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| Sunday, 22 December 2002 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Sri Lanka must tap available resources to benefit team by Kasturiarachchi Warnakulasuriya With barely two months time to get ready for the World Cup 2003 one-day cricket championships, Sri Lanka's fate hangs in the balance. The all round performances at the recently concluded tournaments on African soil, are very good indications, which can speak for volumes, to elaborate the tough conditions, Sri Lankans will have to face at the same venue in another two months time. Except for one in among many disastrous performances, almost all the matches had been utter failures, due to our inabilities to cope up with hard, bouncy pitches, culminated with indifferent, negligent, inconsistent batting. The captain and the coach themselves, at the closure of the tournament, had to lament over these unprecented failures, helplessly. Therefore the authorities are duty bound to assist them. Sri Lankan victories over South Africa and West Indies sometime back, on home grounds and in Morocco, have now begun to turn an ugly image. India and Sri Lanka really dominated the ICC Champions Trophy on slow turning wickets, typical of the sub-continent. But from that point, it was clearly understood in advance, that the conditions will be quiet different on the hard, bouncy wickets on South African soil - the same venue for W.C. 2003 encounters too, where pace bowlers will definitely have the advantage. With this important turn and match - winning requirement in mind, it was decided to give domestic practice for our boys on hard bouncy pitches, specially laid to suit the African style. Was that urgent requirement fulfilled successfully to the letter, before they took wing for South African encounters, is the million dollar question? If that was accomplished successfully, our batsmen would not face the music like this. This shows that the authorities have indifferently neglected a long overdue duty, since Sri Lanka's last tour of South Africa some years back. Let the BCCSL sort out these priorities and act timely with a quick decision that will be conducive for a triumph in the great expectation of W.C. 2003. At this rate with poor application and inexperience on tough conditions, Sri Lanka, will have no chance against other great nations, who are now well formed up and equipped for the championships. Best remedy What's the best remedy for this at this crucial hour when we are hoping against hope? We have already neglected our capabilities on home soil. We have ample cricket potential, in an invisible treasure trove here, to make use of. Still we have not tapped them to it's maximum utility - a long felt need. When other cricketing nations would be associates participating in the World Cup 2003, had ample preparations in the year 2002, what did we do with regards to our boys' weaknesses, drawbacks and loopholes? The result has come from the disastrous encounter, which had taught us a good lesson for our cricket administrators. What we have done over the past few years, was to produce half - baked fast bowlers, with only an eagerness to identify a new find, after each failure. They are Kaushalya Weeraratna, Eric Upashantha, Akalanka Gamage, Charitha Buddhika, Prabath Nissanka, Sajeewa de Silva, Lakshitha and Chamila. One after the other everyone had been tried, when senior hands collapsed. It is no wonder at this stage, if the selectors eye for the latest young guy. Sahan Wijeratne - the Cambrian boy who excelled as the All Island Best School Boy Cricketer 2002, and desert him too, in our scattered pool of 50 cricketers! What is more important and productive, is not to enlarge the existing pool day by day, but to mould them well, to turn out quality players, which had been the practice of yesteryear. This should be a priority of the authorities. What is essential at this stage, in this critical hour, is to have serious tough domestic match practice with our own potential which includes enough resources inherited from our colonial dowry of cricket. Let us have serious domestic match practice in a heavy schedule, in order to overcome all the loopholes and weaknesses, in one shot. The tournament committee of the BCCSL can arrange practice matches every other two or three days with the vast potential of varied teams we have, viz. The Test discards, the 'A' team, a variety of first class clubs like the SSC, Colts, BRC, NCC, Bloomfield, Moors, Kandy, Moratuwa, Panadura Galle CCs, Old Boys cricket clubs of first class cricket playing schools. Bata-Observer Best Schoolboy Cricketers, veteran cricketers of the past, who work as cricket ambassadors today. The rehabilitation of the national team, can also be supplemented by another two methods, viz:- by inviting Sri Lankan born cricketers who are presently domiciled on foreign soil, such as Gurusinha, Clive Inman, Aponso, Gehan Mendis etc. and two or three English County fast bowlers of repute, on a goodwill gesture and for a change of occupation for our lads, for a couple of weeks. This will automatically help raise, the future standards of cricket, in quick time and it's really capturing two birds with one stone. The priority of consolidating hard pitches immediately, to work out a last minute solution at any cost, is a 'must' as regards these practice matches. Skipping down under halfway at first leg at any cost replacing our stalwarts of international appearance to continue with Aussie triangular, to give the regulars domestic match practice of the highest order, as a pre-requisite for World Cup readiness, will indeed pave way for rich dividends, one can be assured with confidence. Remedial measures In having these serious tough match practice, the following needs should be well looked after, by resource committees, which are named elsewhere in this article. The priorities are as follows:- The line and length of accuracy with regards to half baked seamers, should be properly perfected. The irresponsibilities, inconsistency in batting should be completely wiped out so as to enable our top order batsmen to go for long innings of perfection. Correct foot work, selection of