The Duniyah Cricket Blog

Seldom does one experience great pleasure and joy at being proved wrong and I happen to be one to experience such a feeling as Sri Lanka wrapped up an impressive series win over the Indians in the 3rd Test played at the P. Sara Stadium on the 11th. As those of you who read my previous blog are aware I questioned in no uncertain terms the character of our Captain and the players in the aftermath of our 2nd Test defeat at Galle and was sceptical about our chances to make a comeback in the 3rd and final test and win the series. I was proved wrong and hats off to Mahela Jayawardena and the boys for pulling off a sensational series win over the Indians.

With all the talk of late being about 20/20 cricket and it’s potential impact on Test Cricket, the Sri Lanka vs. India Test series was just what Test cricket needed and showed that the game’s ultimate format can be just as exciting and enthralling as the game’s shortest format.

“Cometh the hour cometh the man”

The year 2008 thus far had been a quite one for our premier Test batsman Kumar Sangakkara. However, with the series against India on the line and his team under immense pressure the entire nation was counting on Kumar Sangakkara to come up with yet another match winning hundred under excruciating circumstances and he did exactly that and did so with great character and determination that we often see from him. He was a picture of concentration and it was an incredible Test innings of the highest class and personified to the letter why he is without a shadow of doubt the best Test batsman in the game today.

I have always regarded Kumar Sangakkara as an out and out batting match winner for us in Test cricket and the fact that 13 of his 17 Test match hundreds have been match winning efforts for us very clearly illustrates this point. Sangakkara has always set very high standards and his rather pensive celebrations upon reaching his hundred showed what that innings meant to him.

Why? Where? How?

In the days ahead a lot will be written about as to how and why this series was won by Sri Lanka. In my opinion it’s pretty simple; in the batting department our FAB 2 out batted India’s FAB 4 and in the bowling department Ajantha Mendis on his own had more wickets than the combined tally of India’s spin twins. Last but not least Sri Lanka’s fielding was miles ahead of India’s shoddy display. When one takes all of this into account the 2-1 result in favour of Sri Lanka should not come as a surprise to anyone. It could have in all likelihood been 3-0 for Sri Lanka had it not been for a mercurial innings from Sehwag and some poor cricket from our boys in Galle. What I am sure would be most disappointing for the Indians would be the fact that the wicket at P. Sara unlike the SSC or Galle had no demons in it and just required from their batters the application and discipline to be patient and play a Sangakkara type old fashion Test match innings. Dravid for a moment or two gave the impression that he was getting set to do exactly that before Mendis got him for the fourth time in the series. In his defence I must say that Dravid gave it everything and kudos to him for getting India out of the troublesome situation they were in towards the end of day three. When the series began the great Sachin Tendulkar was just 170 odd runs short of surpassing Brian Lara to become the highest scorer in Test match cricket and the fact that the Sri Lankan bowlers managed to keep him down to a mere 95 runs in 6 innings was indeed a phenomenal achievement. Even as a Sri Lankan a part of me wanted Tendulkar to break that record in Sri Lanka as long as we won the series.

Sachin Tendulkar is one of the greatest batsmen in the game of all time and the likes of Dravid, Ganguly and Laxman are all class acts who I am sure will be back to their respective best by the time the Australians arrive in India in about six weeks or so. I some how feel that Ganguly might have played his last Test match for India as he looked the most vulnerable amongst the fab four and add to that his below par efforts on the field, it might not come as a surprise if he is omitted for the Aussie series. If I was an Indian selector I would not change the Test team that toured Sri Lanka and would go with the same combination against the Australians with of course the obvious addition of Dhoni, provided of course the Indian one day Captain is not in the mood for another trip to the spa?
Ajantha Mendis

When Sri Lanka set off to Pakistan in June to defend the Asia Cup I feared for Mendis as he was going to be bowling to some of the most destructive one day batsman in world cricket who also happen to be excellent players of spin bowling. He took the challenge on and bowled Sri Lanka to a memorable victory over the Indians in the final.

When the Indian Test team arrived in Colombo for a 3 Test series on the 15th of June, once again I feared for Ajantha Mendis as he had the enormous task of bowling to the best players of spin in World Cricket, a star studded Indian line up which included their famous FAB FOUR! I still can’t believe that Mendis picked up a world record 26 wickets on debut and once again spun Sri Lanka to a hard fought win over the Indians a few days ago.

The above achievements have made Mendis the headline act in World Cricket. What I have found most impressive about Mendis is the fact that he maintains tight lines despite bowling with a plethora of variety. This together with a strong mind that he seems to possess indicates that Mendis is likely to taste many such victories in the years ahead as well. He has become the most sought after poster boy of Sri Lankan cricket with a host of local companies signing him on as their brand ambassador. I am pleased for him and hope that his new found and richly deserved fame and fortune will help him and his family a great deal. In the midst of all of this hype, hoopla and financial rewards I sincerely hope that Mendis is able to keep his feet firmly on the ground and continue to work hard on his game and become the great bowler that he has promised he can become in his short career thus far. Captain Jayawardena, Vice-Captain Sangakkara and the entire Sri Lankan team management must see to it that this happens.

The Review System

So much was and has been and continues to be written about the review system particularly by the Indian media. In my opinion the review system is a great and long over due addition to the game of cricket and I am glad that it finally arrived during the SL vs. IND series and I hope that it stays. Had the review system been in place during the IND vs. AUS series in Australia a few months ago, India would have quite easily become the first team in many, many years to have defeated Australia at home. Sure, some modifications and fine tuning is required but there is no question about the fact that the review system must be a part of the game.

My concerns about Team Sri Lanka remain

Despite a tremendous come back victory at the P. Sara stadium to win the Test series especially after the Galle debacle, I am still concerned about certain aspects of Sri Lankan cricket.

If we are to win consistently and more importantly if we are to become a team that can win overseas consistently, we need to start addressing the problem areas of our cricket. Team selections that have been ridiculously baffling and inexplicably inconsistent have to be more consistent and opportunities must be given to those who deserve it. The Sri Lankan think tank must be on the ball and make sure that they do all that they can to help improve the team. A case in point is Michael Vandort who seems to be struggling a bit at the moment. No one should be overly worried about this as Vandort is without a doubt our best Test opening batsman and I am sure he would work on his game and get back to his consistent best. This is the first series in Vandort’s career that he has gone without scoring at least a 50. He has been very consistent and solid as a rock for Sri Lanka at the top of the order and his return to form is imperative for us. Keeping this in mind the selectors should have opted to send Vandort on Sri Lanka’s ‘A’ team tour of South Africa beginning in a few weeks time. Not just Vandort I would have sent Prasanna Jayawardena on that tour as a batsman in order to work on his batting. These are the kind of things that the Sri Lankan think tank needs to do in order to make sure that our squad is in good shape. Sri Lanka does not play any Test cricket up until their tour of Bangladesh in December and in this context it would have been more than handy to send both Vandort and Prasanna Jayawardena to South Africa.

We also need to find a long term solution to that pivotal number six slot in our Test team. Beating a strong Indian side at home is no doubt another feather in the cap of Mahela Jaywardena. Despite this as most of you know I am not a big fan of his Captaincy. However, given his record both as Captain and as a batsman since he took over the leadership of the side some two years ago the chances of him being removed are very remote at least for the moment.

As I said before despite our success in the Test series I will continue to have my concerns about Team Sri Lanka and as long my team continues to prove me wrong, I will continue to derive great pleasure from the thrill of being proved wrong!