Sri Lanka look to contest best of three finals in Australia (30 December 1998)

30 December 1998

Sri Lanka look to contest best of three finals in Australia

By Elmo Rodrigopulle

If present form is an indication, then the Carlton and United one-day bash between Australia, England and Sri Lanka should see the home team in the finals with Sri Lanka and England fighting for the other slot.

I say this because England who arrived in Australia to contest the Test series with confidence have tumbled without a fight. Individually though they look a formidable side, they have failed to play as a team which is very important in a team game.

Sri Lanka are endeavouring to put their debacles in Dhaka and Sharjah behind them. England apparently seem to be still smarting, lamenting and unable to recover from the defeat the Sri Lankans inflicted on them in the one-off Test and the triangular series in England and are unable to get their act right, out in the middle.

But the British lion has been known to come out fighting and devour its opponent when cornered and it should be no different with the English cricketers who have already presented the ashes to the Aussies. England like Australia favour fielding a different team for the one-dayers. They made Adam Holioake captain of their one-day team and in his first outing in this new role he won a trophy and it looked like things were looking up for the English game.

But a couple of skids thereafter and Holioake was deposed and England have now fallen back on old faithful Alec Stewart to come good and restore their lost fortunes. Stewart's captaincy has so far come in for a lot of stick by TV and Radio commentators in Australia, especially for his field placings that are kinder-garten stuff. Not only Stewart, but his team too, have been branded cattle like for not showing guts and fight in them.

Being in lost land should see the Englanders fighting back and making an attempt to carry away the one-day trophy. Cricket it is said is a funny game and if the pieces start falling right, who knows England might upset all odds and go back smiling at the end of the one-day competition. Australia with everything in their favour, the conditions, the wickets and the crowd support should waltz into the final, unless the unforseen happens.

Test captain Mark Taylor will make way for Stephen Waugh as leader and the Aussies will dump some of their Test men for others with better one-day ability.

When I was in Australia on two tours in the late eighties, I predicted that Stephen Waugh was going to be the next Aussie captain once Allan Border decides to quit. Waugh was performing excellently as an all-rounder and looked a natural leader. Waugh too was confident he would be given the honour of leading his country. But the selectors of that time plonked for Mark Taylor and he has repaid the trust placed in him.

The present selectors have realised the leadership potential in Waugh and have made him their one-day team captain. He has slotted into this role with great relish and aplomb and it is likely that he will be in the saddle for the World Cup too in England next year.

What Waugh did in the Test now in progress is history now. Australia have a well-balanced side for the one-day series and it will be no easy task upsetting or tossing them out of the final. With the wickets in Australia favouring the pacies, Sri Lanka are taking with them five of the best and if they bowl wicket to wicket, line and length should be difficult to cope with. However out of the five - Chaminda Vaas, Nuwan Zoysa, Pramodya Wickremasinghe, Suresh Perera and Ruchira Perera only three are likely to call to fire.

The spin will be in the safe hands of world's number one off-spinner Muthiah Muralitharan and promising all-rounder Tilan Samaraweera. For support they will have leggie Upul Chandana. The batting will revolve on the big six - Jayasuriya, Kaluwitharna, Atapattu, Aravinda de Silva, Arjuna Ranatunga, Hashan Tillekeratne or Roshan Mahanama.

But the Lankans will be looking to nullify whatever shortcomings in the batting and bowling departments with brilliant fielding. They have it in them to give Australia and England a lesson on what brilliant fielding is all about. What they must do is to believe in themselves and then there is no reason why the Carlton and United Trophy should not be theirs.

I will be at the scene describing the happening on and off field. So stay with the 'Daily News' and the 'Sunday Observer' for all the news.A prosperous and peaceful New Year to all my readers.

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