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Sunday, 22 September 2013

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Dinesh Chandimal...... a real promise for Sri Lanka cricket

Twenty20 Captain and 50-over Vice Captain Lokuge Dinesh Chandimal's selection as the Emerging Player has come in for criticism, some justified and some not. Chandimal was picked by a reputed committee who knew their onions and received his award at the glittering awards ceremony hosted by Dialog Axiata and Sri Lanka Cricket at the Waters Edge recently to deafening applause.

Admitted and accepted that his form with the bat was not what it should have been in recent times. But it is the norm for all brilliant batsmen to have a slump in form and then to bounce back. And it was and will be no different with Chandimal.

Class is permanent, form temporary

Class is permanent, form temporary, it is said and Chandimal has loads of talent. And he has unloaded this talent and put on display by playing some breathtaking knocks like the one he unleashed against Australia in a Sydney Test.

The knowledgeable connoisseurs of the game have watched the youngster do wonderful things with the willow and have been impressed and amazed and have predicted a lucrative future for this stylish right hander.

Unforgiving and ignorant critics will always question his form the moment he fails. But he must duck or hook these bouncers as he cleverly does when wielding the willow and should not be unduly worried.

That Chandimal is full of batting talent there is no doubt. He must be told yo hold hid head high as he will bounce back. To recap, had now Sri Lankan batting coach and Captain Marvan Atapattu been dumped when he failed miserably in his early years Sri Lanka would have lost a champion. The straight playing Atapattu when he first broke into the big league made five ducks in first six innings and only a single. But those who were running the game at that time saw the future in Atapattu and persisted with him.

And what Atapattu achieved as his career began to unwind is etched in history now. So Chandimal should take Atapattu as courage and inspiration and be determined to make his bat talk which is what matters.

Chandmal should not allow his one-day vice captaincy and Twenty20 captaincy to weigh his progress down. He must be proud of those two achievements and let them lie lightly on his shoulders.

Will we lose Graham Ford?

Like a thunderbolt bouncer from the 'smiling assassin' Michael Holding, Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford's request to be released when his contract comes to an end, hit Sri Lanka Cricket on the head. Ford who took over from former Australian opening batsman Geoff Marsh, proved a sleek coaching vehicle and although not coaching Sri Lanka to be champions in all forms of the game, did an admirable job.

Ford hit it off well with the players, the administration and the selectors and endeavored to lift the players and the game. He succeeded and had he continued would have taken the game to El Dorado. While Ford's request should be respected, because he has cited family commitments in asking for his release, Sri Lanka Cricket must talk to Ford and try to convince him to remain.

They don't come dime a dozen

Good and coaches who have the ability to produce results don't come a dime a dozen. And when we get a coach who can deliver, then we must endeavour not to lose him. If talks between Ford and Sri Lanka Cricket fail and the coach is adamant in going, then SLC must accept and respect his decision. SLC must think deep as to who they are going to get to replace Ford.

As for us a foreign coach is a must. A local coach and we have had many, would not earn the respect from the players who matter most and the chances are that the game could be on Skid Street. If Ford quits it will early January next year and SLC has been given enough time to shop for a new coach. SLC must talk to Ford early and if talks fail must not be caught napping. They must act immediately.

Zimbabwe stun Pakistan

Zimbabwe stunned the cricket world and Pakistan by inflicting a 24- run defeat on the visitors in the Second of Two Test matches on the Harare Cricket Ground last Saturday. Pakistan won the First Test convincingly and were expected to wrap up the series 2- zero by winning at Harare. But the gallant Zim cricketers made the impossible possible by playing from out of their skins to rub the Pakistanis in the dust in Harare.

For Zimbabwe who were sent to the sin bin and suspended from playing Test cricket due to lack of players and facilities which was humiliation, this victory would have warmed the cockles and would have been unlimited joy when victory finally came.

Surmounting all odds

Zimbabwe since being admitted to the big league have been surmounting all odds and doing their best to keep up with other Test playing nations. But at one time their cricket took a nose dive and suspension resulted. But with this dramatic victory they have proved that their cricket is on the up and up once again and all nations fronting up to them will do well not to take them easy.

Zimbabwe were expected to host Sri Lanka to a Two Test series next month, but were forced to cancel the series citing lack of funds. Had Sri Lanka toured they would have found the Zims a tough nut to crack.

Defeat anathema to former greats

With Pakistan being beat, the cry began in Pakistan for the team, the captain and the coach to be replaced. Defeat and especially to a lowly placed team like Zimbabwe is anathema to former Pakistan cricketing greats. Victory came to Zimbabwe because they were the better team and played the better cricket particularly in this Test. Apparently complacency would have set in, in the Pakistan camp which probably would have led to their defeat.

Moments after the Pakistan defeat, their former cricketing greats began the war cry singling out coach Dav Whatmore for removal. Also not spared was captain Misbah Ul Haq.

Leading the campaign and urging the cricketing authorities to revamp the team was former Captain, opening batsman and now competent TV cricket commentator Rameez Raja. Raja demanded that a new captain be found. While appreciating Misbah for his work and giving stability to the team, the former captain says that he is running out of ideas and the game needs somebody with fresh ideas.

'It seems excitement and aggression is at the lowest point in our cricket, we want to avoid defeat and these hot-and-cold, up-and-down performances must change', he further added.

'Rawalpindi Express' breathes fire

Former fire breathing thunder and lightning pace bowler,tagged the 'Rawalpindi Express' Shoaib Akhtar bounced at the Pakistan Cricket Board Directors for the slump in the team's performance. But he delivered a toe crushing Yorker at coach Dav Whatmore saying that Pakistan needs a vibrant coach to replace Whatmore. Like in India, cricket is religion in Pakistan and people in the street showed anger over the team's embarrassing defeat.They are in agreement with Akhtar who asked that Whatmore be replaced and were hoping a local coach could solve the problems. 'No more Whatmore,' said a cricket fan in Faisalabad adding - 'he is minting money but not producing any results,'

Another former Captain Aamir Sohail said Pakistan cricket needs revamp. 'We need to uplift our domestic cricket which is not producing top-level players and that's why we are struggling at international level,' said Sohail.

If ousted Whatmore need not worry because Sri Lanka's coach Graham Ford could quit in January and Whatmore could apply to Sri Lanka Cricket for a second batting turn as coach.

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