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| Sunday, 10 August 2003 |
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Sri Lankan seniors get 'wake-up' call as youngsters get chance to perform by SRIAN OBEYESEKERE A lull in the cricket before the English arrive this November here has with it for a change brought a sort of a well deserved vacation for the Sri Lankan cricketers. Certainly a welcome rest. What with the hectic months of cricket since last year in the run up to the World Cup which had not only stretched the Lankan cricketers, but teams globally as well to a point of captains complaining that they were being over taxed by too much of cricketing commitments. The rest after the recent West Indian sojourn will not only enable the cricketers to recover from fatigue and injuries which captains had been grumbling was a setback to fitness and maintaining desired standards. For Sri Lanka, which is in the process of team building, this break must come handy. It will enable some of the out of form senior batsmen to do their homework and get back to rhythm. But at the same time they will be aware that only by coming good with the bat that they can remain in the juggernaut or else leave the national selectors no alternative but to look elsewhere. Certainly, in a game which has become competitive by the day for all its commercial dressings where the dollars come fat and nice, the name of the game essentially revolves strictly on the form book. There is no room for those who cannot come good where selectors expect nothing but the maximum from latent talent they place their faith in. It is this glaring shortcoming of late by some of the seniors which has resultantly left the selectors groping to give muscle to basic areas that the Chief Selector, Lalith Kaluperuma addressed when he emphasised the need to deliver or make room for others. Naming a 31-member Sri Lanka 'A' pool for the upcoming home triangular tournament when Sri Lanka 'A' and their Indian and Pakistani counterparts vie for the 'Emerging Trophy', the Chairman of Selectors echoed the selectors dilemma as never before when he said, "The tournament will be an opportunity for those knocking on the door to make the best use." In saying so the selectors have included some promising young talent consisting of Sri Lanka under-19 players and from the Cricket Academy XI such as 'Observer-Bata Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2003', Farveez Maharoof, 2002 'Schoolboy Cricketer,' Sahan Wijeratne and Jeevan Mendis alongside some former Sri Lankan cricketers like Russel Arnold and Avishka Gunawardena and Jehan Mubarak who were recently sidelined along with some not so recent like Indika de Saram, Lanka de Silva and Nuwan Zoysa who are striving to reclaim their places. "We are hoping to make use of all avenues from the 'Emerging Trophy'. The broadline is to get the best possible combination for the home England tour after that. The batsmen have not really come out and I hope the seniors would get their act together and comeback to form. The main area of concern has been the middle order in the Sri Lanka team," Kaluperuma reiterated. Indeed, for a country that is looking to inject new muscle in reviving its once sky high one-day image, and at the same time garnering its mediocre Test capacity to more desired heights, the selectors will have a good look at young blood of potential allround material for the future such as Maharoof, a former Wesleyite, who has reportedly excelled in lower grade cricket in England. Wijeratne, a former Peterite and Jeevan Mendis from S. Thomas', who have had some excellent outings with the national under-19 teams abroad, must augur well. Maharoof has also been picked to lead the Sri Lanka under-19 XI in the home series against the Pakistan under-19 XI starting this week. Reflectively, so much talent at hand to 'bat' on for the future must also sound exciting as competition to make it to the main team intensifies. Besides the starry eyed colts knocking on the door, the re-emergence of batsman De Saram, once talked of as the next Aravinda de Silva, as much as the likes of Arnold trying to win a recall along with young Jehan Mubarak and Michael Van Dort must certainly give the selectors hope. Saram, the former St. Thomas, Matara wicket-keeper batsman emerged with a bang with an envious schoolboy record for the highest individual score of 300 odd in a first XI match as he continued to notch some breathtaking double centuries on the club scene. But after failing to catch the eye of the selectors at his peak, he made the Lanka team in 1999 in the shake-up after the World Cup, but faded away after a few opportunities which seemed unfair by a budding youngster who could have done with more exposure at that level. Now at age 29, this right hand batsman who packs a copybook backdrive which he well flaunted on his way to two fine half centuries for a Lanka under-21 XI against a like South African XI when Jaques Kallis and Lance Klusener toured here, is on the comeback trail having made four half centuries in the concluded domestic season for Tamil Union, and a forceful 125 in a trial match to select the 'A' team squad. Arnold, too, a sound left hand batsman, who has played some match saving innings for Sri Lanka, who filled in the No. 5 vacuum left by Arjuna Ranatunga, will be looking to bounce back. As much as the middle order batting, the fast bowling department is another problem area for the selectors. Kaluperuma said that the availability of two frontline pacies - Dilhara Fernando, who is still under rehabilitation to correct a faulty bowling action which has sidelined him from recent duty, and Prabath Nissanka, who underwent knee surgery in Australia, were in doubt for the England tour. "We hope that Dilhara would sort out his action by then while the consolation is that Nuwan Zoysa, who had been out for sometime, is now making a strong comeback bid," he said. The 'Emerging Trophy' triangular which will be worked out from September 13 to 21 with each team meeting twice in the run-up to the finals, must serve as the ideal opportunity for some of the drop outs and young hopefuls to make it to the higher rung. The Sri Lanka 'A' pool: Avishka Gunawardena (Capt.), Ian Daniel, Russel Arnold, Indika de Saram, Michael Van Dort, Jehan Mubarak, Sahan Wijeratne, Thilina Kandambi, Jeevan Mendis, Upul Tharanga, Chamara Silva, Tharanga Paranavithana, Prasanna Jayawardena, Lanka de Silva, Janaka Gunaratne, Malintha Gajanayake, Anushka Polonowita, Praneeth Jayasundera, Rangana Herath, Chamikara Mudalige, Suraj Mahamed, Farveez Maharoof, Gayan Wijekoon, Kaushalya Weeraratne, Hasantha Fernando, Ranga Dias, L. Malinga, Nuwan Zoysa, Omesh Wijesiriwardena, Tharanga Lakshitha, Nandika Ranjith. |
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