Scattered across one of the compact and cozy foyers of the British High Commission, the cricketers from England’s women’s team had traded in their dark blue jerseys and track bottoms for more elegant knee length skirts and blazers. Although the tourists had so far had a rain plagued visit of the island, with many of their allocated playing venues still inundated, it was clear the inclement weather had not dampened their spirits as all of them chatted animatedly to their Sri Lankan counterparts and their gracious host Dr. Peter Hayes.
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| Some of the ladies from the England cricket team hard at practice prior to their One Day International. Pic by Sanka Vidanagama |
A few minutes into the relaxed reception and the High Commissioner called upon the very dignified English Skipper Charlotte Edwards, who incidentally stands on the cusp of becoming the most capped female ODI cricketer before her match on Tuesday, to address the gathering.
She did so, praising both the country’s and the commissioner’s hospitality, with the gentle aplomb that seems prevalent in most of the team’s members and has no doubt contributed in no small part to them being the outstanding world champions they are.
Charlotte had previously spoken about the significance of this tour to Sri Lanka, not just as a vital precursor to their January Ashes series Down Under, but also for the sentimental value of reaching her milestone here.
“I played my first game for England in Sri Lanka so it would be very special to be able to come back and get the most number of international caps in the same country,” Charlotte revealed.
Away from the cricket Lydia Greenway, one of the side’s best fielders and a steady left handed batswoman remarked that she hoped to see some of the country’s wildlife, particularly the elephants, provided her duties on the field and the persistent rain allowed her to. While speaking about the rain Lydia did express quite a fair degree of amazement at the sustained force of last week’s storm.
“I was very surprised actually because in England we aren’t used to this kind of heavy rain. It rains and then it stops but the other day’s downpour was a bit frightening,” she recalls.
Assessing the structure and the popularity of the women’s game back in England, Lydia surmises that it has seen a gradual upturn in its interest and now the current county and club systems are being galvanized by a steadily stronger school game.Lydia, who coincidentally coaches schoolgirls, points out that the game not only aids many young girls physically but also imparts to them a deeper confidence and belief in themselves, adding that there is also a great amount of passion for the game at this level.
This passion is etched over every inch of Isa Guha, who made her debut for England as a 17-year-old before metamorphosing into one of the world’s most potent medium paced strike bowlers, with her most lethal outing resulting in a devastating total match haul of 9 for 100 against perennial rivals Australia, helping England win the 2008 Ashes series by six wickets.
“I was drawn to the game because my family used to watch it a lot and I was really fond of seeing guys like Sachin Tendulkar come out to bat. Then I would also play a lot of cricket in my backyard against my brother before eventually I got into the English Cricket Academy,” Isa explains.
She went on to compliment the Sri Lankan team, which she has periodically seen competing since her last tour of the country back in 2005, saying that there is a marked improvement in their game. “In one of our practice sessions we had to face up to a couple of Sri Lankan net bowlers and most of our girls were actually have a pretty hard time putting some of their deliveries away,” She said.
However this marked progress would not have been shocking to anyone who had rather inquisitively, albeit slightly rudely, eavesdropped on some of the conversations the Lankan ladies were having with their on-field opponents.
Predictably it was the Sri Lankan captain, Shashikala Siriwardena who seemed the most deeply engrossed in her conversations. One conversation in particular had her brows deeply furrowed with attention, that with the women’s game’s most dominant batswoman, Claire Taylor.
Claire is not merely the lynchpin of her England side but also the brightest exhibit of batting brilliance, bludgeoning her way to the Player of the Tournament accolade in the 2009 World Cup and eclipsing Sir Viv Richards’ highest score at Lord’s with a brutal knock of 156 in an ODI against India in 2006.
“She is such a great batswoman so I was really listening hard to see what tips she can give us to improve,” Shashikala divulged.
She expressed deep gratitude to the English side for coming down to Sri Lanka to help the team through what is still largely a period of development and tactical discovery.
As the occasion wore down and the players filed out and into their awaiting team buses, both sides seemed content and grateful over the opportunity to informally exchange their views about cricket and probably a range of other interesting topics. However fast forward to the action at the NCC and needless to say the smiles and friendly conversation will recede and be replaced by bouncers, stares of aggression and hopefully, an absolutely riveting game of cricket. |
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