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Experiences in Dambulla
A different kettle of fish
Spending 6 days in Dambulla was a pleasant experience. The cricket was absorbing, though one sided when the West Indies played. The stay was relaxing and comfortable.

The most fascinating factor was the manner in which the pitches played. Every venue produces a playing surface which consists of its own characteristics. At times on one square which has ten or more pitches, the pitches on the center play differently from the pitches at the end. The S.S.C., N.C.C. and C.C.C. are neighboring clubs located in very close proximity.

owever, the nature of the pitches are different and so they play differently.
The Dambulla pitches were a much discussed topic. In particular that it was difficult for the batsmen to excel in their trade. That underlined the nature of the pitch. The main factor was that none of the three pitches used for the four games misbehaved.

In analyzing the exact nature, it could be said that the new ball produced movement during the commencement of both innings, there was some uneven, up and down bounce and on most occasions the spinners got turn off the pitch. Now, that clearly indicates the dilemma the batsmen faced.One day cricket does call for attacking batsmanship. It is natural for batsmen to look to play strokes, to get on with it. It is also their responsibility to adjust their approach should the conditions so demand.

Sanath Jayasuriya showed the way, coming into bat in the middle order due to injury. Then the Indian Captain Rahul Draavid played two innings in similar fashion which held the Indian batting together. Then, Mahela Jayawardane and Upul Chandana put the icing on the cake. They were not overawed by the situation, being 95 for 6 wickets chasing a victory target of 221. What was required was to bat to the end, use up the overs.

This they did to precision. The Indians did not bowl well enough under pressure. It was sufficient for the Sri Lankan pair to capitalize. Jayawardane was outstanding and Chandana was not far behind. There are lessons to be learnt from these four games as the history of Dambulla is not of high scoring games. Batsmen have to realize that they have to graft for longer on this track and wait for deliveries that can be scored off.

This also means converting more dot balls to singles and twos. It has to be assumed that the bulk of the scoring has to be done between overs thirty and fifty. To do that the team should have wickets in hand. Still it has to be gradual acceleration of the scoring rate. Run outs have to be an absolute “no”! Marvan Atapattu got himself run out in all three outings and when he was going along well. The captain deserves a caning for that!

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