Can we call it an inglorious exit or a sojourn? Whatever you may want to call it Sri Lanka is well and truly out of the running of the T 20 World Cup. The feelings of the legion of fans are of utter disappointment which is only understandable. Did Sri Lanka flatter to deceive with their performance against India? Was the combination right for this all important game? May be there are many more unanswered questions! But the bottom line is, Sri Lanka has been piped by England. Not exactly at the post but when they were within touching distance of it!
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To start with despite England’s impressive and the unbeaten record in the tournament, it was my view that the Lankans were the favourites, this was despite the English resurgence. The strength and the reputation of the Sri Lankan batting was definitely better and stronger than their English counterparts at least on paper if not in real terms whilst the varied bowling available to the Sri Lankans were superior to the English despite the absence of the star spinner Muralitheren! With Lasith Malinga’s devastating yorkers and the mystery of Ajantha Mendis at the disposal of Sangakkara one felt the English will be compelled to play catch up cricket! Now with such a back drop where did it all go wrong? Also add to these pluses the winning of the toss by skipper Sangakkara was considered a huge advantage though in the final analysis it turned out be a good toss to loose!
Now in hindsight criticizing or picking holes in anything is easy. But when some of the decisions appear to defy cricketing logic it could be most baffling and should be discussed or even questioned! For starters judging from the available evidence courtesy the live TV coverage and media reports, the first of my questions will be why did Sri Lanka bat first? I base this question on the fact that St.Lucia’s had seen a fair percentage of rain the previous day and there was every chance that the pitch could have a high proportion of moisture.
Besides the rain, reports from the ground made one assume that the conditions were overcast too. When such is the situation and setting of the ground it is only obvious that it is not ideal for batting. Maybe the Lankans strategy was to have the English under pressure with a good score on the board or maybe the reluctance of the Englishman to chase could have been a consideration.
However logical the pre match notions of the Lankan camp might have been, they would be ultimately influenced by the prevailing conditions which were according to the available evidence via the media was suitable for bowling first!
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| Sri Lankan batsman Chamara Kapugedara lets his bat escape from his grip during the ICC World Twenty20 first semifinal match between Sri Lanka and England at the Beausejour Cricket Ground on May 13, 2010 in Gros Islet, St Lucia. AFP |
Now I am not questioning the wisdom or the experience of the Sri Lankan think tank. But this is pure and simple cricketing logic. My assumption was further confirmed by the manner the English fast bowlers got the ball to bounce and dart around! Something we didn’t see when the Sri Lankan quick’s bowled as the pitch was bound to dry off whatever moisture it had by then. The moisture factor on the pitch was so critical when Sri Lanka batted that it was evident by some of the deliveries the English Bowlers delivered.
Whilst the faster bowlers had pace, bounce and seam movement the spinners had appreciable turn whenever the ball landed on those areas with sweat! A luxury which was not available to the Sri Lankan bowlers who were defending a small score!
The second area that wasn’t exactly right appeared to be the use of the Sri Lankan bowling resources. I thought that it was not judicious! Having said that the decision to open the bowling with Dilshan and Mendis was a smart move. The apparent discomfort of both openers was evident with Lumb looking increasingly at sea with his very limited foot work.
However what appeared obvious to an onlooker such as me was the need to continue with spin maybe even with part timers Dilshan and Jayasuriya mixed with the more genuine Mendis and Randiv to around the tenth over and hope to stifle the English openers making them to push for runs rather than the cantering of it. But with Mathews and Malinga being brought in, in quick succession the English batsmen had the much needed freedom to free their arms and from there on with the pitch looking easier it was just a one horse race.
Critics may argue that England deserved to win on that fateful day, but I thought with due respect to the English lads, that the Sri Lankans really lost it than the other way around. Sri Lankan’s had their moments when Mathews should have had Kieswetter LBW early in the innings, A decision negatived by Umpire Dar when it looked plumb and the edges were found falling between fielders and a run out opportunity missed, which could have created some havoc within the English ranks. After all haven’t we seen the impossible happen in T 20 cricket? Besides all this I am convinced the batting muscle available to Sri Lanka was strong enough to put the skids on the English!
From the time the Lankan lads did the impossible by recording some astounding victories which included the one against India and having the option of making a decision first by way of winning the toss they had most things placed in their favour. However the English spirit and determination which has never been as high as this before won the day for them. May be they will be crowned the T 20 Champions this year!
But for Sri Lanka there will have to be plenty of soul searching before the next big one which is the Asia Cup in June in Sri Lanka. Maybe the selectors should look at younger blood with the future in mind for the short tour of Zimbabwe where most of the high profile names have opted out! This could serve as a definite indication of the ability of the “Players in waiting” to take the next step to the higher level!
It has been some time since Sri Lanka had won a major plum. I think it is time they get in to that habit!
* Roshan Abeysinghe is a leading cricket promoter and an international cricket commentator |
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