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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