Contradicting Indian Sports
Writer Suresh Mennon's Opinion That Aravinda de Silva Falls Short Of
Of Greatness!
Suni the Seeing Eye-Sightscreens
Unlimited
For LankaWeb
There is a distinguishable need to contradict the following singlemost
seemingly ignorant comment made by the popular sports journalist Suresh
Mennon who takes it upon his rather feeble sounding sense of perception
to disclaim Aravinda de Silva's as being someone who falls short of
greatness, which is a highly disputable matter and one which is not
looked at favourably by many analysts and fans alike .
In an otherwise well written appreciation of Aravinda de Silva on his
retirement chronologically documenting his accomplishments and the tremendous
respect he commands in international cricketing circles as well as in
life, Mennon had gone on to sully his contribution about Aravinda with
his apathetic interjection as though he is an authority on greatness.
It is often a poor quality amongst a certain category of writers and
perhaps even an inane weakness to desist from making the odd obtuse
remark through sheer lack of perception as Mennon has done about Aravinda
falling short of greatness, something he seems to be quite unqualified
to make judgements about if a consensus was taken in cricketing circles
to establish his puny inference.
Aravinda's greatness lies not only in his cricketing prowess but in
his personality and how he deals with adversity as attested by almost
everyone who knows him and has played with him and the gentle wisdom
he always displays is an axiom of greatness hardly displayed by the
likes of others . Aravinda's recognition for the title of greatness
surely does not rest on his performances alone.
The reference to Aravinda being ordinay looking when out of form compared
to other top batsmen and the comment that "when good he was great
but when bad he was horrid" is abominable and a contradiction which
Menon should mull over befor the apology necessary to Aravinda is rendered.
He seems to have attempted to circumvent the harsh reality that even
the greats such as Sirs. Don Bradman, Len Hutton, Gary Sobers, Viv Richards
and the likes of George Headley, Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar
etc. etc. too had their off days, were below par on occassion and did
not have to contend with a somewhat biased Board Of Control at the best
of times and it is the very graciousness with which Aravinda dealt with
his adversities,adversaries and the decorum he has shown at all times
which represents his greatness.
It has to be contended that Mennon's evaluation of Aravinda de Silva
being short of greatness albeit a singly expressed personal opinion
is not shared by a vast majority of global opinions of cricketing minds
who believe Aravinda is indeed one of the great modern day cricketers
who has truly inspired the game of cricket and a role model for generations
to come.
Suresh Mennon is hardly in a capacity to dispute this reality despite
his reputation as a widely travelled cricket journalist extraordinaire
and one time editor of the New Sunday Express! Perhaps he should stick
to Nursery Rhymes when it comes to interpreting greatness!
Suni the Seeing Eye-Sightscreens Unlimited
For LankaWeb
ARAVINDA DE SILVA RETIRES Yet all those figures do not add up to that
elusive quality called greatness. And for a good reason. Few top batsmen
in the history of the game have looked as ordinary as Aravinda did when
he was out of form. In the words of the nursery rhyme, when he was good
he was very good - even great - but when he was bad, he was horrid.
Just short of greatness
Aravinda de Silva the quintessential
Sri Lankan Batsman
by Suresh Menon
Tuesday, March 18, 2003
Pinnaduwage Aravinda de Silva is an uncomplicated cricketer who long
ago had reduced batsmanship to its simplest form. Few modern batsmen
brought to the arena the kind of anticipation that Aravinda did. He
was that rare player: a crowd favourite as well as a cricketer's cricketer.
While those seated 75 yards away cheered his ability to strike, those
closer on the field were often in awe of the manner in which he did
it. Despite a tendency in later years to rely more on the bottom hand,
he brought it down straighter than his contemporaries and hit through
the line with the assurance that only those who combine a good eye and
a good technique can have. Like a cat, he never made angles to the wind
- the geometry of his batsmanship was contained in arcs rather than
angles.
Others might hit the ball harder or drive more stylishly, but he knew
how much more effective it was to send the best deliveries of respected
bowlers screaming to the fence. Aravinda was as capable of patting a
full toss back to the bowler as he was of hitting a length ball for
six. He brought up his first Test century with a hooked six off Imran
Khan, and began another innings by hitting Kapil Dev over the rope.
Had he batted with greater circumspection, he might have finished with
a better average than 42.97 from 93 Test matches, but then he wouldn't
have been Aravinda. And being Aravinda also meant being the quintessential
Sri Lankan batsman: creative, cheeky, and full of surprises. It is difficult
to say goodbye to one who gave so much pleasure.
Aravinda was the best batsman Sri Lanka produced, for consistency,
longevity and mastery over two forms of cricket. His 9284 runs in one-dayers
is exceeded only by Sachin Tendulkar and Mohammad Azharuddin. His 20
Test centuries and 11 one-day hundreds place him among the best in the
game.
Yet all those figures do not add up to that elusive quality called greatness.
And for a good reason. Few top batsmen in the history of the game have
looked as ordinary as Aravinda did when he was out of form. In the words
of the nursery rhyme, when he was good he was very good - even great
- but when he was bad, he was horrid.
Just short of greatness
It is a harsh judgment on a man who made 6361 runs in Tests with a highest
of 267, 20 centuries and 22 fifties but in the final analysis he failed
to live up to potential. He could have been a great player, easily one
of three of four best that Asia has ever produced; instead he was a
very good player who was his country's number one batsman for a decade.
Like most Sri Lankan players of his generation, Aravinda's first coach
and greatest supporter was his father, Sam, a happy man who shared that
happiness around. Soon after his debut in the Lord's Test of 1984, Aravinda
picked up the nickname 'Mad Max' - not for any resemblance to Mel Gibson
in the movie of that name, but for the mad way he drove - and tried
to live up to it by using offence as the only form of defence. Three
hundreds in Pakistan next season helped him settle in, but it wasn't
until his epic 267 against New Zealand in Wellington in 1990-91 that
Aravinda emerged as the star batsman of the team. The ability to read
length early and drive through the line were the attributes that caused
some to liken him to Pakistan's Javed Miandad. But Aravinda was a gentle
Javed, not given to the same tantrums and tricky ways. And increasingly,
he became more important to Sri Lanka than Miandad was to Pakistan.
"It annoys me when I get out early," Aravinda once declared
in his simple, direct way. And in one spell between April 1997 and January
1998 ensured that even if he did get out, he did so only after pulling,
cutting and driving the bowlers round the bend. He made a staggering
seven hundreds in eight Test innings on the various grounds in Colombo,
including six in a row.
By then Aravinda had emerged as one of two or three best batsmen in
the world. The 1996 World Cup was his personal showcase: he made an
outstanding century, claimed three wickets and took two catches in the
final. Nobody has ever dominated a World Cup final so thoroughly, but
it is the style of the century rather than the weight of runs that people
remember. With Aravinda, it was ever thus.
Suresh Menon is a widely travelled cricket writer and former editor
of New Sunday Express. He is currently based in Bangalore. This article
first appeared when de Silva retired from Test cricket.
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