No will to win as cricket downgraded to one star rating!

That Sri Lanka could not win one of the Three Test matches against Pakistan in the desert was a sad indictment on the players, the game and all that it stands for. Especially that it was not more than a year ago that we were on five star standing! The players must take the blame because they are the actors in the cricketing scenario. To put the blame on the selectors or the members of the Interim Committee or the coach is to show cowardice and hide behind the facts. The three series played against England in England, against Australia in Sri Lanka and against Pakistan in desert country have all ended in one-nil defeats which is nauseating, unacceptable and to say the least a shame. The selectors led by former national captain and daring and dashing batsman Duleep Mendis, gave captain Tillakaratne Dilshan the best available sharp shooters.

Off the mark

That they fired off the mark and were unable to shoot down a comparatively young and inexperienced Pakistan side led cleverly by Misbah Hul Haq, shows the lack of commitment, discipline and the all important lack of will to win.

Dilshan who has been in the saddle in Three Test series must be wondering what he has to do to taste the flavour of sweet success. He is not lacking in captaincy material but may soon bring that to question too.

But what he is sadly lacking is confidence. When he decided to step down from opening the batting and preferred to bat low down in the order against the Aussies in the final Test at the SSC, we said that as captain he should be leading his troops from the front, by example and by continuing to open.

These sentiments were also echoed by former Australian all rounder and former Sri Lanka coach Tom Moody who was doing TV commentary during the Australia- Sri Lanka series. Dilshan's continuous failures in the middle order, should now prompt him to face the new ball and take the attack to the opponents. Then his confidence will return.

Another ugly aspect

Another ugly aspect to watch was the lack of commitment to play as one strike force. To those in the know and who have played the game it was obvious, that there was a lot of individual play. When individual play takes prominence to playing as a team, there is no way that one could achieve success. Those playing the role of spoil sport must be obvious to the selectors now, and when squad picking time to South Africa comes around they must not hesitate or fear to jettison the undesirables who are a pain in the.... team.

If the worse comes to the worst, the selectors will not be faulted if they give Dilshan a young and promising squad who will perform as a team and build a formidable side who will take the game forward and to the land of success that we once ruled and enjoyed. The successful future the game is of paramount interest. When Sri Lanka won the toss and batted first in the final Test, it should have been all out attack with the formidable score and made in quick time, and then bowl out the opponents by putting pressure on them.

Pat ball cricket

But what one saw at times was pat ball cricket and a run drought. This delighted the Pakistanis who had only to draw the game to pocket the series. And that is how it ended. There was no urgency. Sad.

It looks as if coach, Geoff Marsh has still not been able to get the former Aussie ruthless ability to rub off on the Lankan cricketers. Marsh was in the Aussie sides that rolled over opponents and dominated all forms of the game. These are early days and we hope Marsh will deliver.

It was also unfortunate that the most committed player in the team Mahela Jayawardena could not get among the runs as he usually does. Had he fired, he would have shown the way for success. All great batsmen,suffer a dip and it was no different with Jayawardena. In any event over dependence on the inherent capabilities of a Muralitharan, a Mahela Jayawardena and a Sangakkara is not a sustainable strategy.

When Pakistan went in a second time with more than a day to survive and the wicket been amenable to spin, one expected our tweakers Rangana Herath, Suraj Randiv and Dilshan to have the Pakistani batsmen in a flat spin.

Poor spin bowling

But what one saw was the trio giving a lesson on how not to bowl spin. None of them lived up to the true sense of the word spin. Good and match winning spin bowlers must have the ability to turn square on a wicket that is helpful to spin and have batsmen bemused not knowing which way it would spin.

But Herath and Randiv our main spinners were most times going straight, or turning just that little and the Pakistani batsmen did not have any problems in facing them and playing out a draw. The selectors are faced with a gargantuan task of having to shop for spinners who can bowl opponents out twice and bring us victories. The least said about our new ball bowlers the better. They can only waste the new ball.

How Sri Lanka cricket is crying for former spinners of the calibre of Abu Fuard, Neil Chanmugam, Mahinda Athulatmudali, Cyril Ernest, Lalith Kaluperuma, Vijay Mahendran and Muttiah Muralitharan ( all off spin) and Daya Sahabandu, Ajit de Silva and Ranil Abeynaike (left arm spin).

Classy leg spinners

Then Sri Lanka had C.Ivers Gunasekera, Gamini Goonasena, Neville Ponniah and Lareef Idroos (leg spin/googly). Now the only good leg spin/googly bowler we have Malinga Bandara is ageing away in cricket's wilderness. They above mentioned spinners were batsmen's nightmares on turning wickets. They had the ability to bowl any side out twice, which is what spin bowlers are expected to do, and do consistently.

Our pacemen are no better. Oh for pacemen who tormented batmen such as T.B.Kehelgamuwa, Stanley de Alwis, Norton Fredrick, Darrel Lieversz, Sylvester Dias, Lakshman Gunatilleke, Sonny Yatawara and Nihal Zoysa. Our pacemen and spinners of today can get the rare five wickets in an innings, but unable to repeat and repeat consistently. Until we get pacemen and spinners of the above mentioned category our cricket will always be struggling.

[email protected]