The just concluded Bangladesh tri nation tournament is an important event in the realms of Sri Lanka cricket for more than one reason. First, after almost a two decade bondage between the names of Muttiah Muralitharan and Sanath Jayasuriya the Lankan cricket broke out of what had almost become a tradition.
Old habits die hard, but, winning an important competition without the contribution of those players was unthinkable. It was either Sanath Jayasuriya blasting the opposition into submission just to open the doors for Muralitharan to take over and rattle out the rest of the remaining fight of the foe. Yet, the remaining lot ganged up together to churn out a performance that was good enough to beat the strong Indian outfit twice and take their first step of the march towards the 2011 World Cup on a winning note. More importantly this will be played on the same surfaces a year hence!
At the end of the day, no one even bothered to ask the whereabouts of the aging duo besides seeing one of them taking the political stage by storm. This is in no way that this column is making a bid to belittle the contributions that were to the National cricket cause by two players if there is an evaluation there is no way that you can measure it was so immense. But the stubborn truth is that when the time comes even they went onto prove that they do not keep maturing like wine – there comes a time for any one to bid adieu!!
The second is a spill over from the previous Indian tour. With injuries and loss of form to some of the national players who were feeling very cushy in their permanent slots were also given a jolt by the fresh legs that are hovering around.
 |
| Mahela gets the message (Pic Sanka Vidanagama) |
Thank god! The seniors learned the lesson of their lives. They learned that simple lesson called ‘No one is indispensable’. How the Lankan outfit composed themselves to the final and how they went on to perform in that bears good testimony to that fact called a little jolt can bring the best out of any being who is feeling too comfortable in any given slot.
The best example is former skipper Mahela Jayawardena. Up to a certain extent I do agree with the chairman of selectors Asantha de Mel. Jayawardena by far is the most accomplished batsman in Sri Lanka and has every stroke in the book and could execute them in a very professional manner if he chooses to do so. But, ironically due to some mind block Jayawardena could not perform as expected at this given number four position so much so that he even relinquished the job as the national captain just to concentrate in his role as a top order batsman. Still that ploy even did not work because the mind block superseded.
I also learned it was not only me who was concerned about this mind block, but, the subject had come up even at the highest echelons of cricket and they too were wondering what to do and how to do it. Just prior to receiving that piece of news I was inquiring from a cricket mentor of the country for whom even Mahela has a lot of respect about this predicament. He came up with a very good explanation. He said “In limited overs cricket Mahela prefers to bat at number three because invariably you get to bat during powerplay. Then with the still new and field restrictions he can use his inside-out drives over the close in fielders to great effect. That is the very reason that whenever Mahela opened the batting for Sri Lanka he has been very effective because of those reasons. Another factor that comes to play he prefers to settle in his slot before spinners come on”.
However Jayawardena did what was expected from him in the final of the tri-nation. Mahela who came into bat in the seventeenth over and lost his skipper too later put the responsibility on his shoulders and played a very important role for his country and his cricket career. As for this column it is the Mahela Jayawardena whom I have been looking for. The father figure of the side. He is the most mature and the most accomplished batsman in the side who could guard the rest of the flock and guide them to their destiny. With a batsman of the calibre of Thilan Samaraweera coming next to him what more could the Lankan cricket ask for in the present context?
How did this come about? Wittingly or unwittingly the next generation of Lankan cricketers who were given the chances begun to perform beyond expectations. In the first chance that young Lahiru Thirimanne got he batted as if he was the usual Lankan opener in spite that he made only a twenty four ball twenty two with four fours. Then off spinner Suraj Randiv begun to bowl as he was Sri Lanka’s Harbhajan Singh getting into the slot right away. These fresh legs seemingly jolted the seniors. Soon for the injuries of Dilshan and Chamara Silva Sri Lanka sent an opening batsman in Mahela Udawatte and Dinesh Chandimal as a top order replacement along with the package of Mahela Jayawardena who had to undergo a fitness test. Jayawardena who was looking for his touch when he was injured in India was given the opportunity of opening the batting – the job he loves the most – playing on top with the field restrictions. This was in spite of the selectors sending in a replacement for the injured Dilshan in Mahela Udawatte. However the ploy worked Mahela scored a hundred and back was he in his usual number four slot in the next match. But, this lesson was learned by the seniors with a huge jolt – a jolt that is worth millions for the cause of Lankan cricket.
Now they will know that there are no permanent places in the national side. You perform and your place is there, you fail and there are many others to wear your boots.
Now as expected the top five are back again in their slots. Yet they all know if you do not perform the “EXIT” is just a few feet away. |
E-mail
