|
Some Food For Thought For Sri Lankan Cricket
In The Wake Of The Recent ODI Losses To India.
Commentary by Mario Perera,
Kadawata
I thank Suni for his very judicious comments regarding the debacle
of the national cricket team. That these losses are very disappointing
to the nation at large is an understatement. The two fronts on which
the nation expects victories especially at this point of time, are the
battle field and the cricket field. The battle field has no grand stands
and spectators as does the cricket field. For a nation carrying heavy
burdens on its mind, heart and especially body, the only tangible solace
probably comes from the cricket field. So losses of the type we have
been witnessing over the last few weeks should not be viewed mildly.
At the end of the match the captain comes out with the very same ludicrous
jargon…that the team played ‘really well’, that ‘the
top order (or the middle order) failed’, that the new comers must
‘put their hands up and be counted’, that they ‘must
regroup and come back strongly’ and such nonsense. Today the final
ODI will be played. TV commentators say the local team must win for
pride. Whatever be the ‘pride’, any victory today will not
dispel the ‘prejudice’. Any victory toast today will be drunk
in bare hands with the liquid spilling through the fingers, because
the cup is already in the hands of the Indians. Winning today is like
shutting the gate after the horse has bolted. Self deception is the
greatest of deceptions.
What went wrong? It is true the captain is enjoying a flash of form.
How long this flash will last is anybody’s guess. Some new names
have made their mark. To use the captain’s own stereotype comment;
they have put their hands up and have been counted’. They are Ajantha
Mendis and Thilan Thushara. Murali is the same old work horse but unfortunately,
as Suni points out, relegated to the shadow of Ajantha. The bowlers
are alright but not so the fielders. The throwing was going astray most
of the time. Hardly anyone can strike the wicket for a run out. The
wicket keeper ‘Sanga’, our own commentators say is ‘not
a natural wicket keeper’.He has trained himself to be one.Yet the
lacuna are obvious. In the 3rd ODI Raina was dropped very early with
Sanga standing up to Vaas. Raina later played a winning role with Doni.
Murali too has a big problem with catches being dropped off his bowling.
Now what about the batting? A pure catastrophe. We have one opener
going on 40. True enough the man is a cricket legend who after several
dismal performances comes up with a good score. No undermining the fact
that his century won the Asia cup for us. Yet, for god’s sake…The
man is nearing 40. It is said, not age but it is performance that matters.
But how many bad ones should be tolerated while expecting a good one.
The gentleman himself says; I let the bat speak for me. Now in four
ODI’s his bat spoke once. May be Chamara Silva might himself have
clicked on the fourth occasion had he been retained. The point is that
we should be looking towards the future, which we are NOT. What we gleefully
do, as in all other fields is to look towards names and their glittering
past. A name whoever that may be, whether a Jayasuriya or a Sangakkara
or other without performance is a dead letter, a dead weight.
The tragedy about our batting is that the big guns (just think of Sanga
who bats so well in his TV commercials and so badly when it matters)
have fallen apart. The big ones are like models on a cat walk going
up and coming back while the young uns are doing the same! Judging from
the performances of both young and old I sometimes wonder whether our
cricket has a stable present and a foreseeable stable future. They all
begin with a bang and end with a whimper. Tharanga did so, and so is
Van Dort doing now and Kapugedara too. Name anyone and that is the case.
We might call our team the ‘bang and whimper’ show. Everyone
likes to find consolation in great names that were out of form at certain
times of their careers. The point about our cricketers is that no one
knows ‘when and where and how’ the ‘out of form’
label will dangle from their caps.
In my humble opinion, in addition to the various managers who direct
the destinies of our team, we should absolutely have the services of
a permanent psychologist. I personally think what we are seeing here
is a ‘mind’ problem. Listen to great sportsmen and sportswomen
speak. They repeatedly say they train themselves to be ‘mentally
strong’. Let us face the fact; our cricketers are NOT mentally
strong. In more direct terms they are mentally weak. To turn the tide,
engage the services of a good sports psychologist who will study the
psychology of each individual cricketer. We have to turn the tide. With
its massive revenue, the cricket board could try this option as well.
Otherwise we will eternally hear the captains lament about the top order
(himself included) and the middle failing ‘not coming to the party’
or that the new ones are ‘not putting up their hands to be counted….’
Mario Perera
Kadawata
|
|
|
Disclaimer: The comments contained
within this website are personal reflection only and do not necessarily
reflect the views of the LankaWeb. LankaWeb.com offers the contents
of this website without charge, but does not necessarily endorse the
views and opinions expressed within. Neither the LankaWeb nor the individual
authors of any material on this Web site accept responsibility for any
loss or damage, however caused (including through negligence), which
you may directly or indirectly suffer arising out of your use of or
reliance on information contained on or accessed through this Web site.
All views and opinions presented in this article are solely those of
the surfer and do not necessarily represent those of LankaWeb.com. .
BACK TO LATEST
NEWS
DISCLAIMER
|
