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| Sunday, 22 June 2003 |
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Lillee to fix Dilhara's faulty bowling action by SRIAN OBEYESEKERE The fitness of fast bowling sensation, Dilhara Fernando, who emerged as the 'thunderbolt' for his sheer pace, has caused some alarm bells as the Lankan cricket authorities seek the expertise of former Australian legend, Denniss Lillee, regarded as 'Denniss the menace' in his hey day, to fix a bowling action which Dilhara's coach, Champaka Ramanayake said was due to a bad technique. Twenty-two year old Fernando, affected by a stress shoulder and hip which has kept him out of action since the World Cup last March-April, will leave for the MRF in India on June 24 to sort out what Sri Lankan pace bowling coach, Champaka Ramanayake described as a technical problem relating to his bowling action, causing a counter rotation. "We find that Dilhara's stress injury affecting his shoulder muscles is due to bad technique. The counter rotation is that before delivery, the back foot impact lands to a different technique in contrast to when the front foot lands. It resultantly changes the action leading to the counter action which consequently affect the shoulder and in turn the hip", explained Ramanayake who will accompany Fernando. Ramanayake, a former Sri Lanka cricketer, who took over the coaching reigns of the pace bowling department of national poolists from Rumesh Ratnayake two years ago, while noting that it would take some time to nurse back Fernando to the team, was however confident that his action could be remedied. He elaborated that the `bad technique' relating to Fernando's bowling action was something that had developed over a period of time affecting the muscles of the shoulder and hip areas. "It is something that had come habitually to him in the last 2 years leading to a breakdown which cannot be changed overnight. We have finally decided that expertise is needed on his action", said Ramanayake who has been working with Fernando in the nets for the last one month. The sidelining of the 6 ft. 2 ins. tall right-armer, according to cricket experts is a double blow in the wake of the sidelining of the highly talented 6 footer, left arm pacie, Nuwan Zoysa whom the schoolboy raw Fernando from De Mazenod College, Kandana ironically replaced some 3 years ago after Zoysa cried off through continued tendon related stress injury to a leg. While Zoysa, who emerged as a promising `find' from Isipatana as a 16-year old for Sri Lanka's tour of New Zealand in 1997, could not flaunt his talent but for bowling in just one innings of the first Test against the Kiwis before limping off the field with affected tendons, has since battled injury which has resultantly failed to bring out his best potential in the last 6 years, Fernando's dilemma is equally telling. Having made his Test debut in Sri Lanka's 100th Test match in 1999 versus Pakistan and his ODI debut versus South Africa in Paarl, Fernando was quickly to be hailed by the international community as Sri Lanka's most lethal bowler generating from 147 to 148 kmph with a much envied wicket buying slow ball. Of course, coach Ramanayake was hopeful that Randhi Dilhara Fernando, who turns 24 years on July 19, whose latent talent was spotted when he dismissed Sachin Tendulkar representing a Cricket Board XI in 1998 from where he scaled the big circuit ladder, will recover in time. Fernando had an astonishing 5 for 21 haul in only his second Test appearance in Durban against South Africa in 2000 where he once again hogged the limelight at the 2003 World Cup. There he hurled a thunderbolt that felled West Indian Ramnaresh Sarwan in a decisive super six qualifying match. Sri Lankans hope Fernando will be fit and rearing to go when England tour Sri Lanka in November for a Test series which will be followed by a one-day triangular tournament with India expected to join. |
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