The Lankans Had Better Buckle Up And Get Their Act Together Or Risk Being Overtaken By Pakistan?
Posted on October 28th, 2011
Top Spin By Suni
October 28th 2011
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It needs to be asked again as in the previous Top Spin ~” Is there someƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ wretched decision making at the highest level in Sri Lanka Cricket that has contributed to the lacklustreƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ performances of the Lankans in the current seriesƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ first at Abu Dhabi and now in Dubai?”ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It may also be interesting to know who these selectors are that often tend to deviate from usual norms of selection, forgetting the concept of performance and meritƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ which go hand in hand yet go about their merry way of blundering into incomprehensible choices which could easily put at risk the credibilities of the normally defiant LankansƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ with rumours of unrest within the camp and a partisan division which is not only unhealthy but also dangerous towards the future of Sri Lankan cricket if true!!
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Experimentation to blood young cricketers may be a valid point for argument but it still seems a shame that players who perform lose their place and those of the calibre of Upul Tharanga, Chamara Silva, Ajantha Mendis, Jeevan Mendis and Thilan Samaraweera have been overlooked for the current tour and something Sri Lanka could perhaps ill afford and ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ rue the dayƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ if the series is lost where heads will surely roll!
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It seems a fact of life too that had the Pakistanis accepted all the catches in the first Test Sri Lanka may not necessarily have hadƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ cause to celebrate as they would surely have been beaten comprehensively but good fortune and grit on the part of Kumar Sangakkara, Prasanna Jayawardena and some of ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the lower order batting ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ prevailed and the game was saved by the Lankans.The Lankan catching in the current test has not been impressive nor the field placing which the Pakistani batsmen have exploited with aplomb!
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Next comes the mind boggling selection for the second Test which left out centurion and brilliant keeper Jayawardena who if he was left out for any reason other than injury or conditioning seems unforgivable by any precepts of the game and simply not cricket.
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Thus far the Sri Lanka performance has been mediocre in the current test with Sangakkara as usual coming to the rescue along with the lower order batting to add respectability to the first innings but of course helped by some deplorable fielding errors of the Pakistanis who once again have appeared to be the better team from both a bowling and batting perspective where any lapses by the Lankans on the 4th day could prove to be costly as that ever impeding possibility ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ droppingƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ below Pakistan in the ICC TestƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ratingsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ looms albeit no cause for alarm as there are 9 wickets intact to make amends! Dilshan and Sanga are together at the wicket defiantly with Mahela, Angelo and KaushalƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and the somewhat impressive ‘Tail’ which has wagged effectively enough lately, yet to come!
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That the Lankans have opted to blood a new keeper batsman is no crime but at the expense of Prasanna Jayawardena seems an unpardonable error inasmuch as the exclusion of Suraj Randive and Dinesh Chandimal although the experts may come up with other arguments in favour of the decisions at selection level insisting that perhaps this is the best team which is a matter of opinion and perhaps refutable.
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But then, Sri Lanka cricket of late has not followed a regular pattern and teeters on the brink ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ uncertainty at the highest level with players not being paid their dues going back to the World Cup (a crying shame!), a large deficit after the WC which should not be the caseƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ as the payout for being runners up one would assume was quite a handsome sum but the mystery deepens as there are reports of officials helping themselves to the till and jaunting around the world at the expense of the Cricket Board and throwing in huge unwarranted expense claims and little wonder there seems to be such enthusiasm to be part of the organization where its inner functioning surely seems rotten at the coreƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ according to varying reports of misappropriationƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and mismanagementƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ so something seems to be in desperate need of looking into andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ correcting towards the stability and future of Sri Lanka Cricket which if not done post haste will in all probabilities have disastrous ramifications and something the ICC must surely be aware of.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Time will tell.
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In the meantime with a Test,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ODIs and T20s to complete Sri Lanka had better buckle up and get its act together amidst rumours of Dilshan’s impending removal as Captain where his replacementƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ if this be the case needs to be an astute decision maker and a prudent leader not a deserterƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ although the best option would be that Dilshan somehow weathers the storm of uncertainty andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ rights his ship as heaven knows he appears to be giving it his all and perhaps has his plate full with all the goings on in the SLCB.
October 29th, 2011 at 9:58 am
There seems to be an almost prophetic insight into Sri Lanka Cricket here in view of how they have lost the second Test to Pakistan.Indeed it is a time for reckoning for the Lankans who now seem to have an uphill task to defend their 4th place ICC Test Ranking and much soul searching for the selectors who have surely bungled in their choice of team selection for this match.Particularly through the omissions of Suraj Randive and Prasanna Jayawardena where their replacements were mere passengers and a second spinner was sadly missing given the performances of Herath and Dilshan!