Jayewardene brilliant captain, but tormented
When the Sri Lankan cricketers led by Mahela Jayewardene flew into
Australia for a series of matches expectations were high that they could
win a Test for the first time ‘down under’.
But that longing still remains an elusive dream. When that dream will
become a reality is one for conjecture and will depend on how Sri Lanka
Cricket sets about its challenge. In many respects it remains a dream,
even an elusive dream. The Three Test matches at the Bellerive Oval in
Hobart, Melbourne Cricket Ground and the Sydney Cricket Ground was lost,
with the first two Tests being disasters and the third, which could have
been won. But the Three Tests are history now.
Game in quicksand
To reflect on the series, we would like to start with skipper Mahela
Jayewardene. He it must be understood quit the captaincy, came back when
no one was capable or available to lead and Sri Lanka cricket was in
quicksand.
When he was forced to accept the job, he did so with the greatest
reluctance, but accepted it realizing the plight that the game was in.
This is what patriots are made of. He did a job to the best of his
ability and resurrected the game and gave it a new high. Hopes of a Test
victory ran high when he brought the squad to Australia. Then when it
required that he be free to concentrate on his job and be provided with
the ammunition to win that elusive Test, a mole in Sri Lanka Cricket
leaks to the free media a request he made for a part of payment to the
players from the World Cup Twenty20 be paid to the curators and helpers.
The request was turned down.
Direct to the media
Jayewardene did right in giving his side of the story direct to the
media instead of sending it through SLC. Then the SLC fires back saying
that he and the manager Charith Senanayake had breached their contracts
and that the Ex.Co. would discuss it at the next meeting.
It sure would have upset the captain. And at a media briefing when
questioned on the issue, Jayawardene showed the diplomat in him by
artfully dodging the question and saying it did not unduly worry him.
But it was obvious. Then came the news that he was to be removed from
the Test team. Now these two issues were insensible and uncalled for
especially because he was in the midst of an important tour. The moles
who initiated these two issues during the tour must be exposed.
Fumigated perhaps!
Moles found wanting
Obviously the moles would have been those who have not indulged in
any thing called sport. Had they been sportsmen they would have known
that for a sportsman to perform, he should be free of distractions and
be allowed to concentrate on the job in hand.
Jayewardene may well have been asking himself the question: is this
what I get in return for accepting the captaincy a second time when
everyone was dreading it and refusing? Jayewardene hit hard at his
critics by scoring a match winning unbeaten 61 against Australia in the
final Twenty20 game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Monday night.
To relate an anecdote
To digress and relate an anecdote which will serve the present day
cricket management. When we were cricketers at St.Benedict’s College,
Kotahena we had a Prefect of Games named A. Gnanapragasam.
Now ‘Gnana’ as he was fondly referred to, would before practice
start, summon every cricketer and in a cordial chat and ask about the
domestic situation and whether there were any problems etc. Now ‘Gnana’
did this because as he would later explain at a team meeting because he
wanted every player to be free of any burden or distraction or worry so
that we would be at peace and at ease to perform. He would also at times
visit most of the homes of the cricketers and check whether we were in a
bed at a particular time. He did this to see that we were geared to
perform without fear, worry or want.
Unofficial school cricket champs
And that year which was 1957, St. Benedict’s College emerged schools
unofficial cricket champions under the leadership of that all round
sportsman Lovellyn Rayen with Edward Kelaart as coach and Bro.Alban
Patrick as Director. It is hoped that Sri Lanka Cricket will learn from
these shortcomings and refrain from getting embroiled in controversy and
exposing petty incidents and spoiling the concentration of players when
on tour and playing important tournaments and series. These incidents
would certainly have gone to disturb the concentration and focus of the
players and lead to their underperforming. This prompts us to reiterate
and ask the question as to why a sports PSYCHOLOGIST is not part of the
team?
Mental toughness
With the Sri Lankan cricketers lacking the mental toughness, a
psychologist would have been of great help to toughen and motivate the
players and bring out the best in them. Sri Lanka Cricket must give the
aspect of employing a psychologist serious thought and not sing that all
too familiar perennial lack of funds as an excuse to getting a
psychologist to the team.
As for the Three Test series, while we took the Aussies into the
final day in Hobart in the First Test before losing was creditable. But
the loss in Melbourne in the Second Test just after lunch on the Third
day was a calamity.
Fooled by grass on wicket
The Third Test in Sydney could have been won. Fooled by the grass on
the wicket, the Australians rushed to announce their team prior to the
match packing it with medium fast bowlers hoping that the medium pace
men will dominate. Sri Lanka too followed the Australian strategy and
went in pace heavy, and like the home team did, included only a solitary
spinner. The Sydney wicket was always known to favour spin. But in this
instance both teams misread the wicket. Sri Lanka would have been in
with a chance and could have chalked up that elusive first ever Test
triumph in Australia had they made a big first innings score after being
asked to bat first. But that is an afterthought.
In a blaze of glory
Jayewardene quit the Test captaincy in a blaze of glory notching up
twin half centuries in the Sydney Test, but could not save his team from
ultimate defeat. But they were two knocks to remember.
The one-day five match series
Like the Sri Lankan cricketers won the Twenty20 series, that they
could not pocket the Five match one-day series was just one of those
things and it was a travesty of justice. After being bashed in the first
game in Melbourne, Jayewardene rallied his troops to bang the
Australians in Adelaide and then in Brisbane and had it not been for the
rain in Sydney and the Aussie reluctance to play, they could have
carried away the Commonwealth Bank series trophy.
It was disaster in Hobart which helped the Australians to win and
square the series 2-all and helped them save the blushes. It exposed the
shortcoming in the Australian get up. That the near two-month tour had
to leave a bad taste in the mouth and end in acrimony was sad. But today
with winning not being the only thing but ‘the thing’, what with mega
dollars to be won, these incidents do happen. The days when the game was
played for the game’s sake and in the best of spirits with the great and
honoured traditions maintained and where the umpire’s word was law is
sadly long gone, because there are Mega Rupees to be won than SENSE. How
sad!
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