Mathews will miss Jayewardene's guiding influence

It is paramount for new Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews to make a winning start to his captaincy career by winning the Two-match Test and one-day international series against Bangladesh, beginning early next month. The selectors picked the best available squad for the Test series which included the experienced threesome of Mahela Jayewardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Tillekeratne Dilshan. But now comes the news that Jayewardene will be out of the entire series having sustained a fracture of his middle finger in the left hand while playing for his club SSC against NCC last week. While this is a major setback for Mathews, it also brings home the reality that with captaincy comes a full quota of unexpected challenges. Of all players the new captain would have been eagerly looking forward to having the former captain with him for guidance.

Learnt a lot from former skipper

Mathews while apprenticing under Jayewardene learnt a lot about what captaincy is all about. Jayewardene was not only an example, he was a shining example. With Mathews making his initial appearance, he would have been looking to having Jayewardene to tell him how to adapt to situations. In the absence of the former skipper, Mathews will have to learn from experience. Experience is the best teacher it is said.

Jayewardene, now that he has relieved himself of the burden of captaincy, would have been looking to give free reign to his wonderful stroke play and add to his stature as one the leading batsmen in world cricket.

Jayewardene who would have loved to figure in the series, unfortunately suffered the injury to his bat hand. Had it been the right hand he would have tried his best to play. But having the left hand immobilized has ruled him out.Pity.

Cruel then that the cricketing gods deemed otherwise and he had to get injured and miss probably the entire series against Bangladesh.

Mathews who will become the youngest captain to lead the country, must set about his task with an open mind and not shy away from asking those who know better. He will have two former captains with him in Kumar Sangakkara and Tillekeratne Dilshan and he can always seek their guidance when confronted with situations. Whatever the Sri Lanka squad must get down to assiduous training. They must not take the Bangladeshi cricketers as mere pushovers. They are set of gutty cricketers with the upsetting ability in them. Their problem is that they like Pakistan because they rarely play as a team. If they can battle as one force could worry the Lankans.

Sports psychologist - Sanga's thoughts

We have always been advocating the use of a sports psychologist for our cricketers. Most countries employ sports psychologists. Why Sri Lanka Cricket does not believe in this beats us. Let's read former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara's thoughts on this. 'Every single final match we played, including the last Twenty20 World Cup, we were very scared to admit that we were playing at the finals. Every time we had a team meeting, we would tell ourselves to pretend we are playing just another match. 'We were trying as a team to deny the obvious reality we were playing in the World Cup, we were in the finals and if we won that, we would be the world champions. 'I think the first thing that we have to change is to accept the fact that we were playing in the World Cup finals. Let's start, with that and put our hands up and say that there is something wrong.

Let's get other people involved to find other reasons if there are any. There's nothing bad that can come out of having sports psychologist. We need to change attitudes, not just as players but as administrators on the whole, since without that shift we cannot move on'.

The South African cricketers led cleverly by Graeme Smith brushed aside the Pakistanis to win the series 2-0 beating the visitors by four wickets in the Second Test in Newlands in Cape Town with a day to spare.

The Pakistanis were stuffed in the First Test and before the Second Test exuded confidence by saying they will come back fighting in the Second Test. But though they fared better, it was not strong enough to stall the South Africans from emerging victorious. The Third Test which began on Thursday will also end in a victory for the home team, unless the Pakistanis could raise their game from the basement and make it their business to look for a consolation victory.

Pushing and urging

The Pakistanis are pushing and urging foreign teams to come to Pakistan and resume Test cricket again. Pity that they have to play their home matches on neutral venues. The rampaging South Africans who are hugging the top spot in the Test rankings will cling on to that position for a long time to come and no other team will begrudge them this exalted spot.

The South Africans were in the game's wilderness for long because of their inhuman apartheid policies, during which time they had some great cricketers such as Tony Greig, Mike Procter, Eddie Barlow, Colin Bland, Barry Richards, the Pollock brothers Peter and Graeme and several others who could not stamp their class in big time cricket. But once freed from that inhuman era, the South African cricketers bounced back with a vengeance and great that after being back in the game for a short time have risen to be the best in the world, in what the game is all about TEST CRICKET.

The South Africans have not been in the big league for long. But in that time that they have left countries such as England, Australia, India, Pakistan and West Indies way behind is great and speaks volumes for their dedication and commitment. With several outstanding cricketers in their ranks now and led brilliantly by Graeme Smith, it will not be easy for any other team to dethrone them from that exalted position.

By winning the series against Pakistan they will retain that top spot and earn a whopping $450,000 for being number one. Previously the top team earned only $175,000. The teams following South Africa will earn $350,000, $250,000 and $150,000.

High class spin bowling

Watching the Test in Newlands, it was a treat taking in the high class spin bowling by the hugely talented right arm bowler Saeed Ajmal.Undaunted with his action being questioned, the spinner had a match haul of 10 wickets. With a bagful of varying deliveries - with a well disguised 'doosra' as the main wicket taking weapon, he simply mesmerized the South African batsmen and that his haul could not help Pakistan to victory was a travesty of justice. Many countries attempted to stall and stunt him by questioning his action. But the men who matter cleared his action saying it is natural and he was allowed to ply his trade and today the game is seeing a genius of spin bowler baffling and bemusing batsmen. With a spinner of spinners of the calibre of Ajmal in their ranks, it is a pity that the Pakistani batsmen don't make it their business to run up big totals and allow Ajmal the luxury of bowling with more freedom.

The axiom is that spin bowlers are expected to buy their wickets. But Ajmal has not had that luxury and is forced to bowl more in defence than in attack, and not been able to spin the way he would like. Had he been playing for countries like England, Australia or India which has strong batters, Ajmal would have had a ship load of wickets and would have even been tagged as better than the best known.It is time that the Pakistani batsmen are told by their handlers or are made to realize the match winner they have in Ajmal when other countries are crying to have bowlers of Ajmal's talent and forced to run up big scores so as to allow the wily bowler to spin his magic. For teams such as India and Pakistan winning is not the thing it is everything. Losing is anathema to their former cricketing greats and the cricket crazy public. With Pakistan regularly on the losing side, it won't be long before coach Dav Whatmore's coaching is questioned. Former opening batsman and ex coach Mohsin Khan under whom the

Pakistanis had a dream run has accused the coaching staff for their lack of planning to target South Africa's weakness.

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