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| Sunday, 8 December 2002 |
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Lankan batsmen flatter and falter by Srian Obeyesekere The Sri Lankan batsmen gave a masterly display in the third one-dayer to canter home with the luxury of 7 wickets intact at Benoni, but faltered in the fourth one-dayer at Kimberley. After reducing South Africa to 253 for 7 wickets in 50 overs, Aravinda de Silva set up the Lankan victory with some wrist work so full of finesse for three beautifully struck boundaries off Allan Donald on the off side. This set the Lankan run chase in motion as de Silva's innings gathered momentum as the dimunitive righthander then saw almost every bowler off the attack before skipper, Shaun Pollock bringing himself on bowled him when he mistimed a heave. It was Aravinda's batsmanship that drew the best out of Marvan Atapattu, who taking a cue from the master batsman, grew in stature going on to unleash some copybook batting straight from the script so refined in technique as the lanky right hander cut, flicked, and drove majesticly, the last an effortless straight driven six to seal the match, which was a treat to watch. The 170-run partnership for the third wicket between de Silva and Atapattu having come together with the score on 73 for 2 wickets gave the visiting Lankans their only win on the tour. It was an exhibition in batting which for once saw the strong host team bowling attack for once scattered. But with the 5-match series led 2-1 by the Africans, the Lankans faltered in the crucial deciding match at Kimberley. This sadly after Sri Lanka, sent in to bat, had got off to a flying start before losing Atapattu in a somewhat controversial run out with the total on 58 and the right hander looking set for another big score. He was on 39 at the time and going for a second run had made his crease with ease when wicket-keeper, Mark Boucher collected the return and flicked the ball on to the stumps without turning back. Atapattu had all the time in the world to crease, but the t.v. replay found both his bat and leg in the air and was ruled out by the third umpire. But this controversial dismissal was costly causing a rot in the batting with 3 wickets including that of Sangakkara (00), de Silva (00) and Jayasuriya tumbling for the addition of just 20 runs. The Lankans never recovered from there folding for 184 in 47.3 overs which South Africa reached for the loss of only 2 wickets helped by huge contributions by Herschelle Gibbs (108 not out) and Jacques Kallis (64 not out). The Atapattu dismissal led skipper, Jayasuriya remark that it was a big setback to the Lankan hopes where he felt that the third umpire should have given the benefit of the doubt to the batsman instead of the fielders. But the host country commentators described it as sheer laziness on the part of Atapattu with Barry Richards who has been batting coach of the Lankans in recent times remarking that a batsman should at all times know to crease his bat. However, Atapattu's dismissal cannot be wholly trutted as an excuse for the defeat as claimed by Jayasuriya. It was sheer bad batting by some of the frontliners with Sangakkara in the crucial No. 3 slot letting down the side by hooking a delivery straight to the waiting hands of a fielder while de Silva strangely hooked one into the safe hands of Makhaya Ntini at the fence. It was not the best of ways to be dismissed for a master batsman going on the sterling innings at Benoni. But the effortless victory in the third one-dayer showed that the Lankan batsmen could bat on South African wickets if they applied more discipline. And that the host team bowling attack was not invincible. The fourth one-dayer saw Hashan Tillekeratne back in the fold at that level after an absence of over 2 years when he lost his place in 1999. Tillekeratne was drafted for his form in the concluded Test series fermented by a century in the second Test in a departure from selection policy which hitherto accentuated on youth. He was expected to lend meat to a brittle middle order. But what Jayasuriya and the selectors will need assessing is whether this change is the ideal build up ahead of the 2003 world cup to be staged in South Africa in February. The defeat once again drew comment from Richards that Sri Lanka was badly handicapped in not having an allrounder who could bat and bowl. Richards has reflected on this need time and again as batting coach and in fact in an interview with this writer singled out Suresh Perera as the allrounder of his choice. But after the pacie was called for chucking and remedial measures suggested by the ICC, the Cricket Board took not action and as a result has given up bowling and turns out for his club, Sinhalese Sports Club only as a batsman. As a batsman down the order Suresh was quite a handful who could time the ball to good effect and had been among the wickets when sidelined. It is lamentable why the Board took no remedial action to have the bowler cleared by the ICC. It is another sad reflection of our cricket bungling. When youngsters like Titan Samarawera and Avishka Gunawardena should have been developed ahead of the world cup, instead the selectors have suddenly reverted to Tillekeratne. With at the time of writing the fifth match to be played at Bloemfontein on Friday, Gunawardena, who made the tour, has not been given a single match. Allrounder, Hasantha Fernando who showed he could bat and bowl fairly well too has not been given the needed exposure. With the tour of Australia looming shortly this December where Sri Lanka join the host country and England in a five-match triangular series, it is hoped the selectors will make the right selections. It is understood that Jayasuriya has not had his way in regard to selections. This is not in the best of interest of the game when the best squad should be chosen from the cream of talent. The chucking out of Kumar Dharmasena, wicket-keeper batsman, Romesh Kaluwitharana in opting for some who have nothing before their names going by the recent domestic tournaments is itself a sorry state of the game. |
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