Thisara and Seekkuge confound critics

Pakistan who shockingly lost the Two-Test series to Sri Lanka 2-nil, did well to beat the hosts in the First one-dayer,by four wickets but surprisingly failed to keep the momentum going and tumbled to a 77-run defeat in the Second game, thus squaring the three- match series.

The first game was played at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium in Sooriyawewa and the second game was slated for the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. But the second game had to be shifted to Sooriyawewa because the R. Premadasa Stadium was unfit for play because of the heavy rains that fell.

In the first game it was surprising that the Lankans lost after making a formidable 275 for in 45 overs. Each side lost five overs due to rain. Chasing this challenging score, Pakistan cantered home by 4 wickets making 277 for 6 wickets after tottering at 105 for 6.

The Lankans had to win the second game to keep the series alive. And win they did in convincing and stunning style! Winning the toss and batting first, Sri Lanka ran up a massive 310 for 9 in 50 overs and stuffed the Pakistanis by 77 runs bundling them out for 233 in 43.5 overs.

Three match series all square

With this win, the three match series is all square 1-all and when this column is read the series would have been decided and let the better side win.

It is great to see cricket again being played at the picturesque Dambulla Stadium which was the brainchild of former President of Sri Lanka Cricket Thilanga Sumathipala now a Member of Parliament.

Sumathipala’s creation was a masterpiece and that it is has come alive again is something to savour and rejoice. We hope this is a new beginning.

To the second game and once again it was Mahela Jayawardene and Captain Angelo Mathews who showed the way for a big score of 310 with half tons. They have struck a rich vein of runs having scored half tons in the first game too.

After Jayawardene 67 and Angelo Mathews 93 put on 122 for the 4th the man who set the stadium alight was the big burly Thisara Perera who blasted 65 in 36 balls with 4 sixes and 5 fours. Perera with each boundary hit would have been pinching his detractors who put him into the grinder and tormented him.

Would have been mentally upsetting

At one time being pushed around it would have been mentally upsetting to the highly talented youngster and it looked as though his career was at world’s end. But thankfully his detractors finally seeing reason slotted him in and he destroyed his detractors and the Pakistanis the arrogant manner in which he wielded his willow and bowled the ball.

Not satisfied with heroics with the bat, he hit even harder with the ball casing mayhem in the Pakistani batting ranks returning figures of 3 for 19 which won him the man of the match award. With these sterling efforts he has underlined the fact that he must be a permanent fixture in the Lankan get up and we hope his detractors have got the message.

Then another who showed that he should be treated like Perera was leg spin-googly bowler Seekkuge Prasanna. When the Pakistani second wicket pair of Ahmed Shehad and Mohammad Hafeez was threatening to take the game and the series away from Sri Lanka, brought on judiciously by Captain Mathews he captured the prized wicket of Hafeez that put the Pakistani batting on the skids.

We have been admirers of these two cricketers for their rare all round abilities. We hope they have done enough to warrant being permanent fixtures in the Sri Lanka teams what with the 2015 World Cup drawing near.

It is customary when India or Pakistan lose a series for their former greats to ask for the heads of the captains and some of the players.

But some of the Pakistani TV commentators were very critical of the team for their poor showing where they lost both Tests, the good news is that Captain Misbah Ul-Haq will not be unseated till 2015.

No prospective candidates

Misbah will continue as captain because there are no prospective candidates around at the moment to take over the onerous duties of captain. Misbah was given a vote of confidence by PCB Chairman Shahryar Khan who said: I am not going to press any panic button. I believe in continuity in cricket matters and a few bad results doesn’t mean we start talking about removing Misbah as captain’.

As I said earlier, surprisingly it is off spin bowlers who have been penciled for bowling with suspect actions and been called.

First it was Sri Lanka’s Sachitra Senanayake, New Zealand’s Kane Williamson, then Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal, Zimbabwe’s Prosper Utseya and now Bangladesh’s Sohag Gazi for suspected illegal bowling actions.

Utseya had been reported for a suspected illegal bowling action during Zimbabwe’s loss by seven wickets to South Africa in the third and final one-day game at the Queen’s Park Oval in Bulawayo.

The match officials’ report cited concerns regarding Utseya’s arm ball and the fast delivery and that his action need to be tested.

The problem with the calling issue is apparently the inconsistency of the umpires and what is illegitimate and what is permissible

There are many off spinners playing the game and if they are called in the future, then the bowlers may have reason to feel that there are agendas behind the action of the match referees and umpires.

Cricket a funny game

Cricket is not called a funny game for nothing. If this is not so how can one explain. When India trounced England in the Second Test at Lord’ after a drawn First Test, the Indians earned rave reviews.

Then for no inexplicable reason Indian cricket went to rubble when they lost the next Three Tests to England and then came the barbs and the brickbats. How a team that won so convincingly could crumble is inexplicable.

Now the attacks have begun on the Indian team. The darlings of the game have become the devils with the Indian Cricket Board pressing the panic button, resting the fielding and bowling coach and rushing out locals to assist coach Fetcher and new Team Director Ravi Shastri.

Talk has it that Fletcher’s days are numbered. The outcome of the Five one-day series will tell. A former captain made a fool of himself by saying that it is limited-over syndrome that led to India’s defeat by 3 matches to on Another reason adduced for the losses are the wives and girl friends accompanying the cricketers.

Champion batsman Virat Kohli’ abysmal form seems to be his actress girl friend Anushka Sharma stay with her boyfriend. The BCCI is blaming the actress for her presence behind the vice captain Kohli’s wretched form with the bat.

According to reports girl friends travelling with players are against the Indian culture. Anushka and Virat have been grabbing the headlines since they were first together in New Zealand. In England too they were the cynosure of all eyes when it was known that the actress was staying in the same hotel with Kohli.

It is also said that it is difficult to get the cricketers for practice or stay focused because the wives and girl friends want to explore the cities. When the team gets back the report that manager Sunil Dev will tell all and it will be interesting to see how the BCCI will take it from there.

[email protected]