Sri Lankan fans teased and tormented :

Sports psychologist, a MUST to raise drooping spirits

Elmo Rodrigopulle reporting from Austaralia

Aussies take just three days to break visitors’ hands, hopes and hearts. That’s how a leading newspaper here described Sri Lanka’s pathetic showing in the Second Test match against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.

Sri Lankans who were at the MCG who I met leaving after the game described the defeat as embarrassing and humiliating, while Sri Lankans in their work places were teased and tormented by their Aussie mates.

It was the silly and stupid run out of opener Dimuth Karunaratne that prompted the procession to begin that saw the Lankans back in the pavilion in just 24.2 overs in 130 minutes of batting which evoked memories of the Cardiff Test in England when the Lankans were bundled out in a similar number of overs.

There have been many Tests that have ended in big defeats at the imposing MCG, and this defeat by an innings and 201 runs well inside two days will go down in the record books as one of the worst defeats.

The Sri Lankan camp is dispirited what with several top players on the injured list.

Their biggest worry is the injury to Kumar Sangakkara who was hit on his left index finger by a stunning delivery from Mitchell Johnson which necessitated surgery and he has been ruled out of the rest of the tour.

With the spirits drooping, it is vital that the Sri Lankans seek the help of a sports psychologist to get their focus and mentality back. This writer has on many occasions advocated the employing of a psychologist for the cricketers. But the request has fallen on deaf ears.

Never before has the urgency or a psychologist been needed than now. Unless the help of a psychologist is sought immediately and attempts made to motivate the cricketers, I am afraid a similar comedy that was enacted in the Final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground beginning on January 3.

While wickets were tumbling around him, it was Sangakkara who defied the Australian onslaught and stood tall. His absence from the team will create a big void as there is no replacement that can be his equal.

The left-hander will not be going back home immediately and will be given an extended stay for further treatment. Chanaka Welegedera who is suffering with a torn hamstring will b e sent back.

Replacements

Replacements for Sangakkara and Welegedera, Lahiru Thirimanne a batsman who many think should been in the original tour squad and Suranga Lakmal, a threatening fast bowler will be arriving soon to bolster the team.

With both wicketkeepers Prasanna Jayewardene and Kumar Sangakkara both injured and out of the picture the chances of the highly talented Dinesh Chandimal keeping wickets in the Sydney Test. ‘We want to give Prasanna Jayewardene a few more days to see how well he goes through the pain. It’s a small fracture on his thumb so, given the situation, we did not want him to bat, but we’ll assess him in the next few days leading up to Sydney.

‘But if he is not fit, Chandimal is our reserve wicket keeper, he will come into the team as a wicket-keeper batsman. Chandimal has been kept under wraps for far too long and it is time that he is given a go.

Here are the Biggest Boxing Day Test defeats of the past 25 years.

1988:– West Indies 280 and 361 defeated Australia 242 and 114 by 285 runs.
1994:– Australia 300 and 350 defeated England 250 and 92 by 295 runs.
2000:- Australia 364 and 262 for 5 declared beat West Indies 165 and 109 by 352 runs.
2010:– England 513 beat Australia 98 and 258 by an innings and 157 runs.
2012:– Australia 460 beat Sri Lanka 156 and 103 by an innings and 201 runs.