Sports - Who is afraid of other spinners!!

Sri Lanka is to celebrate 25 years of gaining test status this year and there was a function on the first day of the second test at P. Saravanamuttu Stadium. It's a wise move to host the second test at the same venue where Sri Lanka played its first ever test match a quarter century ago. The first test was played in February 1982, though Sri Lanka gained test status in July 1981.

During the last 24 years, Sri Lanka played 164 test matches and won 45 of them. In the 45 matches won, spinners have played a big role and this department has been the forte in Sri Lanka's cricket. However, it seems to be going unnoticed these days.

As Muttiah Muralitharan was carrying the total burden of getting the opposition out in a test match, some time ago, there were endless talks of Sri Lanka being vulnerable in test cricket when Murali calls time off. Despite those negative thoughts, present day selectors or rather team officials; are overlooking all spinners who emerge from time to time.

Since Sri Lanka's tour of India last year, left arm spinner Sajeewa Weerakoon was a member of Sri Lanka squad for three consecutive series and could not play a single test of seven matches played.

He was not chosen to tour England for the reasons best known to selectors. Now his name is gone missing from the national squad of 20 and after a series of good performances against touring 'A' teams during the last couple of years.

There is a set of Sri Lanka 'A' cricketers who hardly get a break with the national team and Weerakoon happens to be one of them.

During the England tour, right arm leg spinner, Malinga Bandara bowled only in the nets and couldn't find his name in the playing XI in any of the three tests. Only few people would understand that Sri Lanka had a great chance of winning the test series 2-0, instead of a 1all draw, which was the ultimate result, had we played a second specialist spinner at Edgbaston to contain Kevin Pietersen, who scored 142.

Having taken 45 first class wickets in the previous English season, Bandara had to be the water boy during the test series. The logic was English wickets were not suitable for spinners and that's why Sri Lanka fielded four seamers in two matches and three in the third test. Sri Lanka drew the first test, lost the second and won the third at Nottingham.

Even in Sri Lanka, apart from Muttiah Muralitharan, other spinners are not being considered as match winners.

More often than not, Sajeewa Weerakoon and Rangana Herath lost their places in favour of Sanath Jayasuriya and it's not an easy decision to make where you have to balance both departments of the team. What's really unbelievable is that the spinners do not get their due quota of overs, even when selected as specialist bowlers.

When Sri Lanka played Pakistan last April, Malinga Bandara bowled only two overs in the entire second test in Kandy. Now, for the first test against South Africa at the SSC, he was the 12th man and part time spinner Sanath Jayasuriya, bowled 34 overs, while Farveez Maharoof bowled only 15 overs in the second innings, after sending down only nine in the first innings.

Here the question is whether Sri Lanka needed a fast bowling all rounder against South Africa in a home series. Why don't they take a chance with a spin bowling all rounder? In this instance, Malinga Bandara too can cash in with some runs.

On the other hand, maestro Muttiah Muralitharan needs a fellow spinner to bowl in tandem with him.

No need to go back to the early seventies and late sixties to find out how India played test cricket with four spinners even in England. Sri Lanka too have played test cricket with one seamer and three spinners, during the time of Arjuna Ranatunga.

Let Colombo Oval wicket do the talking. It will tell you that Sri Lanka played her maiden test match with three spinners, while Asantha de Mel was the sole medium pacer in the team. The three spinners, D.S. De Silva, Lalith Kaluperuma and Ajith de Silva, were miles ahead of the medium pacers at the time.