Sri Lanka missed a golden opportunity

"So near and yet so far. That's how our sister paper the 'Daily News', appropriately headlined Sri Lanka' s three run defeat to India in the first 50-over One-day International in Rajkot, India on Tuesday.

The Lankans would have won this game and made it a memorable one had the sixth-wicket pair of Thilana Kandamby and Angelo Mathews batted with more purpose and intelligence when 68 runs were required from 58 balls.

What this pair had to do being a left hand, right hand combination was, while stealing the single, was to look for the four. The Indian bowlers would have not have been able to settle to line and length, considering that they were up against different styles of batting.

Inexcusable

With five more wickets remaining, it was inexcusable that Kandamby and Mathews did not get the runs required and take their side to win that would have given the second best victory in limited over cricket.

Being powerful hitters, Kandamby and Mathews should have looked for the boundary shot. Had Kandamby got out that way instead of being run out, he would not have been faulted.

But then that is how this game was destined to end and the Lankans can pat themselves for making a bold attempt to get to that massive Indian score of 414. That they missed it was just one of those things.

Once again it was that man of the moment Tillakaratne Dilshan who showed the way for an unlikely victory to be achieved by blasting a punishing 160 in 124 deliveries. It was his one day best and he would have treasured it more, had his team mates made that victory which he set in motion.

Middle order

Shifting from the middle order to the opening slot on the advice of his former skipper Mahela Jayawardena seems not only to have brought him luck but also big, big runs. He is sighting the ball early, timing his shots brilliantly and has the power to send the ball screaming to the boundary along the ground and over the top as well.

Dilshan found an able opening partner in the once forgotten Upul Tharanga and together they gave their side the all important platform by hoisting an opening stand of 188, before Tharanga left for a welcome return to form knock of 67.

However it was Dilshan and skipper Kumar Sangakkara who kept the Lankans well ahead in the run chase with a breezy stand of 128 after Tharanga left.

It was a partnership that was lapped up by all Sri Lankans who were praying for a Sri Lanka victory.

Sangakkara excellent form

Sangakkara was once again in excellent form and his 90 in just 43 balls with 10 fours and 5 sixes. One big six landed on the roof of the stands and it took some time for the ball to be retrieved.

Sangakkara too timed the ball with great ease. Although this style of cricket requires playing and hitting blindly, Sangakkara was all grace and elegance as he put the Indian bowlers to the sword. It was a whirlwind innings and had he not been dismissed 10 short of a century, victory would have been easily achieved and the Lankans would not have had to huff and puff to get to the post.

It was a pity that batsmen of the calibre of Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardena and Thilan Samaraweera failed to capitalize on the great work of Dilshan, Tharanga and Sangakkara and bring Sri Lanka a victory that would have been great had it been achieved. Jayasuriya failed to get to the ball and was stumped and Jayawardena and Samaraweera getting run out were unforgiving.

When Sri Lanka won the toss and asked India to bat, Sangakkara was confident that his bowlers would make use of the green top which had pace and bounce and bounced the Indians out. But that was not to be.

Cardinal rule

The pacies and spinners sinned against the cardinal bowing rule in one-day cricket. The pacies were not bowling wicket to wicket. They were pitching, either too short or on the half volley and allowed the irrepressible Virender Sehwag and dashers Sachin Tendulkar and Dhoni to have a ball.

The spinners too were guilty of not bowling a line and not thinking the batsmen out.

It was a treat to watch Sehwag hitting on the rise and sending the ball screeching to the boundary and over it as well with consummate ease. He was magnificent. Tendulkar too hit hard, while Dhoni enjoyed himself with yet another belligerent knock.

In today's game the most hardest and powerful hitters of the ball are Sehwag, Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh and Chrys Gayle. When they strike the ball it travels in jet speed and it stays hit. The sixes they hit are not aerial, but flat and travels a long way.

The Rajkot curators must be complimented for the wonderful wicket they prepared for this game. These are the requirements for the one day game and we hope other curators would follow suit.

On holiday

On holiday in Sri Lanka from New Zealand are Asoka Atapattu and his gracious wife Padmini. There is no Sri Lankan cricketer, official or media man who has not visited the Atapattu home and enjoyed his hospitality in Wellington. A keen cricket fan, he follows the Lankan cricketers and their successes and failures with keen interest. Believe it or not Atapattu has a rare and wonderful collection of cricket books, numbering nearly 600 and videos that are collectors items. Atapattu is a store house of cricket knowledge and has the credentials to be Sri Lanka's cricket representative in New Zealand.

Mark Benson pull out

When umpire Mark Benson pulled out of the Second Cricket Test between Australia and West Indies in Adelaide, speculation was that Benson had pulled out over the controversial new video review system. An International Cricket Council statement released states - Benson had said that his departure after the first day had 'nothing whatsoever' to do with having a decision overturned on review, and rejected reports of a row.

'I would like.... to state clearly that my withdrawal had nothing whatsoever to do with the decision review system. I remain a proponent of the use of technology as it helps the reduction of the obvious umpiring errors.

Media speculation

"The media speculation about the so called disagreement in the umpires' room is unfounded and totally untrue. Following my withdrawal from the Adelaide Test and the media speculation about my future, I would like to clarify that I have not resigned as an elite panel umpire. "I had withdrawn after the first day's play as I felt that due to my general health, I was not up to the task and felt it was in the best interest of the game, the ICC and myself that I step down and hand over to my colleague on the elite panel, Asad Rauff". Good then on the International Cricket Council that they acted quickly to squash the speculation.