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| Sunday, 1 December 2002 |
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Can Lankans adopt to S. African conditions ? by Srian Obeyesekere South Africa is famous for its aesthetic beauty. From its rich heritage of jungle and beast to its landscapes and gold infested mountain terrain. Mostly white gold. But it is no gold rush that is the draw now to this African continent. It is the cricket fever. Just over two months away from cricket's World Cup 2003, the 8th edition begun in 1975, South Africa has already become the hub of the one-day rush. For it is the first time the extravaganza journeys to a land so festered in cricket. And the significance much where great names have mounted the books of the game. Trevor Goddard, Eddie Barlow, Barry Richards, Mike Proctor, Clive Rice, Garth Le Roux, the Pollock brothers - Greame and Peter, the latter whose son Shaun is the current national captain, Collin Bland and Kepler Wessels who distinguished themselves among a galaxy of others. But still more significant for a country back in the fold after a over a 20-year long aparthied related isolation from the game. Of course, the fact that South Africa has never won the World Cup makes this edition that much more significant in an era when it basks as one of the giants in the game next to reigning champions, Australia. In 1995 and 1999 the team led by the late Hansie Cronje started as strong favourites, but disappointed. Today, among the countries that rank among the elite fold of having scaled the everest are West Indies and Australia with two wins each, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka one each. Thus, the South Africans can count this their best chance on home territory of achieving the milestone. And the homesters cannot count but better fortunes than the ideal home conditions of the fast, bouncy wickets they have been teethed in. A campaign which has already kick started with a 5-match series against the touring Sri Lankans which at the time of writing the, South Africans lead 1-0. Indeed, the series has been looked to as the ideal build-up to the World Cup with both countries striving to get the right combinations. South Africa go into the feelers as a nation with not the best of one-day records. To say the least its cricket at that level has been fledging, having lost away tournaments - a triangular in Morocco taken by Sri Lanka, to Australia and more recently the Mini World Cup in Sri Lanka which was jointly shared by the host nation and India. To add to the Africans woes, one of their star performers, Lance Klusener who was adjudged the `Most Outstanding Player' in 1999 has lost his place in the team due to bad form with star bowler, Allan Donald braving injury to mount a comeback. Meanwhile, the Sri Lankans went in to this series after a 2-match Test series which skipper, Sanath Jayasuriya described as the best chance ahead of any other nation in acclimatising to the World Cup. But while the home team has exploited home conditions to the maximum so far, can it be said that the sub-continent nation has made the most of getting the right blend? For a start, the Sri Lankans ran into controversies regarding selections. As many as five freshers were drafted into the 17-member Test squad. But most of them including seamers Thilina and Thushara returned home without playing in a single match. This itself is not the best of beginnings and must certainly be a bad reflection considering it was unutilised talent. To make things worse, the selectors then opted for a different combination of pace bowlers for the one-dayers while at the same time naming a 30-member pool for the tour of Australia and the World Cup which also consists of some of those from the Test squad who were in hibernation in South Africa while some of the discards from the Mini World Cup such as Nuwan Zoysa and Charitha Buddhika Fernando are suddenly back in the fold. Where is the selection logic of those who were never tried out on the current tour in whom the selectors expect to look for latent talent for the tours ahead ? Moreover, much foreign exchange has been wasted on those who never made the team even in a side game which ofcourse does not seem to mean much with the Cricket Board having so much in its coffers. Certainly not the best of starts for Sri Lanka to its campaign which has suffered defeat after defeat. If Jayasuriya had been looking to make the most of the two-month long tour in acclimatising, it has not been so. Having none starters cannot but be detrimental while selections run into a mess. Added to this, the team has failed to click. Both in the batting and the bowling. While there have been substantial individual performances by the star batsmen and bowlers, these have not been outstanding. Not the type of form as an unit. For one, Jayasuriya had to sit out of the second Test match