Herculean task faces Dilshan
 One
of the significant developments in Sri Lanka cricket is that its no
longer a game for the elite. Time was when the big schools ruled the
roost. So it's refreshing that the new Sri Lanka Captain Tillekeratne
Dilshan had his beginnings carved out at a suburban school, Kalutara
Vidyalaya. This in itself will spur the hearts and minds of aspiring
cricketers in our provincial schools to have more hope.
Dilshan will of course have a herculean task to perform when he leads
the team onto the playing fields of England early next month. Not
because of any inadequacy on his part but that it comes at a time when
the players are still groggy with the defeat at the ODI finals.
On that tour the Lankans will play Three Tests, Five One-day
Internationals, a Twenty20 and several practice games. The First Test
against England begins in Cardiff on May 14.
Dilshan in a quick visit to the country, taking a couple of days off
his engagements in the IPL now in progress in India, faced the press and
in his own inimitable style answered questions posed to him.
In his first innings with the media, he came off well and answered
every question with aplomb both in English and Sinhala which augurs well
for his encounters with the media in England.
No let off
The former Kalutara Vidyalaya lad who has not let off from the time
he made it to the big league, said he realizes the burden that has been
thrust on him and promised to wear the crown of captaincy with great
dignity and respect.
The second captain of the country to come from a little known school
in the Kalutara District, the first being Sanath Jayasuriya from St.
Servatius Matara, Dilshan with his inborn aggressiveness should make a
great captain.
Before going on to further elaborate on Dilshan and his captaincy
attributes and when speaking about captains and players coming from
little known schools, one must recall the man who made Test Cricket
status possible for Sri Lanka.
And that man is none other than the man who worked behind the scenes,
not only to bring the rural cricketers to hob-nob with the Colombo
elite, but to also attain the elusive Test status - ABU FUARD.
Present generation
The present generation of cricketers would not know who Fuard is. So
here's a little CV on the man. He was one of the finest off spinning all
rounders that the country had ever produced.
A stormy petrel if ever there was one, Fuard once mesmerized the
Australians when they played a whistle stop match at the Colombo Oval on
their way to England for the Ashes in 1961 which prompted Captain Richie
Benaud to say that he would like to have Fuard in his team.
With Minister Gamini Dissanayake who was the President of the BCCSL,
Fuard along with R. Rajamahendren, Daham Wimalasena and Vasantha
Coomaraswamy worked the miracle and got International Cricket Council to
shed their arrogance and finally relent and accept us a full members. It
is the fruits of their labour that the present cricketers and officials
are enjoying.
The names of these gentlemen should be written in letters of gold
when the history of the game is put in print. Sadly these gentlemen are
now a forgotten lot.
Ideal man
Dilshan is a fighter and has it in him to face challenges. His first
showing when as Captain elect, he faced the media and answered the
questions to the point and with clarity indicates that he will be
purposeful in his approach.
He must always remember that besides the mantle of Captaincy that he
wears, he will also serve as a Diplomat and Ambassador all rolled into
one. He can be counted upon and at all times to keep the good name of
the country flying high.
That is most paramount as captain and also while being aggressive,
and taking calculated risks he must be watchful, keep a cool head even
when provoked. His brush with Shaunt Tait should have taught him.
The game today has become very competitive because of the tempting
bags of money that is on offer. The good things and the great values
that this game fostered and inculcated have long been hit out of the
ground.
An example
Dilshan in his quest always tries hard to set an example. by
demonstrating his "can do attitude". He will now need to foster the
spirit of a winning team and get the best out of every member of the
team. He has the credential for this. And it is for him to deliver.
He must be aware that there will be his fair share of supporters as
well as critics. As long as he performs and does not step out of line,
he will enjoy not only his captaincy but the game itself.
Already a critic has when asked for his comments on Dilshan being
appointed captain had queried as to how he came to be appointed
considering his misbehaviour during a tour of Zimbabwe.
In some Sri Lankans it is an ugly trait to character assassinate.
That is the only stroke that these critics have apparently learnt from
the game. Shame. That stems from frustration. But Dilshan will do well
to take such provocations from the gallery with a smile and bush them
aside. He has better things to be concerned about.
Series victory
As captain, Dilshan showed his capabilities by leading Sri Lanka to a
one-day series victory in a triangular tournament in Zimbabwe which also
included India.
As an opener he must continue in his same aggressive mould. But will
do well to temper caution with aggression. If he could get among the
runs and be consistent, it could rub off on the rest of the batsmen. As
a fielder he's class.
On a tour of Zimbabwe I was there when he made his maiden Test
hundred. Watching that excellent knock were also Clyde Walcott, one of
the Great Ws and Ranjit Fernando who was doing TV Commentary.
He batted so beautifully and with great responsibility. After the
game in a chat with Walcott he said to me that Dilshan has great
potential and could score consistently if he chooses the correct ball to
hit. Coming from Walcott that was gospel.
All formats
The selectors headed by Duleep Mendis which also included Brendon
Kuruppu, Don Anurasiri, Ranjit Madurusinghe and Chaminda Mendis have
done well in putting Dilshan in charge of all formats of the game.
Complete control will give Dilshan the necessary confidence to
succeed and take the game forward. We wish Dilshan all the best and we
are confident that he will usher in an even more exciting era for Sri
Lankan cricket.
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