Testing times begin

CRICKET with Ranil Abeynaike

The glamour, expectancy and triumphs of the World Cup are behind us. The big hitting and close encounters of T20 are also behind us. Now it is the real thing – Test Cricket. Test cricket is the ultimate “test” of all the skills of this game. There is no hiding, being a “bits and pieces” entertainer for a short period. Neither will a thrifty ten over spell or a cameo half century. It is about endurance. Long spells of bowling and sessions of negotiating pace and spin at the crease are the requirements. Five days and two innings per team means that all the skills are tested.

Nowhere in memory has Sri Lanka played five test matches in seven weeks. That is a lot of cricket and will be both physically and mentally draining. Then, the games are stretched in two countries and played in five cities – Brisbane, Hobart, Kandy, Colombo and Galle. This also means there will be plenty of travelling in between playing.

Their opponents will be the old rivals Australia and England. The Aussies have maintained their ability and performance. England on the other hand have travelled a rocky road since the nineteen seventies. For them beating Sri Lanka has been a challenge in recent years.

Sri Lanka has had a couple of experiences that have unsettled the equilibrium in recent weeks. The loss to England in the ODI’s and the non-selection, then selection of Marvan Atapattu, into the touring squad, have been obstructions since the progress at the World Cup.

It is time to put those experiences away completely and concentrate on the job at hand. There are seventeen players in this squad and the next lot the ‘A’ team is playing Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe. This means a number of cricketers are being kept active at present.

The breakdown of the squad in Australia is interesting. On paper, you could not ask for better balance. There are opening batsmen, five top order batsmen which includes a wicket keeper, one wicket keeper batsman, two fast bowling allrounders, two spin bowlers and two pace bowlers. Only one player, fast bowler Chanaka Welegedara, is not a test cap. On the other side of the seat, Mahela Jayawardena, Kumar Sangakkara, Sanath Jayasuriya, Marvan Atapattu, Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan, and amongst the most experienced and best players in the world.

It has happened that there are a few players are being talked about of not being given the opportunity. Whilst there could be a case to fault the selectors, the seventeen on tour also have every claim to be there. In fact another two or three players in Zimbabwe could be considered for the games against England at home, but that will be only if those in Australia fail their test.

For those who have got in it is a great opportunity, to face up to the Aussies and then the English. The pitch in Brisbane could be described as fast and bouncy, yet fair to batsmen too. It is a pitch that brings out the best in both bowlers and batsmen. Should the Sri Lankan players find their feet with two warm up games and some practice sessions, then they have the ammunition to fire at the Aussies.

They will then move onto conditions which are totally different. Tasmania is an island close to the southernmost tip of mainland Australia and is the coldest and wettest part of that country. End November is still late spring and the Sri Lankans will have to battle the conditions. Seam and swing and batsmen who can face upto it, will be in the forefront of that contest.

Many questions are being asked right now. Which two of the four openers will play first up? Will Kumar Sangakkara keep or will Prasanna Jayawardane find a place? Chaminda Vaas, Dilhara Fernando, Lasith Malinga and Muttiah Muralitharan are the first choice bowlers. Will another bowler play or will there be an extra batsman in the line-up?

Just two side games leading upto the tests and before, all these questions have to be answered. They may seem like questions that are asked regularly. In fact they are. What is vital is that the correct decisions are taken. Often it is the small choices that can force turning points that affect a game.

These decisions and the mental toughness, the focus, the technical soundness and tactical ploys will have to be spot on, for Sri Lanka to come good in these testing times.