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| Sunday, 17 November 2002 |
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Our cricketers going soft!! by Srian Obeyesekere With the Cricket Board going feminine in a woman to man its so cricket infested chore of media manager which had been hitherto a man's job, one wig whispers that Lankan cricket is, after all, becoming soft. Indeed, soft is the word if one were to reflect on the hammering Sri lanka took at the hands of South Africa in the first Test match the week before. Great expectations there were before our cricketers took wing to the famous land of reversing fortunes. The cricket loving public were given the impression that much sweat and effort had been put in training for that all important tour. It was seen as Sri Lanka's best chance of beating a somewhat depleted South African team for the first time on their own soil. But alas! We had crumbled inside of just 3 days. For one, the Lankans lacked the basics, leave alone a game plan to get the better of a South African side which in two years was minus such veterans like Hansie Cronje, Darrel Cullinan and Allan Donald. Did our performance justify the mint of money, expertise and time expended ? Today, a cricketer is said to be the highest wage earner in the country involving nothing less than lakhs of rupees. That is besides the other perks and match awards money that come in to the kitty. Indeed, cricket is a great game which has seen great Test matches in this longer version of the game, yet considered sacred despite the various other versions that have commercialised it. Teams are known to have lost honourably and not disgraced when such greats like the late Sir Frank Worrell led the West Indies against Richie Benaud's Australians. Going through the motions As for the Lankans, it looked the same old story of just going through the motions. After winning the toss and batting at the Wanderers, the batsmen glaringly lacked discipline. Difficult as the fast, bouncy wicket was, clearly commitment was lacking. Run making seemed a forgotten word where Test cricket is all about phasing out an innings. Swing and bounce as the bowlers did, there was no effort of getting out of the crease to negate the swing. Of one keeping one end going and the other forcing the bowling. The contrast between the two sides was quite evident. The South African batsmen had a sense of direction in building an innings which the Lankans did not. The scoreboard looked rusty where even the singles that could be taken were not. This inability on the part of the Lankan batsmen has not only run into criticism by the South African experts, but even back home with former captain, Arjuna Ranatunga venting his disappointment. While former South African allrounder, Pat Symcox saw our batting as woeful with the clear inability of adjusting to techniques to meet local conditions, Ranatunga appeared on a local t.v. station talk show singling out reasons of lack of commitment by our batsmen to poor selections and coaching drawbacks. The bowling department looked thoroughly disorganised. The conceding of 61 extras is the best example of this. Two of the four pacies in Dilhara Fernando and Ruchira Perera let down the side. Fernando's 17 no balls and Perera running on the pitch which led to him being warned by the umpire and banned, were costly. The drawbacks in the batting and bowling is a reflection as to what homework the Lankans did back home. As much as the role of coach, Dav Whatmore. More so considering the fact that Whatmore had reportedly played down Fernando's no-ball defect and the defeat. The Lankan had attributed the 5,000-feet high altitude above sea level as a cause factor for Fernando not getting his run-up right while saying the defeat in the first Test was an experience and would be best forgotten. Discipline The question is what the sea level has got to do with a bowlers run-up and can defeats be just so simply written off. It as much to with the training, and basics at that, Test cricket is all about getting the basics right. If bowlers lack the type of discipline to a point of conceding 17 no-balls and are not familiar with the rules of cricket this itself is a sad and bad reflection on all the wherewithal the Cricket Board has marshalled through the various expertise involving millions of rupees. Significantly, Sri Lanka has reached an era of making an impact on the window of Test cricket. An era where expectations run high of gaining impetus by winning more Test matches away from the sub-continent. In that context, the current South African series has been looked to very much by local cricket lovers. Consequently, the manner in which the team lost to a South African team which had as many as four newcomers is lamentable. It has also led to the South African media fawning at our batsmen and their averages with Symcox joining in the belief that the standings some of our frontliners bask in are not justified in that most of their achievements have been only confined to the sub-continent and not the testing wickets away. Mixed feelings Above all, when discipline in commitment should be at its highest, such blunders as not meeting the cardinal basics cannot bring but a defeatist kick back to the game at that level. In fact, at the time of writing with the second Test due to start on Friday, back home fans were venting their disappointment. To a point of some showing mixed feelings as to skipper Sanath Jayasuriya being a non starter for what is a decisive match. Not having their most experienced campaigner in the ranks will certainly be a big setback to the Lankan camp smarting from the first Test defeat. It will cast a tremendous burden on Marvan Atapattu who takes over the reins. For Atapattu it will be an acid test in leading from the front where the onus will be very much on him. The right-hander will have to shoulder the responsibility of carrying the batting in opening the innings. Incidentally, only Atapattu showed some semblance of resistance in the first Test managing 43 in the second innings which was the highest by a Lankan in the match. His functions will be demanding in leading a depleted side which has been confounded by injury and form problems. Jayasuriya's place goes to young batsman Jehan Mubarak while Ruchira Perera will be replaced by right-arm medium pacie, Chamila Gamage. On paper, a resurgent host team, South Africa look set to make it 2-nil with veteran Herschelle Gibbs, who missed the first Test through injury, set to make the eleven which must add more muscle. Whether the Sri Lankans can come up with a more disciplined performance to win and square the series must generate the interest among the connoisseur. |
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