Poor show by Sri Lankan cricketers (17 March 1999)

17 March 1999

Poor show by Sri Lankan cricketers

Elmo Rodrigopulle

Thankfully the ill conceived championship to decide on the best Test playing nation in Asia has ended with Pakistan taking the top slot and Sri Lanka coming out a very, very poor second being beaten by innings by Pakistan in the final in Dhaka.

We wonder for whose purpose or for what purpose was this championship mooted or to please whom. Anyway the bottom line is that the Pakistanis have proved themselves and with it carry away big prize money, with Sri Lanka also pocketing something and India getting the crumbs.

As for Sri Lanka who were indulging in the established game after a surfeit of one-day cricket, it was not much of a success. It is not easy to accustom to test cricket after playing a lot of one-day cricket.

Having said that the Sri Lankans once again gave an abject lesson in fielding, especially their catching. Youngsters watching would have wanted to turn off their TV sets or cottoned their ears not wanting to watch or hear commentators describing the very poor catching.

At one time the Sri Lankans were described as the best fielding side in the world. But today, sad to say, they have tumbled and earned the worst fielding side tag.

Unless the Lankans can put right this vital aspect, we are afraid they will not be able to retain the World Champions one-day tag they won in Lahore in 1995 comprehensively beating Mark Taylor's Australians.

It was Sri Lanka's brilliant fielding that brought them many a title and made their mediocre bowling look fearsome. But now the team looks shattered with their butter-fingered catching. Those concerned must pay special attention to this aspect and raise the standard of catching otherwise we will continue to be the laughing stock of all opposing teams in the World Cup.

From Sri Lanka's point of view the plus point was the emergence of leg spinner Upul Chandana. Playing in his first Test match Chandana came out tops and one hopes that he will be persisted with, because continuity is what is required for success.

Chandana was primarily thought of as only a one-day bowler. But given the opportunity he grabbed it with both hands and with his dashing batting and excellent fielding with hitting the wicket to run out batsmen being his forte, he is on the threshold of a promising and successful career if he is persisted with.

Today sadly not very many captains believe in leg spinners. Captains must understand that leg spinners are expected to buy their wickets. Leg spinners in turn are happy when batsmen start playing strokes, because the chances of getting the batsman out are greater.

When a leg spinner gets hit in his early overs, the tendency is for captains to take him off the attack. In this aspect one remembers the marvellous captaincy of former Aussie Allan Border which helped launch Shane Warne's wonderful record breaking career. At the SSC a few years back where Australia chalked up a memorable victory coming from behind, Warne was being hit around the ground, that had it been for any other captain Warne would not have got a bowl in the second innings.

With Sri Lanka chasing a target of below 200 to win, Border tossed the ball to Warne with Sri Lanka well on course to victory. And what Warne did on that day where he destroyed the Lankans and launched his career is history now. That Aussie victory came because Border had faith in his leg spinner.

Aravinda de Silva who led Sri Lanka in Dhaka did well in persisting with Chandana and the six wicket haul should do Chandana a lot of good in his future engagements.

Wasim Akram the Pakistani captain once again proved what a great bowler he is by taking his second hat trick of the championship and again against the hapless Sri Lankan batsmen. He had two previous hat tricks under his belt in the limited over games and now he has two hat tricks in Test cricket. Quite an achievement and a record.

But while Akram bowls brilliantly, he sadly lacks captaincy temperament. We say this because at times he tends to lose his cool and gesture at his fielders. He is now experienced enough to shed this ugly trait.

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