Maybe to the TV moguls Ten Sports the West Indies tour of Sri Lanka is worth only US $ 350,000 but for Lankan cricket, which has just returned from a rather successful tour Down Under -- at least on paper, this will be one of the most crucial tests of wits that they have been put through for a long time.
It is not everyday that a country gets to play the World Cup in their own back yard and the last time that we did so, we brought home the bread.
In reality at this end we are not trying to take away the euphoria from our cricketers’ achievement of completing their maiden series victory in Australia. Yes, we do feel for them but in the same vein, we also must be bold enough to take a step back and analyze the pros and cons of it to see if we have achieved our long term goal of making the perfect product of a good cricket outfit.
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Initially we could take the four games played in Australia on point form.
The T20 was perfectly executed. The Lions caught the Kangaroos on the wrong foot and devoured them gleefully. It was one of the most clinical performances by the Lankans where they never put a step on the wrong brick. But did they up their performance from that point onwards? Looking inwards and asking the question – the answer to me would be a stern ‘NO’.
The first One-Day International begun well with the bowlers sticking to their task and restricting the Australian batting to 239 runs. But the customary batting slump in ODI cricket was on show yet again. At 107 for 8 Sri Lanka would have played the same innings that they did in the last one, but yet again I started believing in miracles.
This win was nothing short of it.
The second game was more professional. The openers first assessed the wicket in the first 5-6 overs in spite of the power play and then began to blossom, keeping an average of 5 runs per over till the rains came to their aid at 213 for 3 in 41.1 overs. It was a picture perfect scenario. Had the Lankans batted for the 45overs that they were allotted by that time how far the Lankans would have reached in the remaining 29 balls would have been questionable because with the departure of Sangakkara the Lankans had lost momentum.
If the Australians had the opportunity of making 250 runs in 45 overs their approach may have been different.
The third was once again not out of the ordinary, the only difference was there were no miracles this time.
Then we could take the people that mattered in the series.
Up in the order Dilshan and Tharanga were productive, but besides the runs on the board Tharanga’s eyes did not look so convincing while at the crease, even when he went through that man-of-the-match innings of 86 not out in 112 balls with six fours.
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| Take your seat says West Indian Captain Darren Sammy to Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara. Pic by Ranjith Perera |
At No 3 skipper Sangakkara can afford to feel ‘cocky’ as he is the rock of Gibraltar in the Lankan batting. He believes in himself and he shows it while he is at the crease.
Next in Mahela is searching. Arguably he is the best batsman that Sri Lanka possesses in any form of the game. But, his mind block in one-day cricket has persisted for a bit too long. This hiccup is not a healthy sign for Lankan cricket. We feel the fault is within and he himself has to come out of it.
Dinesh Chandimal’s aggressive ruling out leg before (as the Australian commentator Michael Slater in the T20 put it) put paid to the rest of his series, but the next nominee in --Chamara Silva cut a very poor figure at the middle at times, making us wonder if the Lankan larder is so empty or if there is some stupid angel working over-time at keep him at the crease.
Angelo is the saving grace. He has matured beyond his age, but putting too much onus on his talent is also wicked. The pressure on his young shoulders proved too much by the time it came to the third ODI.
In bowling after the Murali-Vaas combination it looks like the Malinga-Randiv combination is gradually building up. Both these bowlers can be counted upon. Yes, Murali will be there till the World Cup and that too is a redeeming factor.
But, yet again there are question marks thereafter. Tissara Perera is turning out to be a surprise package, but, can one call him a frontline bowler? Maybe Aravinda and co. must be knowing better. But the biggest disappointment is seasoned campaigner Dilhara Fernando. Is it true that blinding speed is enough of a qualification for international cricket? We were under the impression that at the level of cricket that they play a bowler should possess the skills to outthink a batsman. Just ask Lasith Malinga how he does it.
The World Cup matches in Sri Lanka will be played in unknown territory. The wickets at Khettarama, Hambantota and Pallekelle are new and initially for the West Indian cricketers and the Lankan cricketers it will be a new experience.
But, the other factor which is going to play a major role is the wind factor at Pallekelle and Hambantota. On a new wicket which is bound to have more venom than a normal Lankan track, having a stiff breeze blowing across or coming from behind helping the ball to swing maybe something to look forward to.
Besides this for the World Cup it will be the ICC who will be in-charge of wickets and once again it will be a dent in the local armour.
When one takes the above factors into consideration, the West Indies tour of Sri Lanka is very crucial and just the ideal precursor to the 2011 World Cup.
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