through injury while star bowler, Muttiah Muralitharan has been sidelined from the entire one-day series due to a hernia which he developed on tour requiring surgery in Australia. With Muralitharan recuparating in Australia where ofcourse he has been declared unfit for the upcoming one-day triangular in mid December also featuring England, the Lankan outfit is certainly badly handicapped in the ongoing series. At the same time Muralitharan's injury has also further reflected drawbacks in the local cricket structure where apparently no replacement had been thought of in such an eventuality. It is a bad reflection as to what extent dependance has been solely on a virtual one man show to shoulder the spin bowling department. But in not looking for latent talent in developing this department the current selectors alone cannot be blamed. There have been so many selection committees which came and went without training understudies to Muralitharan. Dharmasena, Avishka in the cold The second Test match reflected this shortcoming very badly with no replacement for Muralitharan. And why is Kumar Dharmasena who has been among the wickets been ignored ? Recalled after nearly a 2-year break to play against Australia in the Mini World Cup Dharmasena showed his old form getting two wickets including that of Adam Gilchrist. He is a wicket taking bowler with his right arm fastish off cutters and has several 5-wicket hauls on the local club scene and deserves better. The non inclusion of hard hitting left hander, Avishka Gunawardene who has many good knocks before his name in one-day cricket is questiuonable. How well the Sri lankans fare in the rest of the one-day series will be interesting. Whether our batsmen will adopt to the fast wickets and conditions which the South African pace bowlers have exploited to full advantage as they did at the Wanderers in the first one-dayer where the uneven bounce ran into criticism by home captain, Shaun Pollock as well as the t.v. commentators. But this is no excuse for our batsman for failure considering the fact that all host countries make the most of home conditions. The host team coach had ahead of the series announced that his bowlers would concentrate on accurate line and length to buy wickets knowing that the Lanken batsmen are good one-day batsmen. But apparently the Lankan camp did not seem to have heeded this and done their homework despite having so many coaches including Duleep Mendis as an adviser. Jayasuriya as usual flashed to a Pollock delivery outside the off stump to offer a catch while most of the other batsmen including newcomer, Jehan Mubarak and opener Marvan Atapattu seemed to be undone by speed. Mahela Jayawardena and middle order batsman, Russel Arnold who has been the mainstay at that level threw their wickets by indiscreet strokes. Jayawardene flashing uppishly on the off side for a catch and Arnold deceived to top edge a Makhaya Ntini delivery. If Sri Lanka is to revive flagging fortunes much will depend on how Jayasuriya buckles in his batting. Whether he can cut off the frills in adopting to conditions which will also determine Sri Lanka's fortunes in February's World Cup 2003. For if Sri Lanka is to make any impact Jayasuriya and his star batsmen will certainly need to come good with the bat. And familiarise if they cannot in the last two months if they cannot, getting the right combination would look a far reality. It would look the same in the bowling as well. Although Vaas and Dilhara Fernando have been among the wickets, they have lacked the finish as did the host team batsmen demonstrate recovering from a disastrous 4 for 56 without further loss through Mark Boucher (45) and Jacques Kallis (38). Interestingly, South Africa's world cup hopes will revolve much on Kallis' batting in ideal home conditions in a tournament which has already begun to generate great interest in view of Australia's unbeaten record but for that loss in the mini world cup, and of course a recent revival in West Indian cricket at that level. Kallis, who was `Man of the Series' in the Test series against Lanka, will need to surmount all his experience up the order which has seen him insulate himself among the top rungers at that level as much as with the ball along with compatriots Pollock, Ntini, Donald and a host of other competing to make the elite eleven. The emergence of the young block in batsmen Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels and Wavell Hinds in their recent 4-3 triumph over India, has happily signalled a resurgence in West Indian cricket which has been in the doldrums. Scoring more than 300 twice in an innings is a tremendous achievemnt as did the 315 in the deciding match. Certainly, South Africa will be more than a gold rush ahead of one-day cricket's fantasy for which the country is already making elaborate arrangements. |
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