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| Sunday, 27 October 2002 |
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Sri Lanka tour of South Africa : Taking Test cricket to new heights by Srian Obeyesekere Sri Lanka's Test fortunes venture into what is perhaps the island nation's biggest test in its 23-year long history in this year's two-match series against South Africa. More so considering the fact that the series is away from home on South African soil. And it needs no cricket expert to say that playing in South African conditions is by no means a South African safari. The conditions are rough as they come in a land where the game of cricket has been ingrained to the loftiest heights. If Shaun Pollock could well afford to draw on such credentials of a country that stands shoulder to shoulder among the giants in the game, fast wickets tailormade for pace bowlers offering much swing and bounce will be a trying factor. How well Sanath Jayasuriya's charges adopt to these conditions will decide how the series goes. What makes this a make or break series for the Sri Lankans is the fact that our cricket enters a phase with the long felt need of further graduating. Sri Lanka has only two overseas series wins to boast of to date. Both in 1995 against New Zealand and Pakistan under the captaincy of Arjuna Ranatunga. But much more has to be achieved before Lankan cricket could sing at that level. The bottom line being that only by winning away beating the top nations in the game that Sri Lankan cricket can graduate. For the record we are yet to register an overseas triumph over India in a Test series while we are yet to beat Australia and South Africa even in a Test match for that matter. In two tours of South Africa in 1998 and 2000 Sri Lanka were soundly beaten. That record must certainly sound empty to digest for Jayasuriya's team that will mount their fortunes on a combination of youth and experience. But what must raise the team's morale is the fact that the last five years has seen a significant improvement in terms of standings. An improvement that has come with sounder temperament, application on which talent and technique has been built. Undeniably, Sri Lankan cricket at that level has journeyed to a point of breaking that barrier which will be the realization of a new dream. To achieve that dream there is the nucleus. A nucleus breathed in the form of foreign expertise on which Ana Punchihewa as President of the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka in 1995 sounded that dream. It might have sounded a distant dream of making Sri Lanka the best Test nation by 2003. Our cricket is on to 2003 and still gnawing to go one step better. But in the hands of Sri Lankan born Australian coach Dav Whatmore and Australian physiotherapist, Alex Kontouri it can be argued that Lankan cricket is rearing to go. In that perspective, flaunting their talent in quest of new vistas must sound exciting for a bunch of adventurers ardous as it must sound. Those who will draw on solid experience come in the form of skipper Jayasuriya his vice captain and opening partner Marvan Atapattu, Mahela Jayawardene, Russel Arnold and Hashan Tillekeratne in the batting department. The bowling revolving around veterans Chaminda Vaas and that wizard with the ball, Muttiah Muralitharan. What must give the Sri Lankans a scent of that first is the fact that South African cricket, formidable as it is back home, has however, undergone a slight decline in recent times. There have been dents in the batting department with the retirement of some veterans while the bowling has not lived upto the reputation it once. Evidently, South African cricket is in a re-building phase with the selectors driven to experiment with new talent. From a Sri Lankan point of view, to achieve, the batting department will have to be at its best to stretch the South Africans. Importantly, much of that responsibility will rest on young Mahela Jayawardene who took his batting to exciting heights before a sudden lull. Jayawardene, a natural batsman with a gift of sound defence and strokeplay built on solid technique he brought as a promising schoolboy from Nalanda College, has been undergoing a bad patch with the bad of late which bugs any great batsman. It is a long time since Jayawardene sounded the boards with a century. For that matter in both versions of the game. Whether Jayewardene will be able to tackle the form bug and come good will to a great extent determine Sri Lanka's success in that department. For much of the load in filling the no.4 void of master batsman Aravinda de Silva will depend on Jayawardene. Young wicket-keeper batsman Kumar Sangakkara in the pivotal No. 3 slot will be reassuring to the Lankan camp going on the run vein the left hander has carried since his emergence. But above all it will be how good the bolwing department will be. Vaas and Muralitharan will be joined by pacemen Dilhara Fernando and Ruchira Perera, both carrying a fair share of experience. The tour will be a learning experience as well in how newcomers like pacemen Thushitha Lakshitha, Tharanga, Gamage, Hsantha Fernando and Sujeewa de Silva fare. But certainly South Africa will be a tour as ardous as they come which to turn into a safari will take much doing for the Sri Lankans. |
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