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| Sunday, 21 April 2002 |
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Sri Lanka off to England for three-Test tour by Srian Obeyesekere Less than 48 hours away from the team's flight to England, Sri Lanka's champion bowler, Muttiah Muralitharan was already in a hospital bed in Australia awaiting his fate from the shoulder injury he sustained in Sharjah. An orthopaedic surgeon would say whether surgery was required or not. If so, recovery would be in 12 weeks, but if not he would be fit to play in six weeks. No sooner than breaking this news to the 'Sunday Observer' than team manager, Chandra Schaffter, getting over the shock of it all, was looking to the duel in old English territory without Muralitharan. The Sri Lankans had been almost shell shocked by the heavy 217-run defeat at the hands of Pakistan after losing Muralitharan early in the session when he lost his balance fielding a ball tearing ligaments in his left shoulder. While the Lankan camp is having their fingers crossed their match winner would recover to have a go at the English, at least midway of the tour, the manager sounded the pessimism when he said, "It's useless crying. We must show the world we can win without him (Muralitharan)". Minus Muralitharan would mean, not having their heaviest hitter. A bad feeling that digested in Sharjah as the Pakistani batsmen smashed the Lankan bowling after Muralitharan cried off at 72 for 2 wickets and that must leave his loss felt in England. The injury evoked reaction allround, the English not the least whose captain Nasser Hussain was quick to note would be a big lease to his batsmen. Indeed, as manager Schaffter sounded the tremendous blow `which affected not only the team's moral but mine as well as the coach' must make the England batsmen left off the hook. That is considering Muralitharan was their scourge with a match bag of 11 wickets to lead Sri Lanka to an emphatic victory in a 1-off Test series at the Oval in 1998. Schaffter said there would be no replacement for Muralitharan. His place would be left vacant while the available options from the 16-member squad would be Upul Chandana and Tilan Samaraweera. But at the same time the manager played down Muralithran's loss on the basis that when Sri Lanka tours it would be spring when conditions would be more suited for fast bowlers. "Muralitharan can turn on any wicket which is why we will miss him badly. But the climate would better suit the pace bowlers", said Schaffter on a positive note. But even as the Lankans lick their wounds, the double blow of also not having the services of fiery right arm paceman, Dilhara Fernando, the build-up to a gruelling tour has begun with the selectors turning to Chandana and a relative newcomer in right arm pace bowler, Ishara Amarasinghe for Fernando. "I'm confident we have the stuff to get the better of England on English soil", enthused manager Schaffter while dwelling on what went wrong in Sharjah. Would Pakistan have won even with Muralitharan? "I wouldn't say so. Remember they were 136 for 4 at one stage. I would put it down to Muralitharan. We definetely missed him a great deal. When such a thing happens, all are affected. It would be honest to say that Murali's departure at a crucial time had an effect on the team. The manager, coach and even the physiotherapist. All are human beings. It was a big setback", reasoned the manager who added, "It certainly had an effect on the Pakistan batting. Their spirits were high and they bashed the bowling". Did the batting lack in not playing a specialist batsman in Romesh Kaluwitharana instead of both Chandana and Kumar Dharmasena? Shouldn't Kaluwitharana have been persisted, considering he was after a long injury lay off? "No I don't think so. Kaluwitharana got as much as 3 matches but failed. And I wouldn't say Chandana isn't a specialist batsman. He has been among the runs of late. No, it was just not our day. We had a bad game and playing under lights is not like batting in daylight . I think the moral went when we had to look at 6 an over unlike a target of around 220. The batsmen were under tremendous pressure", replied Schaffter. And as the Sri Lankans count niggling injuries in the tour ahead, the Sharjah debacle should be an eye opener to the cricketing think tank. What with a 3-match one-day series right upfront against England, a triangular in South Africa next, Australia and the World Cup an year away. How good the batsmen are chasing from the Arjuna Ranatunga era when the batting stood solid down the order. As much as how to cope without Muralitharan. The squad: S. Jayasuriya (capt.), M. Atapattu (v.capt), K. Sangakkara, M. Jayawardene, R. Arnold, H. Tillekeratne, P.A. De Silva, C. Vaas, N. Zoysa, C.B. Fernando, R. Perera, P. Jayawardene, E. Upashantha, U. Chandana, T. Samaraweera, I. Amarasinghe, Manager - C. Schaffter, Coach - D. Whatmore, Physiotherapist - Alex Kontouri. |
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