Spotlight
Indika de Saram:
Victimised
Srian OBEYESEKERE
 Despite some noteworthy batting performances Indika de Saram of
Ragama C.C. continues to be written off. And the best example of de
Saram's lot of being continuously victimised is his selection to the Sri
Lanka Twenty 20 team against India and being made a passenger. He was
never given to bat by what seemed a hot headed skipper Tillekeratne
Dilshan while all the batsmen, who had failed time and again at national
level in the one-day version, were given blue eyed treatment occupying
the top slots with de Saram slotted at No.8; a gimmick by Dilshan that
looked obviously meant to show de Saram the exit door. And one wonders
whether the national selectors too were a party to this in selecting him
because they were forced to and then conveniently ignoring him when it
came to selection of the Twenty 20 team for this year's world cup.
But de Saram, despite the cold shouldering, whose cricketing dream is
to continue playing at whatever level available to him - alternatively
he plays English league cricket where he is well recognised for his
talents - has maintained the remarkable form that he brought to the
recently concluded domestic club scene scoring freely for Ruhuna XI in
the ongoing inter-provincial tournament. His match winning 41-ball 94
inclusive of nine sixes and 9-ball unbeaten 31 in two outings it is
hoped should open the eyes of the selectors as to the latent talent of
this hard hitting right hander, another prodigy to emerge from Matara
like Sanath Jayasuriya.
While the big made de Saram, at age 36 belittles younger players than
him also in the fielding department where he is exceptionally brilliant,
the handling of him in the Twenty 20 against India certainly
demonstrated the 'team cult' that exists at national level despite
regulars whether failure are given blue eyed treatment.
Australian supremacy
 |
|
Phil Hughes |
Written off after their humiliating home Test series defeat to South
Africa in December 2008, Australia have been quick to reclaim their
diminished status quo of supremacy in world cricket by going back to
South Africa and convincingly getting the better of the Proteas 2-0 .
By this Australia, who were written off last December as a team that
had lost its winning formula after the exit of several greats like Shane
Warne, Adam Gilchrist and Glen McGrath, came back strongly to show that
still they are 'the' cricket super power; something skipper Ricky
Ponting did flaunt particularly on the shoulders of new blood in the
likes of opening batsman Phil Hughes and bowlers Peter Siddle and Ben
Hifenhaus. Indeed, that the Australians have regained their No.1
superiority showcasing young latent talent in filling the gaps of the
likes of Warne, Gilchrist and McGrath is a truly tremendous testimony of
what is Australian cricket - the huge depth of latent talent at hand
carrying the potential of delivering at the highest level as 20-year old
Hughes with twin centuries
did with the bat to become the youngest batsman to do so breaking a
78-year long record previously held by West Indian great Geage Headley.
The bowling department too has flourished with the likes of Johnson,
Siddle and Hifenhaus proving that they are champion bowlers. |
