonious manner where he has astounded and delighted thousands upon thousands around the world. He was not fully fit or in match form at the start of the tour.

The same fate followed the other senior experienced players. Russel Arnold, Upul Chandana, Nuwan Zoysa, have also bowed out temporarily. They can extract a final phase of cricket out of their bones. It is only performances that can keep them alive now. Arnold progressed as the games progressed. A clear indication that the Sri Lankans totally lacked in match preparation for the tour. To me, with the openers Atapattu and Jayasuriya going through a poor run should have paved the way for Arnold to be at the top of the order. He has been there and done it before, so why not make use of his experience?Of the five replacements, Malinga was a certainty for the test matches and he finds a rightful place. The other four have been plucked from different corners to fill in the positions. Avishka Gunawardena has been mainly in the reckoning in one day cricket. What is his role going to be here? Will he open? Will he even play?

Malinga Bandara has forced his way into the team past Chandana and Lokuarachchi, with good performances for the ‘A’ team and Gloucestershire C.C.C., in county cricket. He deserves to be in. Sajeeva Weerakoon has also got in with impressive performances in domestic cricket and for the ‘A’ team. He has to be prepared for tough assignments, a fiery baptism. Who is Chamara Kapugedara? A talented schoolboy batsman from Kandy who has no experience at the higher echelons! Only time will tell whether this selection is justifiable, at a time when most pundits are screaming about poor standard of school cricket!

These three test matches will test the overall skills of all those in the squad. The year 2006 is filled with an unceasing quantum of cricket. This tour will be a real tester for the fifteen men on board. There must definitely be two combinations for test cricket and one day cricket from here until the 2007 World Cup.

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