Why the hurry to play the injured (23 December 1998)

23 December 1998

Why the hurry to play the injured

Elmo Rodrigopulle

Why the hurry to play Aravinda de Silva, Muthiah Muralitharan, Upul Chandana and Nuwan Zoysa to prove their fitness before they take wing to Australia and to satisfy whom?

These four cricketers are important members of the squad. Their services are not required in local games, nor were their clubs insisting on their playing. Their presence is very important when the Lankans take on the Australians and Englishmen in the Carlton and United one-day triangular series in Australia, next year.

According to physio Alex Kountouri, the four players are recovering wonderfully well and why they had to be risked and played in the local tournament now in progress defies understanding.

The selectors headed by Duleep Mendis must understand they owe a duty by the players and the country. They are not required to satisfy their empty headed critics who other than picking holes have nothing constructive to offer.

The four players have been at the nets under the watchful eyes of coach Roy Dias, manager Ranjit Fernando and skipper Arjuna Ranatunga and were performing satisfactorily, which proved that physio Kountouri had done a wonderful job working on the foursome and having them ready for his all-important tour which is a good workout before they wing their way to England to defend the World Cup.

The squad has been working hard at the nets and with their physicals and according to reports are fit and raring to go. Had they stretched too much playing in the tournament, there was the possibility that they could have aggravated their injuries and had that been so, it would have been disastrous.

The Lankans fly to Australia on December 28, and play three friendlies against Australian 'A' sides before beginning their quest for the Carlton and United trophy on January 11 where they play England at Brisbane.

So it will be seen that the injured players have enough games to peak before they move on to the tournament proper.

At the time of writing the Darrel Hair affair seems to have lost its fizz, what with the Warne-Waugh bribery allegation shocking the cricket world. But once the Sri Lankans arrive 'down under' the Muralitharan affair is bound to surface again and in the Aussie media many will be using valuable space in their columns, on the air and on TV too trying to psyche the number one off spinner and make him lose his match winning spinning ways.

But Muralitharan is not one who will succumb to pressure. He has been in the game for long enough and knows how it goes and will not be unduly worried. He must be told to do his thing on the field and kick aside all other distractions.

Not only the media but there will be the umpire who will want to call Muralitharan and show his heroics. But that will be at the expense of saying finis to his umpiring career.

Anyway the tour promises interesting encounters on and off the field and the assurance is that Sri Lanka will not come out second best.

English cricket is in the dumps. It is sad but true.

This has been proved by the manner in which the Englishmen have been mauled by Australia in the three Tests played so far. They surrendered the second and third Test meekly and if not for rain, the first Test too would have been a disaster.

Every critics from England and Australia have taken the England cricketers and the establishment to task. Critics reckon that even an Australian 'A' side would not have raised much of a sweat in rubbing Alec Stewart's men into the dust.

The arrogance that English cricket carried in the past has gone with the wind and it is a sad reflection on their great cricketers of the past who put the game and the name of the country at the very top.

Today England cricket, we must be excused for saying is quite average. There are murmurs that other Test playing countries are considering not giving England a full Test series.

The Englishmen are no more a draw and to give them a full Test series will mean to suffer tremendous financial loss.

A happy Christmas to all our readers.

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