E Rodrigopulle: Cricket ignoramuses biting the bullet now (8 Sep 1998)

8 September 1998

Cricket ignoramuses biting the bullet now

Elmo Rodrigopulle

In the glow and euphoria of Sri Lanka's marvellous performance in England where they won the Emirates Trophy and the one-off Test at the London Oval, the men who picked the whiz kids to perform the impossible have been quietly forgotten.

They were none other than the four-man selection committee studiously picked by the Minister of Sports S. B. Dissanayake comprising Duleep Mendis, T. B. Kehelgamuwa, Ashantha de Mel and K. M. Nelson.

When the squad was announced the foursome came in for a lot of stick. Also included and targeted in the stinging attack was captain Arjuna Ranatunga. They were called names: they were bashed, they were scourged and the only thing critics did not do was to lynch them.

I too was the butt end of scathing criticism, by some who do not play the game. These ignoramuses are now eating their own words forced to bite the bullet and doing volte faces. Editors who only played school rugger became self appointed Test cricket pundits in this island in the sun.

But the selectors and the captain who know what they are talking and doing did not care a damn for the critics or their criticism, which at times sunk to abysmal depths.

What the critics in their ignorance did not realise was that the selectors were performing a duty. They were doing an honorary job. They spend their time and money watching closely the players they have in mind for selection.

And when they sit to pick the squad they do so with an open mind. They have no favourites. To pick a squad that will perform and bring honour to the game and country is what is uppermost in their minds.

When they announced their squad to England all hell broke loose. The selectors were not spared. The selectors however had faith in the squad they picked. Having been cricketers of repute they knew that they had picked was the best considering the conditions and the wickets in England. And the men they picked came off with flying colours to add to Sri Lanka's growing stature in the game.

The selectors are now having the last laugh. The squad in performing magnificently have given the critics a kick up their backsides. The selectors must be telling their critics - at least now keep your big mouths shut until you know what you are talking about. Duleep Mendis was proved right and has laid low the pseudo experts.

The selectors must not be forgotten when praise is heaped on the squad that made the English cricketers eat dust at Foster's Oval last Monday.

On the fourth day of one-off Test in these columns we stated that with England 54 for 2 still needing 94 to make Sri Lanka bat again that the predictions are for a draw, but that the Lankans with their positive approach could make a mockery of predictions as they have it in them to make the impossible, possible.

Continuing we said: And the man who can make the Lankan dream a possibility is that off spinning sensation Muthiah Muralitharan with his venomous spinning and stinging off spinners.

And didn't Muralitharan prove us right. Had not England skipper Stewart run himself out Muralitharan would have had 10 wickets in an innings and joined that great English off spinner Jim Laker (who is no more) in being the only two bowlers to take 10 wickets in an innings in Test cricket.

With this win the Sri Lankans have proved the English cricket establishment wrong. One-off tests in the future will be a thing of the past. The Lankan have now proved that they can take on the best. Cringing days are over!

When England beat the strong South Africans 2-1 in the Test series before being bashed in the one-off test by Sri Lanka, the British media raised the all too familiar cry - Bring on the Aussies -.

The Lankans made a mockery of this cry. The Aussies must be licking their fingers and waiting to bash the Poms to ashes.

Once again we offer our congratulations to Arjuna Ranatunga and his cricketing greats, coach Roy Dias, Manager Ranjit Fernando physio Alex Kontouri and the selectors for making possible an impossible dream-beating England who gave the game to the world, in their own backyard.

Source :: Daily News (https://www.lanka.net)