South Africans commit ‘hara-kiri’

The South African captain Graeme Smith committed ‘hara-kiri’ when he won the toss and chose to field against Sri Lanka in the opener of the ICC Champions Trophy at the Supersport Park in Pretoria under lights on Tuesday.

Kumar Sangakkara the Sri Lankan skipper, who lost the toss would have had his heart in his mouth, wondering for a few seconds whether Smith would say: We’ll bat’. But it was a relieved and smiling Sangakkara one saw when Smith said: “You bat”.

And that certain smile rubbed off on the Sri Lankan players, the manner in which they caused devastation in the ranks of the Proteas by blasting a score of 319 for seven wickets in their 50 overs and then cropping the Proteas for 206 for seven.

Unable to watch the horrible batting display, by the South Africans, the rain gods could not but help weeping and came down in buckets which necessitated for Duckworth and Lewis to take strike and bat in favour of Sri Lanka and award them victory on their system.

When Smith and Sangakkara walked out to toss, Smith would have made up his mind that they were going to field first. This decision would not have been Smith’s alone. It would have been collective - from the captain to the team to the management. They would have thought they had the men to chase a score and win.

But what the South Africans forgot or were ignorant was that when one has to chase, they take the pressure on themselves and have to maintain a certain run rate in every over. To fall short would mean to take risks and when risks are taken, the possibility is that batsmen tend to play loose strokes that lead to their down fall. That is simple thinking my dear South Africans.

But what was inexplicable was that the South Africans were ignorant as to how their own wicket was going to play and the weather conditions. Obviously they would not have done a study as to how the weather was going to remain or behave during the game.

That was all poor thinking and it was poetic justice that the South Africans had to pay for their irresponsible act as the Sri Lankans made mincemeat of their attack and then had their batting grovelling to gain a vital win that should give them all the encouragement and confidence to go fast forward in their endeavour for the trophy and big prize money. The hosts will certainly be rueing their folly.

When a team wins the toss and asks the opponents to bat, it smacks of uncertainty by the captain losing the toss. Playing in their own backyard, they should have known better. Sangakkara too would have been a bit apprehensive when asked to bat.

But that apprehension was laid to rest, after the Lankans lost Sanath Jayasuriya early. Jayasuriya failed to play the line and he was out not because of any flaws in the wicket and then Tillakaratne Dilshan and Sangakkara began to revel on a wicket that was a bit on the slow side, but not unplayable.

The manner in which Dilshan tore into their attack, smashing the white ball all over the park to make a dream century and the study in concentration by Sangakkara who played intelligently and cleverly rotating the strike and giving Dilshan most of it would have made Smith see red.

The Dilshan century, the 158 run stand between him and Sangakkara,the brilliance of Mahela Jayawardena and Thilan Samaraweera saw the Lankans to a formidable score of 319 for seven and then the pace of slinger Lasith Malinga and the mesmerizing spin of Ajantha Mendis buried the South Africans in their own dust at the Supersport Stadium.

We hope the South Africans would take this defeat as a bad dream, forget it and come back strongly and enter the final. If they fail to make the final the crowd attendance could be very poor and it would not be good for the game.

The South Africans kept their hopes alive of entering the final by convincingly beating New Zealand.

Windies a sad lot

The West Indians sans their top players only just made up the numbers playing Pakistan in the second game of the ICC Champions Trophy and going down rather tamely to the Pakistanis who were led by Sahid Afridi in the absence of Younus Khan who was nursing a hairline fracture of his finger.

The Windies who won the toss and batted could not face the pace of Aamer, Rana and Umer Gul and collapsed in a heap for 133. Had it not been for the 51 by Nikita Miller, the Windies scorecard would have looked a sad sight. After some early shocks, the Pakistanis got home by 5 wickets.

The manner in which the Windies performed would have been embarrassing to the International Cricket Council organizers of the tournament and TV sponsors ESPN STAR SPORT.

It was because the wound that was existing between the Players Union and the Windies Cricket Board was allowed to fester, without the ICC moving in to nurse the wounds and cure it early and before the tourney began.

Taufell a protected species?

Accepted that life is precious and must be protected at all costs.

But for umpire Simon Taufell to hold the International Cricket Council to ransom asking that he be not slated to umpire in Asia to say the least is unbecoming and unacceptable.

Taufell should have brought to the notice of the ICC the lax in security when he stood in Pakistan and Sri Lanka and allowed the ICC to take the necessary action. To act in the high handed manner in which he has done is not what umpiring is all about.

If what Taufell says is true where he was not provided with the necessary security in Sri Lanka, then it is a black mark on Sri Lanka Cricket and they need to do some explaining and apologizing.

Being voted the best umpire in the world many times, the cricketing world badly needs his expertise and we hope that his reluctance not to stand in Asia is just a threat. It is hoped that he will do a rethink.

The ICC must reprimand the Pakistan Cricket Board and Sri Lanka Cricket and insist that a repeat would not be tolerated and stern action would follow.