Cricket, luvr'ly cricket by M. V. Muhsin Once again, Cricket Luvr'ly Cricket will be alive in this resplendent isle. This time, for sure, with a vibrancy, a variety and a veritable flamboyance that the privilege of hosting the World Cup bestows on us. It's a well-earned tribute to a nation that has travelled the hard road that winds through the intrigues of international sporting events. That we have overcome the roadblocks and risen to these heights to enter the inner sanctum of King Cricket is in itself a matter of national pride and an expression of confidence in our country. As compared with Test Cricket, the 'limited over' concept has opened vistas of unlimited enjoyment for both players and spectators. The game has acquired a sense of urgency. There is excitement and inspiration. Hardly anyone sits around with long faces, patting their hands together delicately, whispering to one's neighbour. They now shout and cheer, often laugh and sometimes jeer. They give cricket what was a few decades ago the much desired Caribbean treatment that the founders regarded as revolting behaviour! Ah! Welcome to the scene of the cricket calypso in Lankan style. It has its own sound waves and rhythm to the accompaniment of the brass bands and saxophones adapting the Portuguese inheritance of the Baila that propels our batsmen and bowlers alike. Time was when in the first half of the almost 85-year history of first class cricket that Sri Lanka was associated with, that the game was played in the colonial mould. Interest in the game often dwindled. But those of us who belonged to that early vintage recall with some nostalgia how we hugged the transistor radio to listen to the ball-by-ball commentaries of the Ashes. Many would root for the Australians as a bold rebuke to our colonial masters who nurtured the cradle of the game, but held it close, jealously. We had our own trailblazers in the long game, Sathasivam the 'Gay Cavalier' a sworn enemy of all bowlers. The bowler knew no line or length nor could a skipper place a field to subdue him; there was C. I Gunasekera who blasted Aussie Lindsay Kline his first over with three fours and two sixes. While the math tots up to the figure of 24 runs, the trashing is still remembered 40 years later! And there were many more of this ilk in the form of a later generation in Roy Dias, Duleep Mendis and Arjuna Ranatunga. With the welcome introduction of the short game, and I dare say thank heavens not the shorter (IPL) game with its attendant monetary pollution, we saw the game expand exponentially. What was once the preserve of the cities is now a way of natural life in every village in the island. Cricket grounds and fields dot every nook and corner, all schools and neighbourhood habitats. And these sites are as revered as the many temples, churches and mosques that blend with the secular culture of our land. King Cricket in this country with its freshness and radiance is the accessible domain of the labourer tilling the rice fields, the lads in the hamlets and market places, the lasses who are tea pluckers and cadju nut sellers. They listen to the scores and soak in the imagery of the day's play conveyed in all its colour and splendour through the tubes in television. It must be said however that limited over cricket or even the long game did not become what it is today by itself. Like with everything else, there are people behind it. And while often we tout individual achievement, what has been our experience is that 'team spirit' is the strong fibre that binds the human endurance that makes or breaks games. Yes, our cricket grew to its splendour with a capricious blend of batsmen, bowlers, fielders and most importantly leaders or captains who caused cricket to expand. And expand it did beyond the scope of the game that our narrow minds could envision. The folklore or folk music that provides the rhythm, the cadence and the rich repertoire could not be what it is today without, for instance, the dazzling and remarkable mix of powerful hits, fine straight drives and finer cover drives that constituted the personal genius and dazzle of Sanath Jayasuriya one of Wisden's Cricketers of the year in 1977; the magical Doosra of Muralitharan that not only shattered world records like Jayasuriya did, but wrapped batsmen in knots and rendered bafflement and tears; the near perfect fielding of Mahela Jayawardena whose geometric precision was impeccable; and the astute team leadership of Kumar Sangakkara not, only by the quality of his interactions, but by the example he sets with bat and with his feats behind the wicket.Cricket in Sri Lanka, however, is not only about Sri Lankans. The culture and our tradition and the hospitality we are renowned for is respectful, warm hearted and all embracing. Fittingly therefore no pain has been spared by the Sri Lanka Cricket authorities led by a cricketer of his own distinction, D.S. de Silva, to ensure that the logistical challenges of such a mega event are met with a courage that stills the voices of those who revel in negativism. To put a positive spin on this the egging has only helped to improve the quality of the event. with the rallying cry: Play up! Play up! And play the game!