In the pre-2011 Cricket World Cup era, both Australia and Sri Lanka were the top of the pops in the cricket rankings and also were two of the sides to beat. Their winning percentages were high and the teams were clicking like clock work in all three departments of the game.
Yet the great uncertainties that apply to everything in the universe have come in as a reality to both teams.
The Australian cricket team which maintained a few niches above the rest of the cricketing world for well over a decade, were bowled out for 46 against South Africa in a ding-dong battle in Cape Town and then fell for 136 in the first innings and then failed to score less than 250 runs to win the third Test and the series against New Zealand ironically at home.
Then the Lankans who had an impressive run especially in the sphere of Test cricket under the captaincies of Mahela Jayewardene and Kumar Sangakkara are gradually slipping into the position of another doormat of Test cricket.
Today, Australia is wondering if their choice of Michael Clarke as captain was the most prudent, while the Lankans are sulking under the visionless captaincy of Tillekeratne Dilshan.
The Australians knew it was Clarke who was going to step into the huge shoes of Rickey Ponting to lead arguably the best cricketing nation in the world. Yet, the Dilshan saga did not begin that way.
During the past few years, Dilshan was sitting in the wrong end of the dressing room. He along with Sanath Jayasuriya and Chaminda Vaas were not the blue-eyed boys of the hierarchy as at one time or the other they have had their differences with the Sangakkara/Jayewardene clan over different issues. Yet, the team performed as one unit as a result of both Jayewardene and Sangakkara being good captains while middleman Muttiah Muralitharan operated with a different agenda.
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| Dilshan would have been better off as a specialist batsman. |
Taking more and more wickets in every game was very high in his priorities and he wanted to retire as the greatest spinner ever to play the game. Yet these dressing room antics were no secrets and at times it even spilled into the press box.Last week former Sri Lanka Interim Committee chairman and cricket captain Arjuna Ranatunga while commenting on the captaincy weaknesses of Dilshan lamented about the authorities not preparing Dilshan for this eventuality. He was on air commenting about how the aging Muralitharan was brought in as vice-captain to Sangakkara. Then when Muralitharan finally called it a day after his 800th Test wicket the then selectors recalled Sangakkara’s predecessor Mahela Jayewardene to step in as vice captain until the Cricket World Cup 2011.
While these moves were acted on the world stage of international cricket, the backstage war was raging between the two dressing room camps. Jayasuriya was gradually dumped from the team as a result of a poor run with the bat for a prolonged period, while Vaas was not considered for international cricket after his 400thODI wicket on August 27, 2008 against India. One may remember both Jayasuriya and Vaas though not playing international cricket came very close to being picked for the 2011 World Cup. Vaas was at the final at Mumbai training with the squad after being invited in as a stand-by.
Dilshan who was having a good run with the bat once he was elevated to the berth of the opening batsman had consolidated himself in this position as a senior, but, him as the next of kin as the Lankan captain was hardly a bar room subject.
Maybe it was the clouds that had gathered around his reputation in his off the field life that took him off the attention as a potential captain.
Yet, how it was worked and what happened in the World Cup final is yet to reach the press-box, though we can visualize what really occurred. What we know for sure is that the Sanga/Mahala duo lost their grip and the back-drop gang finally won the day along with a London trip for Sanath Jayasuriya just to play a farewell ODI — indeed a luxurious bonus for a man who had lost his touch for more than a year.
Dilshan notwithstanding the clouds around him and proper credentials for the captaincy was given the job. Yet he never was the proper vice-captain of the team in spite of being a member of the national side for more than a decade.
Now in the driving seat with Jayewardene and Sangakkara as his seniors, Dilshan is living in a catch-22 situation. Now he is in the situation which Jayewardene and Sangakkara were in before the 2011 World Cup. Still what is wrong in Dilshan is that he is not a tactician or a strategist like his predecessors. You can be the best all-rounder in the side, but, may not be the best captain. Fort instance the greatest all rounder that England produced in their cricket history – Ian Botham was not a good captain as the English authorities saved Botham and English cricket by relinquishing him off his captaincy burden.
Now the first Test against South Africa is underway and Sri Lanka’s main weapon -- world’s No 1 ranked batsman in Test cricket Kumar Sangakkara had to bat with two stitches put to his web after a practice match injury. It is also encouraging that sanity has prevailed and Thilan Samaraweera is back at No. 5.
Yet with the home team opting for very green wickets one does not need a crystal glass to predict the outcome of this series.
By the time that this engagement is over there would be another regime that will be at the helm of cricket activities in Sri Lanka. They too would have to begin their activities on an earnest note. If so they could coax Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage to send the present set of selectors into retirement and place a set of persons with proper credentials to at least select the proper combination of cricketers into the national team in the near future and save Sri Lanka from further disaster.
At the same time as Arjuna Ranatunga mentioned about selectors who are on the take. Probe into the matter and if any one is found guilty flog him at Galle Face. |
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