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Protect those spinners
Muttiah Muralitharan has carried the burden of all the spin work for Sri Lanka for about a decade now. In recent times he has not played a part due to injury but the team has got by and even won! This situation must be looked into immediately.

Muralitharan has a lot more years of cricket left in him. But how long will he be able to go on with injury and now personal commitment also demanding for his time. It is definitely time to look into the future.

Upul Chandana is the supporting bowler in the national side. Although he has played a more major role in recent years his has been and will be a supporting role.

He is nowhere near a Shane Warne, Anil Kumble or a Dinesh Kaneria. He has got used to playing "second fiddle." Never has he ventured out of that. Chandana could get a new lease of life should he be able to fulfill his forthcoming county contract. However the suddenly developed one-day series against India could spoil that opportunity.

Rangana Herath will do well on home conditions while he is still an unknown quantity. As yet he does not possess all the attributes to strike in differing conditions around the world. Again, he is not in the league of Daniel Vettori or even Ashley Giles. Both these bowlers are well over six-feet in height, have high arm actions and that for finger spinners is a huge advantage.

Unlike quick bowlers and medium pacers, spinners take a longer time to develop and mature. On the flip side of the coin, they could go on for much longer as slow bowling takes less strain out of the body.

In recent days I have watched at close quarters the two 'A' team spinners Malinga Bandara and Suraj Mohamed play both the short game and the long game. On the surface they appear as spinners with potential. That is just the beginning.

Malinga Bandara is now approaching his mid twenties. As a teenager he was awarded a Sri Lankan cap but then discarded. Obviously it was too early for the selectors to blood him, a mistake selectors have made with spinners for the past twenty years.

He has continued to struggle and has now surfaced again as a much improved bowler. He still lacks in being able to bowl a consistent line and length. It is the area that wrist spinners have to battle with for years of their careers. In the periods that I watched him, my opinion is that he bowls too much on or outside the off stump. Obviously Bandara does that because he almost always bowls with six fielders on the on side of the wicket. His batting and fielding too has come a long way. Persevere, is the advice that could be given to him. Simultaneously, keep working on developing the art of wrist spin.

Suraj Mohamed has had just one season out of school cricket. He has come through the under 19 team which means the system has picked him up as an outstanding player of his age group.

He will have to bowl, bowl and bowl, for the next half-a-dozen years until he has mastered the art of spinning. Mohamed must strengthen his fingers and spin the ball off the surface much more. What will also help him to do that will be lengthening his delivery stride by about six inches. He stands about six feet in height and the delivery stride is inadequate to use hips and shoulders to gain more body action. Accuracy can be developed with hours of bowling.

Sri Lanka Cricket should protect its spinners. Do not delay in implementing a sound programme right away.

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