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Two of a kind

Srian OBEYESEKERE

What a partnership!

That’s how the catch word seems to rhyme at the thought of Kumar Sangakkara teaming up with Muttiah Muralidaran as Sri Lanka’s captain and vice captain following Mahela Jayawardene’s departure.

While the elevation of 30-year old Sangakkara to the hot seat from the vice captaincy was always anticipated, the appointment of Murali, as our champion bowler is fondly referred to, seems quite the opposite.

No, not that in saying so it is an underestimation of Muralidaran’s capabilities in that equation of the job. In fact, it is hearteningly welcome that this world great, - leading bowler in both versions of the game - highest Test and ODI wickets of 769 and 503 respectively - who has a dime a dozen of marvellous world records to his credit, has been bestowed the honour of the vice captaincy of the national side; truly a significant recognition of his services to Sri Lanka cricket in a glowing 16-year old career that continues to flow like old wine does as the saying goes.

High point

If Kumar Sangakkara must be regarded as the new goliath of a new era of Sri Lanka cricket that must draw an eager public thrust of happy anticipation of a new deliverance of our cricket, the induction of Muttiah Muralidaran, who has sent down thousands of overs in the blood and sweat of the heat of competition and against the odds of a chucking related controversy that threatened to tear down his career, must certainly be the high point of a career that has seen Murali reach many zeniths.and, both hail from Kandy.

Indeed, in contrasting ways both Sanga and Murali are two beacons of our cricket. Sanga, still radiating like the mighty sun so full of promise - the batting specialist backed by a dual role of a willing wicket-keeper, who has blazed a trail with the bat that has made him the talk of the world, and Murali at age 36 the old warrior at the tether of a golden career with what more to achieve but the culminating milestone of stretching his world records a mite further.

In that perspective, the union of the two in this new bond must happily be welcomed by the Sri Lankan cricket loving public as one that could strike more gold together; Sanga, already highly recognised by experts in the game, both at home and abroad as an astute reader of the game with a sharp gab, and Murali, the old horse with loads of experience that has spiralled him to the bowling genius that he is today, who could in mellowing days translate that guile of experience into the vice captaincy in lending a hand to his captain in marshalling the side; a decision by the selectors that must be complimented in blending two different brands in a recognition of reaping the type of harvests that could take Sri Lanka cricket into another curve; our one-day status needing the type of revitalising tonic to regaining its old clout that had once put our cricket in the everest of the biff bang game, and overhauling our Test cricket that huge overhaul that ex-coach Tom Moody strongly stressed if we were to rub shoulders with the giants in the game at that level like Australia and South Africa, not to mention India - all over whom Sri Lanka has never tasted overseas success in a series.

Test cricket

For the record we have registered top notch overseas series wins only against New Zealand in 1994 and Pakistan in 1995 under the captaincy of Arjuna Ranatunga. And that is one and a half decades ago which is quite an indication of the shackles from which our cricket needs to come out if Sri Lanka is to reach fully ripe potential. This is something that Moody, in his parting words to this columnist, stressed which would require the attention of the Sri Lankan cricket authorities over the next three to four years since his departure; an area which has not had concentrated addressing with already two years gone after Moody’s departure. In this respect, while at Test level back home Sri Lanka has somewhat of a flattering record and there has been an unearthing of a new crop of essentially pace bowlers and batsmen, it cannot be said that their fine tuning has been absolutely central; a factor that demands the top priority of the cricket authorities, and of course the fact that Sri Lanka has not got a reasonable allocation of Test matches from the world governing body, the ICC when playing countries like Australia and South Africa and even New Zealand which is starkly another contributory factor to the island nation stagnating at that level, but for the usual 2-off test series.’

Unkind cut

Indeed, while Sri Lanka Cricket has a plateful in their hands, so do Sangakkara and Muralidaran in giving new muscle to the country’s cricket. And lets hope Sanga won’t have to face the same fate as Mahela of a newspaper wanting him removed.