da betsul： So it is over
Charlie Austin21-Mar-2003So it is over. Sri Lankan cricket runs on World Cup cycles and four years ofgrooming, planning and polishing under coach Dav Whatmore and SanathJayasuriya produced a place in the semi-finals. For a nation with heavyexpectations, judgment beckons: has the time come for sweeping changes orwill a little spring cleaning suffice?© ReutersThe defeat by Australia summed up Sri Lanka’s campaign: superb bowling byChaminda Vaas, good support from the spinners, all wasted by another lousyperformance by the middle order. Sri Lanka produced one of their bestperformances in the field in the competition, carving out a winningopportunity, but ultimately didn’t have the depth of batting class necessaryto withstand the bristling Australians.”We have been grooming some youngsters since the 1999 World Cup. We havetalent in the team and I think when they go to the middle they will have tofight it out harder. The negative side is that unfortunately, someyoungsters failed to perform well in this particular tournament.”
Sanath JayasuriyaSri Lankan hopes rested, almost entirely, upon the shoulders of five seniorplayers, men who had all been around during the 1996 finals: SanathJayasuriya, Aravinda de Silva, Marvan Atapattu, Chaminda Vaas and MuttiahMuralitharan. They dominated with bat and ball, scoring 64% of the runs andtaking 75% of the wickets during the tournament. For victory to be achievedthey had to fire again: they did with the ball but couldn’t with the bat.The disappointing truth is that four years of grooming youngsters has failedto reap substantial dividends in the tournament that mattered most. So hasthe time come to start afresh? Clearly some changes are necessary, only thescale of the shake out is in doubt. The picture is muddied by the fact thatsome of the players that disappointed – Russel Arnold and Mahela Jayawardenein particular, who scored a paltry 113 runs in 15 innings between them – hadperformed consistently in the pre-ceding years. That being the case, is itwise to now cast them aside?© CricInfoIn Mahela Jayawardene’s case, there is clearly a need to keep faith with aclass player. You don’t throw batters onto the scrap heap after a poor sixmonths when they average close to fifty in Test cricket. But Jayawardene’sslump is a concern. In 2001 he averaged 46.66 in one-day cricket, scoringthree centuries and seven fifties. Since then his productivity has declineddramatically, with an average of 28.25 in 2002 and 14.54 in 2003 thus far.Possibly, a rest is required. He has been struggling with long-term backinjury and his mind has also been busy with off-field matters, particularlythe team’s HOPE fund raising appeal for a new cancer hospital. A break mightallow him to re-charge his batteries and let his focus sharpen. Too manymonths spent idling in hotel rooms is not good for anyone.”We were just naughty today. We didn’t have the consistency when we neededit. The lower and middle order didn’t give us runs which was certainly thecase again today. We had some good performances and made some good progressin our last 10 matches. If there was one area we could have probably donebetter it was the middle order batting. I thought our bowlers did very wellright throughout the tournament. I am very pleased with that.”
Dav WhatmoreRussel Arnold’s position is more vulnerable. Already rumours are circlingColombo that his time is up. His one-day average is still respectable at36.32 but it is dipping fast. During the last 12 months he has averaged28.96, and in the first three months of 2003 only 13.09. Despite offeringvalue with his under-rated off-spin and athletic fielding, Arnold’s place isclearly in danger. However, he also deserves further up the order. All toofrequently he has been stranded with the tail, left to pick up the piecesafter the middle order has collapsed.Kumar Sangakkara’s place in the side should be guaranteed despite arelatively lean tournament (176 runs at 25.14). His wicket-keeping was oftenragged and occasionally awful, meaning the selectors may well now opt for aspecialist pair of gloves, but his batting continues an upward curve with anaverage of 31.6 during the past 12 months. With Hashan Tillakaratne beingtoo old to last till the next World Cup, and de Silva having retired,Sangakkara deserves an extended chance in the number position, a spot wherehe has thus far thrived in Test cricket.© CricInfoThis all leaves the selectors needing to fill two spots in the top seven,possibly three if Jayawardene is to rest. With no obvious alternativecurrently available, Romesh Kaluwitharana can expect to be recalled. MichaelVandort, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Chamara Silva are all names that will beconsidered. Avishka Gunawardene and Jehan Mubarak may also have a chance.The names of all-rounders Thilan Samaraweera and Kaushal Loukuarachchi, bothof who had successful series against the ECB Academy, deserve to be throwninto the hat. And if you were really brave you blood Jeevan Mendis, a youngleft-hander with prodigious talent. Unfortunately, the truth is that thereis no outstanding candidate that leaps out and demands selection.In the bowling department, the selectors cannot make wholesale changes. Vaasand Muralitharan, injury and enthusiasm permitting, can remain the pillarsof the attack until the next World Cup and beyond. Clearly Dilhara Fernandoand Prabath Nissanka have immense promise and only by playing can theydevelop. However, a full-time bowling coach, preferably Rumesh Ratnayake, ifhe can be teased away from his full-time job with the Asian Cricket Council,is required.© ReutersAnd, finally, there is the issue of captaincy. Jayasuriya’s consensualapproach had advantages in the post-Ranatunga years but increasingly hisleadership has lacked control and direction on the field. He is unlikely tobe sacked, boasting as he does strong support in the Sports Ministry, butthere is a growing feeling that he will consider stepping down anyhow andhanding over to his vice-captain. Atapattu, a private and somewhat aloofcricketer, has already displayed his on-field leadership credentials duringSri Lanka’s last Test at Centurion, calmly and astutely leading Sri Lanka tothe verge of a famous victory. However, he will need a strong communicatoras his henchman, someone to glue the team together and ensure bonhomiewithin the ranks: Chaminda Vaas stands out as the ideal candidate.”I think we are to be blamed . I personally think we should have gone on andmade those runs. I thought it was a very good total to chase. I was hopingit wasn’t my last game for Sri Lanka, but unfortunately it happened to beso. It was an emotional day for me.”
Aravinda de SilvaSo, in the end, we have reached for the duster rather than the broom. Theretirement of De Silva – who has turned down a plea from the interimcommittee to keep going for another six months – and the likely employmentof Tillakartne as a Test specialist again, provides an opportunity for twofresh (or indeed old) faces. Another might be tried if Arnold or Jayawardeneare rested or dropped but more wholesale changes should not be expected nordemanded. All is not well with the Sri Lanka team but all is not wrongeither.