Saluting our cricketers

By Srian OBEYESEKERE

Mahela

We salute our cricketers, who went to play cricket in Pakistan as ambassadors of the sport and escaped a terrorist attack on their lives, that they have returned safely from Pakistan's Lahore which to the entire cricket loving world was a horrifying nightmare last Tuesday; a brutal attack which with it while threatening the beautiful game of cricket has starkingly raised concern as to global terrorism which has now threatened the very fabric of sports; concerns also about the hosting of the 2011 World Cup in Asia.

The prudence of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC)in sending the team to Pakistan where the situation was volatile must run into question; particularly so with reports that several cricketers had expressed concern about making the tour when they heard of it last December.

Cricket is almost religion to Sri Lankans, millions of whom dote over their heroes who become so from the highly festered school cricketing periphery which has a huge fan base upto club cricket and the national team. A cricket match for most Sri Lankans means a fiesta where even white collar office workers prefer to stay away from work to watch a one-day international.

It is such a sacred cricketing history that the island nation of Sri Lanka is seeped in a sport that has become a passion for over a century of years.

And that such a passionate game like cricket should be invaded by terrorism is indeed sad for the sport whose treasures our national cricketers for whom their fans are wishing speedy recovery to be back at their very best to play cricket for their country.

It should also raise concerns with the ICC as voiced by its Chief Executive Officer on Tuesday that the ICC would have to review the present tour structure, and the government calling for an international treaty to protect sportsmen.

Thilan

In this horrifying aftermath of the Lahore attack Sri Lankans have put behind the grief, shock and anger in the huge relief that our cricketers survived it and are back with their loved ones in sport's worst such incident since the 1972 Munich attack on the Olympic village in Germany that killed some 11 Israeli athletes. According to our cricketers and the Match Referee Chris Broad, security in Lahore had been lax unlike the one-days series.

But; it had been slammed by Pakistani legend Imran Khan. But for this dastardly act, our cricketers played some scintillating cricket where the injured Thilan Samaraweera, from a thigh injury, emerged the hero from the Sri Lankan side for some truly majestic batting displays with back to back double centuries in the first Test match and the abandoned second Test match.

That feat put Samaraweera in a very elite band among such batting greats like the legendary Sir Donald Bradman. While Kumar Sangakkara is the only other Sri Lankan to hold the same record, Samaraweera by his stupendous achievements with the bat saw his standings soar in the wake of some early sterling performances that saw him enjoy an amazing Test average.

While it was a sad end to Mahela Jayawardene's final match as captain, Jayawardene's leadership qualities and batting records that have made him the highest century maker for Sri Lanka in Test cricket and his captaincy record for the most number of wins at both Test and one-day level must with it earn him a special place in the annals of Sri Lanka cricket for one who also won international accolades as the coveted captain of a Sri Lankan side that was bathed in the glory of two ICC awards in successive years for upholding the 'Spirit of the game'.