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| Sunday, 12 December 2004 |
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Playing good, competitive cricket will bring results - Atapattu by SRIAN OBEYESEKERE It's but four days more before the team takes wing. A hectic schedule of last minute preparations of early morning gym work outs and practice sessions. But sandwiched in between is time for the Sharukh Khan Saturday show as the captain while acknowledging to the 'Sunday Observer' that 'must please the wife's wishes,' with the same breath strikes a chord as to the seriousness of the upcoming month long tour of New Zealand. The brilliant batsman that he is, Marvan Atapattu, looking to lead from the front, insists that playing in Sri Lanka or overseas is 'the same for me.' what mattered above all 'for me "was to play good, competitive cricket.' Noting that playing at home for him sometimes was much more arduous, Atapattu, the 33-year old former Anandian said,"If you do well to win session by session, then we will begin to win." Excerpts of the interview: (Q): How do you view the upcoming tour of New Zealand? (A): "It's a big challenge as for me and the whole team where we will need to prepare ourselves first up where in New Zealand the cricket we all know is on a high. We will be playing five one-dayers and two Test matches, and there will be no other time than this to do good to ourselves." (Q): It's sometime since Sri Lanka toured New Zealand? (A): "It was in 2002, and we did very well. Sanath (Jayasuriya) was captain then and we won 4-1 losing the last one by a thin margin of about 20 runs." There were no Tests. We stopped enroute from South Africa where we had a disastrous tour having won the last match." (Q): "How would you assess the strength of your team. What would be the particular forte? (A): "I'm not looking at One particular area. It should wholly be an allround performance based on filling for each other and filling for those who miss out. Basically, in a good team they fill in after others miss out. That fills in the gaps which is what we would be looking to do in effect performing as a team. I'm not going to say that it should be the batting, bowling or fielding. What is important is to play as a group. It's been our success. We've gone from strength to strength." (Q): That is to say the team's one-day performances? (A): "Yes, our last triumph was annexing the Paktel Trophy in Pakistan recently. Zimbabwe was the third country, and we played three matches each and lost two to Pakistan, but won the final." (Q): Would you single out any particular player as a match winner in the team? (A): "All have tremendous potential." (Q): There have been two new inclusions from the last ODI squad that did duty with batsman Russel Arnold recalled along with pacie Nuwan Kulasekera. How do you see Arnold's recall? (A): "Russel was out of the team because of poor form. Since, he has done tremendously well in the domestic Premier Tournament averaging the best in the batting department in both the one-dayers and three-day matches. I consider Arnold a great finisher who reads the game so well. He is so knowledgeable like anybody in world cricket where it is not everybody who can accomplish batting at no. 6 or 7. (Q): Like a Michael Bevan? (A): "He is like a Bevan. Take Miandad, Arjuna. Bevan is not far behind. (Q): Your comments on the emergence of Saman Jayantha? (A): "Jayantha has done tremendously well starting off in Zimbabwe in 2003. But there is more room for improvement. He has been given the No. 2 spot, and since Avishka Gunawardena is not in the fourteen, he gets a better chance of doing well. (Q): What about New Zealand. How do you rate the team. Would you agree that skipper Stephen Fleming is rather overrated who has not delivered consistently? (A): "I wouldn't agree. The fact that a side is not consistent does not mean that a player such as Fleming is not good. He has performed. The team is so different to other sides where their strong point is that the team does well without big names. See how much effort the manager and captain Fleming put in to keep the side in good fettle." (Q): Are you satisfied with the squad given to you? (A): "While not wishing to comment on selections, I'm certainly satisfied with the squad at my disposal." (Q): Would you agree that the fielding department needs to improve going on some of our recent performances where vital catches were grassed? (A): "Yes, I agree. The fielding has not been consistent as it should be. We need to change a bit. We are working out means of raising the standard." (Q): Since Sri Lanka broke the ice of winning abroad in 1995 with 'firsts' in New Zealand and Pakistan, we have not really come to grips as far as our success ratio at Test level away is concerned. In that perspective would you be looking for a turn around in New Zealand at that level? (A): After playing cricket for long years we have been playing setting ourselves goals, and winning overseas has resultantly begun to come. For me of course, playing in Sri Lanka and overseas is the same. Playing good competitive cricket is what matters most to me. The result will take care of itself with performance the more we win session by session." (Q): What about Dyson ? Are you satisfied with his coaching? (A): "His record suggests that we had a good year." (Q): "Do you expect Muralitharan to be fit for the Test matches? (A): "Yes, his comeback after a long injury sidelined lay off will be a tremendous boost to the team." (Q): As for your batting, you have led from the front with some fantastic knocks. How do you look to the future? (A): "I need to keep performing. There is room for improvement. I will always strive to do my very best when I walk out to the middle with my bat." |
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