Australians on a rebuilding expedition

The Australian cricketers led by the stylish right hand batsman Michael Clarke are in Sri Lanka on a rebuilding expedition. They have brought with them an inexperienced and young set of talented cricketers and are hoping to have them as superb finished products when the series is over. And the expeditions seems - be successful thanks to the cooperation and support by the Sri Lankan team!

The Vice Captain is the hugely talented all rounder Shane Watson. Watson is a dashing right hand batsman who can hit any bowling attack into smithereens. Cricket fans in Sri Lanka are hoping that he will blast before the tour ends. He is a penetrative right arm bowler able to obtain reverse swing and is a safe slip fielder.

The only experienced cricketers in the Aussie squad are formerCaptain Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey. Ponting and Hussey like good wine need no bush. They have a lot more to offer Australian cricket and their presence will be a great influence on the youngsters on tour.

They were envied

Until recently Australian cricket was the envy of all othercricket playing nations. They ruled the cricket world for a long time in all versions of the game. Their style of play was unique. Other countries tried to copy their ruthless style of play, but failed miserably.

Their cricketers of that era led by Steve Waugh and later RickyPonting were marvellous. Each player knew what role he had to play and performed to perfection and did not have to be told. They weredemoralizing and eye catching to watch.

But firstly with the retirement of Steve Waugh who was anexemplary captain who always led from the front combined with theretirement of classic cricketers such as Mathew Hayden, Justin Langer, Adam Gilchrist, Damien Martyn, Glen McGrath and Shane Warne their cricket hit the skids.

Cricketers of the above mentioned mould come only once in alifetime. They were exceptionally brilliant. In their chosen fieldthey were masters. Several tried to emulate them. But they alone were monarchs. They just bulldozed through opponents during their reign.

Champions retire

But like in life all good things must come to an end. Withthe retirement of these champions, their cricket world collapsed much to the delight of their opponents and now after a bashing in the Ashes series by England down under are again focusing on being top dogs in the game.

When the Aussies were brushing aside all opponents, their coaches too were in great demand. Sri Lanka had Dav Whatmore, TomMoody, Trevor Baylis and Stuart Law. But with the levels of theircricket dropping, the demand for Aussie coaches too dropped.

But with their failures in recent times Cricket Australiaheaded by its Chairman Jack Clarke is determined to get back to their glory years of the past. As a first step they have sent a young and promising squad to Sri Lanka.

Lankans stuffed

If the ease in which they stuffed the Sri Lankans in the First Test in Galle is an indication and if they continue in that form, they will leave these shores a formidable team and their past glory days would not be long in coming.

Here to show, guide and lick them into a champion squad areformer greats – Justin Langer (Batting coach), Craig McDermott(Bowling coach), Steve Rixon (Fielding coach) and selector on tour Greg Chappell. All were marvels during their time and the cricketers will certainly benefit from their guidance.

Langer and Hayden formed a great opening pair, Langer is betterremembered here for causing confusion in a Test match at the SSC. On his way to his fielding position he quietly dropped a bail and in the ensuing confusion an appeal went up for hit wicket. But fortunately the TV had filmed the scene and appeal turned down no further embarrassment.

Craig McDermott was a tearaway fast bowler. Steve Rixon was astylish and safe wicket keeper, while Greg Chappell needs nointroduction. His prowess with the bat and the runs he scored islegion. But he is best remembered for getting his brother Trevor send an underarm delivery in a game against New Zealand which nearly brought the two countries to war.

Another Bradman

Also present on this tour is Douglas Walters, who was taggedanother Bradman during his early years. But sadly like Ian Craig who was tagged similarly, he failed to deliver. Walters scored heavily, but not Bradman like. Ian Craig after a tour of India as Captain if my memory serves me right, suffered a bout of hepatitis and went out of the game.

There’s also ‘ Merv the swerve’ Hughes who sported a handle bar‘musto’ during his fast bowling days when he terrorized many a batsman and knocked back many a stump and hit players with his thunderbolts.

When Sri Lanka toured Australia in the late 1980s and in a Test on a fast pitch in Perth he hit Arjuna Ranatunga on the body several times.

Ranatunga did not cringe, but as a youngster showed great pluckand courage took the short pitched barrage on his body and at the end of that plucky innings he had black and blue bruises all over. Former Sri Lankan off spinning all rounder Abu Fuard was manager—and a great one at that — and the writer was there covering the tour for the now defunct ‘Times Group’.

Bright a tourist

Also taking in the action is former Aussie left arm spinner Ray Bright as a tourist. Bright played in Sri Lanka during his early cricketing days and went on to sport the baggy green cap if I remember right playing under the captaincy of left hand bat Graham Yallop.

The Aussie cricketers are here after a lapse of seven years. They have come here in addition to playing cricket as ambassadors. The welcome they received by cricket fans in Galle was disappointing.

Every time their bowlers appealed, batsmen made strokes or fielders plucked catches they were booed. This is certainly “not cricket”. This is the time we need to draw lessons from what the Aussies are teaching us.

The schoolboys present were the culprits and its time that such errant fans were taken to task.

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