Lankans looking for the impossible

The Sri Lankan cricketers are on a voyage of discovery in India looking for that elusive Test, 50-over and Twenty20 series victory when they play India in the First of Three Test matches beginning in Ahmedabad tomorrow.

The three styles of play are different ball games and the Sri Lankan selectors led by former Sri Lanka fast bowling all rounder Asantha de Mel have picked teams whom they think will achieve those elusive victories.

Now what matters is how well they will attune themselves in these games which are going to be gruelling with the home team under pressure and determined to maintain their unbeaten home record against the Sri Lankans in all forms of the game.

Skipper Kumar Sangakkara in an interview the other day said that his team-mates would do everything to break that jinx. And in his endeavour he has been given a squad that could demoralize and strangle the opponents.

Bit apprehensive

Being the First of Three Test matches, the teams would be a bit apprehensive and would not be taking any chances, but going for the jagular from the time the umpires call 'play'.

The teams would probably not be announcing their teams till they have a look at the wicket on the morning of the match. How ever it must be stated that a wicket would not play the way it looks.

Commentators would want to hazard a guess and say that the wicket looks full of runs and that it will play this way and that way. No one could really tell how it would play until a ball is bowled on it.

But as for us in a Test match the side winning the toss must have no hesitation in taking first strike. A massive score must be their target, so as to ask the side batting second to follow-on.

Not a turner

How the wicket is made and how it will play will determine the outcome of the Test. One thing is certain and that is that it would certainly not be a turner. The wicket would naturally take spin towards the closing stages.

The home team would like to prepare a spin friendly wicket so that 'turbanator' Harbhajan Singh could have a ball. But the Indians are aware that the Lankans have three of the best spinners in world cricket and would not want to risk making a turner. In the circumstances a fair wicket could be expected.

The Indians who were blasted in the one-day series by Australia, would be like wounded tigers, licking their lips and wanting to devour the Lankans. But the ferocious Lankan lions would not surrender, but fight to the end.

The Indians have named a strong squad which sees the return of V. Laxman, Zaheer Khan, Shantakumaran Sreesanth and Rahul Dravid. Laxman and Dravid are experienced campaigners and would be determined to score. It would be interesting to see who would share the new ball with Ishant Sharma.

Khan and Sreesanth have not played much cricket having just recovered from injuries.

Attacking game

The batting will revolve around opener Virender Sehwag who would look to hit the Lankan new ball bowlers around the park. He is one who would play his naturally attacking game what ever the ball game. His one fault is that he tends to get impetuous when looking good for a big score and plays an irresponsible shot that leads to his downfall.

Skipper Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh. Gautam Gambhir and Sachin Tendulkar are all in form and getting rid of them cheaply will be no easy task. All have scored heavily against the Australians in the one-day series just concluded.

As for the Lankans they will once again look to their seasoned campaigners - Tillakeratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardena, Kumar Sangakkara, Thilan Samaraweera, Thilana Kandamby, Prasanna Jayawardena and Angelo Mathews to do the bulk of the scoring with opener Tharanga Paranavitharne chipping in with runs. Dilshan, Jayawardena, Sangakkara and Samaraweera must make it their business to stay put at the wicket and make big runs. The bowling will depend on two of the three spinners likely to play. For certain it would be Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis. Muralitharan is a wily operator, while Mendis will be looking to regain that lost form.

If these two strike form, the Indian batsmen who play spin better than most would be in tangles.

Advantage

However it would be the side that fields brilliantly who would hold the advantage. In this aspect both teams have been woefully weak and unless they show good judgement and ground fielding with certain catching, the game could slip from them. It is hoped that both teams would have watched the Aussies and how brilliantly they field and taken an example.

One of the most disgusting sights to watch is a poor fielding side. It is hoped that both teams have spent a lot of time on this shortcoming and got their acts together.

Weeraratne referral system

The First Test between Sri Lanka and India will also see the Referral system becoming law, where each team will be allowed two referrals in each innings. It was first introduced during the India-Sri Lanka series played here where each side was allowed three referrals. Now this system was first mooted by our own Senaka Weeraratne an Attorney-at-Law by profession who is a very keen cricket fan. His system was given publicity in many newspapers and magazines around the cricket world.

But sadly the International Cricket Council has so far failed to recognize and accept this system as coming from the Sri Lankan. Why?. Only those ICC big wigs in Dubai could tell

Sri Lanka Cricket to whom Weeraratne has made many representations do not seem to care either, and it is possible that some other Dick, Tom or Harry would claim credit for it. If and when that happens it would be sad for Weeraratne and the country. We would like to join Weeraratne and support him in his claim for the rights of this system and tag it the 'Weeraratne Referral System'. He deserves it.

Mecci Macan Markar passes away

Mecci Macan Markar,Patron of Saracens Sports Club passed away last week after a brief illness. He was a livewire of the club from the time it was formed and held the post of treasurer for a long time.

He served when the club was doing well in the game along with such stalwarts as Mohammed and Hilmi Macan Markar, M.K.M. Ismail, Cader and Kuthmi Ibbrahim to name a few.

His greatest disappointment was when the Rifle Green where the club had its headquarters was taken over, which deprived the cricketers from making further progress in the game.

However to the credit of Nuski Mohammed it must be said that he has now taken over the reins and the club is still continuing to play the game, keeping in mind that it is not the winning or the losing that matters, but how one played the game.