See them in Dodo land

It is very intriguing and very interesting indeed. Sri Lanka and India are two teams that at one juncture took the field with only one medium pacer and three specialist spinners have now gone agog with filling their line-up with a battery of fast bowlers and paying very limited attention to the need of building up of the spinning department.

Anyone with an iota of cricket knowledge would know that the three most successful bowlers in the history of World Cricket – Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne and Anil Kumble are spinners and they mastered their craft in a period when the wickets are prepared to suite fast bowling and the swing version of it. Yet, besides Warne Murali and Kumble have over a thousand three hundred wickets between them and still the count is getting bigger.

However, what is an irony is that the entire attention especially in Sri Lanka is focused on developing the fast bowling department and leaving the spin option to spin on its own.

Before discussing further I took the liberty of taking the following clip off the ‘Australian Age’ newspaper where the undisputed champions are pinning about the want of good spinners for the future sustenance of the game in that vast land. Australian coach Tim Nielsen has identified the development of a world-class spinner as the most pressing issue confronting the national team over the next three to four years.

With Brad Hogg and Stuart MacGill both 37 next month, Nielsen urged administrators to keep the faith with the likes of Dan Cullen and Cullen Bailey, despite form troughs resulting in both losing their place in the South Australian XI this week.

Hogg is likely to assume the role of Australia's front-line spinner against India in Adelaide this week, but Nielsen stressed the need to find a long-term slow bowler, given that both Hogg and MacGill are approaching the latter stages of their careers.

"It is of critical importance," Nielsen said. "If you look at pitches around the world these days, spinners are crucial in deciding the outcome of games. We have been forced to use a few part-timers recently in Andrew Symonds and Michael Clarke, but it's important not to lean on them too much because you want to look after them over the long haul.

"Spin bowling is not necessarily something you are going to do brilliantly at the age of 21. I think our next long-term spinner will come from the ranks we already have, rather than unearthing a new one.

The Australians definitely have found the missing link in their arsenal and are looking for remedial measures. In the same vein what is happening in Sri Lanka? Sri Lanka definitely produces spinners by the bucket load that comes out of the mill at the end of every season, but, yet have we found the next option to the Muralitharan era that may come to a halt maybe in a year or two. Sri Lankans are very good at sitting on their laurels and right now we are doing just that.

Indians still go into an important game with two specialist spinners in Kumble and Harbhajan Singh and in the ODIs Harbhajan pairs off with Ramesh Powar on most occasions. At the same time we Sri Lankans may be aping the present Australian tendency to go in with one spinner in Muralitharan, and some ‘keli miris’ spinners in Sanath Jayasuriya and Tillekeratne Dilshan . Australia does the same by going in with Hogg along with Andrew Symonds and Michael Clarke. Now they are thinking otherwise.

What is happening in Sri Lanka? The Lankan think-tank feels safe with going in for a long series with only one spinner and two half spinners. Yet, they have loaded their arsenal with six pace bowlers. What is the modus operandi? Do we need six fast bowlers in our kitty? What is the situation that will arise if there is a Murali break-down and it does not warrant replacement?

Looking at the bigger picture – arguably the two next best spinners to Muralitharan now in Sri Lanka are leg spinners Malinga Bandara and Kaushal Lokuarachchi. However what is the playing exposure that they get at the highest level. Bandara may be one of the most travelled cricketers, but, with the least exposure!

Generally what the selectors do is ask the cricket management about their requirements and then pick the best from the available lot. But, yet the national selectors have the courtesy to guide the cricket management on the correct path. Didn’t they earnestly advise the cricket management about taking a second specialist spinner in the squad and the importance of it? However a little tweety-bird says that the selectors did ask the management, but, they were adamant on sticking to their guns. Well then it their own salvation and what they should do is to produce results akin to their choice.

However we must remember spin is a very necessary tool in cricket and we are living in an era where we have seen and experienced three living legends personifying their beautiful art and mesmerising the batsmen around the World.

For fast bowlers cricket has breeding grounds, like the MRF foundation in India which has helped fast bowlers from all over the world. However the spinners are born and are left in the wilderness – may be with a spinners clinic with only a little bit of emphasis on it.

In reality in spite of our putting all our eggs in the fast bowling basket, it has been Muttiah Muralitharan who has been our major match winner and if not his contribution we may not have reached this crescendo where we at today. But, are we earnestly looking out for the post Murali era. From what we could observe from outside here is that nothing is being done so far.

Finally Australia already has identified the problem and are in the process of taking remedial action, in India, there is seemingly no exceptional talent after Bhajji and Kumble. In Sri Lanka we are knowingly and willingly blocking the development of a spinner to walk on stage after Muttiah Muralitharan.