Although losing, Lankan cricketers not disgraced

True the Sri Lankan cricketers lost the First of Two Test matches to New Zealand just after tea on the fourth day at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Monday by 8 wickets, but they were certainly not disgraced.

We say not disgraced because after being asked to follow on the Lankan cricketers showed a lot of resilience and fought the good fight in the second innings to deprive the Kiwis of an innings victory.

The conditions in New Zealand are very cold. In addition the ball tends to swing a lot and it is not easy for batting. The bowlers too found it hard to bowl line and length because of the stiff breeze.

An excuse the Sri Lankans can adduce is that having played a surfeit of limited over games, they were playing the longer version of the game after quite some time. But that's a poor excuse.

Good toss to win

Captain Courageous Angelo Mathews did well to win the toss on a green top and insert the hosts to bat first. But that his three swing bowlers Suranga Lakmal, Dhammika Prasad and Shamindra Eranga failed to use the help from the wicket and the swing favouring conditions and deliver let Sri Lanka down.

It was the blistering counter attack by New Zealand Captain Brendon McCullum that sealed the fate for Sri Lanka. McCullum is generally an opening batsman. But of late he has dropped himself down and has met with success as this grand stand knock of 195 proves.

He blasted 11 sixes and 10 fours batting more like in the style of a Twenty20 or 50-over game. He was just unstoppable as he waded into the Lankan bowling shooting fours and sixes with his bat with consummate ease.

He baptized the newly built Hagley Oval with this majestic knock and the full house that was at the Oval on Boxing Day lapped up the batting fireworks display and they and McCullum will have this innings etched in their memory.

Kiwi captain man of the match

The Kiwi Captain was adjudged the man and after the game Sri Lankan Captain Angelo Mathews praised this knock saying it was an unbelievable. Elaborating on that knock that was studded with fours and sixes in just 134 deliveries Mathews said:

'It was one of the best knocks I've seen. He was playing like a Twenty20. It was just going all over the park and whoever came his way went for a lot of runs. That's one of those innings where he just had a lot of fun. He batted brilliantly'.

Mathews also heaped praise on his left handed opening batsman Dimuth Karunaratne for making a career best 152 in the second innings after Sri Lanka was asked to follow on.

It was his maiden Test century made against some good bowling and in conditions that were certainly not good for batting. He showed plenty of courage and fight and rode the pressure admirably in an innings that saw Sri Lanka saving face with an 8 wicket defeat and not by an innings which would have been humiliating.

Making a comeback

The youngster was making a comeback to the first side after being sidelined for the home series against Pakistan and South Africa. Mathews also further praised the youngster saying that he showed a lot of character and that to get his First Test century against a really good bowling side was sensational.

To further quote Mathews; 'I'm sure he must have got a lot of confidence by scoring that big 150. We were disappointed as well with him getting 30s and 40s. We knew the talent that he had and he's a good player when he gets going. He's brilliant to watch and hopefully he goes from strength to strength'.

Mathew also was very harsh on the Sri Lankan batting debacle in the first inning collapsing for 137 on a wicket that held no terrors. It was simply bad batting and not threatening and penetrative bowling that caused the collapse. The Lankans got their batting act together in the second innings and stretched the Kiwis.

The failure of the reliable Kumar Sangakkara in both innings added to Sri Lanka's woes. It is not always that Sangakkara fails.

Big scores come naturally to him who or whatever the bowling attack. He will want to put these twin failures behind him and come back with a vengeance in the Second Test and put the Kiwi bowling to the sword.

Kaushal making his debut

Off spinner Tharindu Kaushal making his debut had a bad game and one he would love to get out of his system and forget. He was unmercifully taken all over the field especially by Brendon McCallum as his 159 runs in 22 overs show.

Obviously the nerves were on show and also the pressure would have told. But he looks an attacking off spinner and we wonder how the selectors will go with him from now on.

The Selectors on tour are the best judges of the conditions and wicket and what team they must put to war in an endevour to win the match and the series.

Whilst not wanting to be wise after the event and challenge the selections, we could not understand the logic in playing Niroshan Dickwella instead of Dinesh Chandimal.

Nothing against or for

We have nothing against Dickwella nor do we hold for Chandimal. But had the selectors played Chandimal, not that he would have scored more than Dickwella did, but it would have boosted Chandimal's confidence as he is expected to bolster the middle order in our bid for the 2015 World Cup.

Anyway that First Test has been played and lost and in fighting back in the second innings we have shown that we have it in us to stuff the Kiwis in their own land. What we need to do is believe and confront the Kiwis with that second to none feeling.

By the way enjoy life now. It has an expiry date on it.

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