shots, correct application, steadiness and patience should be cultivated with proper counselling. Look at the way Marvan unaware of his position had to throw his wicket unnecessarily, in the 4th encounter at Diamond Oval, at a time when he was in great form with a massive 123 overnight. Mahela who was the only batsman, who could resist with some consistency and had the least trouble with South African tough bowling in the formative matches, lost that calibre in the follow up, tarnishing that quality. That absurd situation, purely indicates how natural batsmen like Mahela, who has the ability to go for successive consistent innings (as in the past), due to sheer indifference and negligence, tend to cut short their batting prowess, unfortunately. This weakness applies to almost all, specially in the case of Sangakkara. Another need of the hour, this scribe has been reiterating over and over, through your esteemed columns, is that our 'tail' is incapable of wagging further, after the exist of the middle order, to put in at least 30 or 40 runs. In comparison, every other nation is trying to improve this important aspect which we have never mastered at all. Even the latest Test players - Bangladesh is today far ahead of us. Look at the way South African tail-enders who gave support from the end to add last minutes runs at the North-West stadium match. The last wicket pair of Langeveld and Monde Zondeki, added a lustre 40 runs for the last wicket with individual scores of 33 and 23 respectively. With no consistent regular batting practice at domestic level, during interim periods, where it is possible, our tail-enders who get the chance of trying their luck at nail-biting last minute appearance, go for wild hits and get dismissed cheaply, mostly with a duck. They are still very bold in maintaining that 'we are only bowlers and not batsmen". It is rather discouraging on the part of these tail-end batsmen, that a certain cricket administrator himself once telling that batting is not the thing expected of Muralitharan. We must always encourage to improve their batting as it will enhance the sum total at the end of each innings to come up for a respectable score or sometimes it had been the winning hit. All tail-enders should be given thorough exposure, not at the tail, but in sending them higher up, they can learn how to resist without throwing away the wicket. Another advantage is that Aravinda, who is determined to have another World Cup victory for Sri Lanka can be utilised to get his maximum potential before the World Cup matches get under way. This is the "last bus" for Sri Lanka to give him a tough training for a fine come back to regain his lost prowess, to hold the World Cup graciously in our hands, once again. The biggest scorer for S.L. in both versions plus a utility bowler, will be a great asset for this, if updating chances are given through match practice. Many helpers Our cricket potential does not end there. We have cricket ambassadors, on par with world cricketing personalities in the calibre of Duleep Mendis - our man in South Asian cricket promotion of ICC level, Arjuna Ranatunga - world acclaimed cricket captain, Ranjan Madugalle - world's much sought after referee, L. Gunatilake and Kehelgamuwa - fast bowler wizards, Mahanama and Jayantha Seneviratne, Stanley Jayasinghe and Doughlas Jayasinghe - past stalwarts, a host of cricket coaches like Bandula Warnapura, Roy Dias, Anuruddha Polonowita, Lionel Mendis, Lionel Wagasinghe, curators in the likes of Ranil Abeynaike, wicket-keeper maestros in the calibre of Ranjith Fernando, H.I.K. Fernando and Mahesh Gunatilake to help the tournament committee, to upgrade the talents of our boys in the form of resource committees, in all three departments of the game. So there is no country in the world than that of Sri Lanka, with a colourful array of rich resources in cricket, spanning since 1832 inheriting from colonial domain, to make use of, to mould our national team, in readiness for the great expectation. Call up the regulars at first leg at any cost replacing them with other stalwarts of international appearance in the likes of Thilan Samaraweera, Dulip Liyanage, Avishka Gunawardena, Eric Upashantha, Micheal VanDort, Champaka Ramanayaka, Saram, Gallage, Hathurusinghe, Dharmasena, Gayan Wijekoon, Jeevan Mendis, Ruchira Perera, Chamara Silva, Suresh Perera, to remedy the neglected long overdue serious match practice in order to overcome the latest weaknesses of poor bowling and inconsistency in batting, with a fine touch of team work to from December end to early February, for a respectable appearance at the World Cup matches. Think of our 1999 poor performance. Only such an enormous effort, even belatedly, will definitely enhance the courage to face the music, at a crucial time of hoping against hope. The current mistakes should be completely overhauled in a couple of weeks, if we are to triumph in February 2003. According to the ICC ODI ranking table compiled by statistician and scorer David Kendix, on October 2002, Sri Lanka stands 3rd in the world list with 117 points. Australia is sitting pretty the box seat with 128 points while South Africa has 120 to their credibility. Pakistan is a close rival to Sri Lanka with 115 points. What is Aravinda to Sri Lanka, Washim Akram is to Pakistan, who is determined to hang his boots after winning the coveted trophy with his last appearance in world cricket. Therefore we must put forward 'our man', giving him ample exposure from tough domestic practice-match fixtures to suppress rivalry from Pakistan, while looking at the interests of other two greater nations Australia and S. Africa. Therefore a thorough game plan is vital, after gaining first class warm up, before February. Let us makes use of the adage "all aspirations start with a vision". It is up to the authorities to make full use of this vision and mission, for the sake of the country. If we miss the bus in February, Sri Lanka's proud record of cricket annals, cannot be repaired easily, for a long-time. That will be the ultimate outcome arising from indifference, negligence of the authorities, so far experienced. |
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