ISSN: 1391 - 0531
Sunday December 16, 2007
Vol. 42 - No 29
Sports

It’s not dejavu

With a win here Lanka can move to second place in rankings

By Harry Jayachandra

The newly laid Galle Stadium (Pic by Gamini Mahadura)

“The pitch is likely to favour spin from the outset,” said Jayananda Warnaweera, curator of the ground at the rebuilt Galle stadium – the venue for the third and final test between Sri Lanka and England which begins on Tuesday. Galle was devastated by the tsunami that hit Sri Lanka in 2004 and other for a couple of provincial matches, has not hosted an international game since for obvious reasons.

On Friday there was heavy rain and the outfield was flooded. Yesterday Warnaweera said: “It was clear in the morning but there is a storm looming. And the last few days it has been very cloudy. Given the pitch conditions, I firmly believe that Sri Lanka should go in to this game with two specialist spinners.”

Captain of the Sri Lankan team Mahela Jayawardena speaking to The Sunday Times said: “The morale of the team is very good and we are going in to this game to win it. The fact that we are one up does not change anything. We go in to every game with a desire to win. Otherwise negativity creeps and that is something nobody wants.”

In the second test Jayawardena scored 195 runs which saw him equal the most centuries scored by a Sri Lankan in tests – a record held by Sanath Jayasuriya. Jayawardena also eclipsed the most number of runs scored by a batsman at a particular venue. He said; “I am honoured to be in the company of such greats of the game. But at the end of the day it is the team performance that counts. I had some really bad times and worked hard through them. And even though I am scoring runs I will continue to work hard on my game to improve it even further because when I decide to end my career I want it to be on a high note. The same goes for all the guys. I feel sorry for Jehan Mubarak. He is a very talented player who is going through a bad patch. Every player goes through that at some point in his career. Mubarak has just got to fight hard and work through it.”

Malinga Bandara may get the nod on Tuesday.

Seamer Chanaka Welagedera and batsman Tillekeratne Dilshan have replaced the out-of-form Mubarak and injured fast bowler Dilhara Fernando. With this test being the series decider, the team management of both Sri Lanka and England are awaiting for the eleventh hour before naming their respective playing eleven.

However, during the second test World Record holder Muttiah Muralitharan said it was difficult for him to play the lone spinner’s role. When asked, Jayawardena said; “I agree that we have to look at the option of having a second specialist spinner. When Muralitharan has to bowl 30 to 40 overs on an unresponsive track it is not good for him or for us, this is because obviously we are not getting the best out of him. But I cannot make a guarantee that this will happen at Galle. We have not played there for a few years and it is a new track. We will have to assess the pitch and then decide on what our combination will be. At the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) grounds we felt that three quick bowlers was the best combination. But it is not a hard and fast rule that we stick to. We will just have to wait and see.”

Sources close to the Sri Lankan team said that it was likely that leg spinner Malinga Bandara would partner Muralitharan given the nature of the track at Galle. At the same time they said it was unlikely that Sri Lanka would risk going with just six batsmen. Hence the inclusion of Dilshan who also can bowl off breaks and has been in tremendous form domestically can be a reality. In addition there is the impending return of arguably England’s most potent bowler Matthew Hoggard. Thus at the moment it would appear that Welagedera and Sujeewa Silva may be benched.

Manager of the England team Peter Moores has publicly stated that his batsmen are getting more and more confident of playing Muralitharan. But sources say this could be just mind games like what the Australians use especially when going in to a make or break game. On a turning track even the best of batsman find the off spinner unplayable.

Sources close to the England camp said that Hoggard would be reassessed today before a final decision is taken whether he can play on Tuesday. If Hoggard comes through as expected, it is likely he will form a pace trio with Steve Harmison and Ryan Sidebottom. Spinner Monty Panesar’s place is almost assured which leaves the English selectors with a very tough decision. Owais Shah played well in the practice games but Ravi Bopara was preferred in the first two tests. However, Bopara did not shine. Thus it is a toss up whether off spinner Graeme Swann will get the nod. Swann is no mug with bat. He is certainly not in Shah’s class.

And just to put the cream on top, a win for Sri Lanka would see them jump up the table to second place in the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) team rankings, while England would go down. But either a draw or a win would see England hold on to the second place.

But sadly the outcome could be decided by the weather with heavy thunder showers forecast for the first day’s play. All cricket lovers will have to adapt the wait and see approach.

 
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