by Rohan Wijeyaratna
Brian Charles Lara once the ‘wonder boy’ of world cricket set aflame the SSC for a day and a half at the beginning, and almost a day at the end and became the first player in Test cricket to score a double hundred and a hundred in the same match and still manage to be on the losing side. Averaging a phenomenal 114 in the three Test series Lara also became in the process, the fourth in the entire history of the game to get past the 7000 run mark in the shortest possible number of Tests. Only Sobers, Hammond and Gavaskar have actually got there earlier.

Getting those priorities right!

In a country we like to term as ‘cricket mad’ there was very little evidence of it as a crowd that can be termed at best as only sparse, came to watch Lara in the flesh at the SSC. Here was a world class figure in action of whom scribes go into raptures to describe, and additionally, there were other world class men from our own camp such as Murali, Jayasuriya, Marvan and Mahela. Yet there we all were, ensconced in our armchairs watching the idiot box even on the poya holiday, in glorious weather. No wonder in recent years, we have shown an acute inability to get our priorities right!

Defeated, but far from being disgraced

Lara on day two and more, the day before, treated us to a wide variety of facets that go into making him such a wonderful player to watch. There was determination, dedication, brilliance and genius all rolled into one, as he carved out a brilliant double hundred to start with. And as though that wasn’t quite enough and just in case someone missed his first, he went on to roll off another hundred of immense authority in the second innings to end up with a series tally of 688 runs at an average of 114. His amazing bat control, his sense of timing and placement and above all his temperament- in a difficult situation were all hallmarks of a true champion. The Sri Lankan crowd, well known as one of the most sporting in the world in the good old days, suddenly dispensed with its newly acquired acutely partisan approach, and rose as of old to a man, to applaud the world record holder with a standing ovation at the end of each of his epic efforts. It was as warm as it was appreciative, of a performance that was as classy as it was cultured, on wicket that was as good on the last as it was on the first. Few are those who are brave enough to rough up Murali the way this man did. Nothing that was done to curb the flow was good enough to hold the man back as he rifled his shots between any two fielders he chose, hitting through the smallest of gaps that were sighted. In rugby parlance, it was reminiscent of a vintage Mohan Sahayam, a Didacus de Almeida an Omar Shariff, a Jagath Fernando or a Darrel Wimalaratne during their heyday.

Through the debris that lay scattered around him, Brian Charles Lara stood out like a Colossus, defeated may be, but certainly not disgraced.

Vaas and Hashan fashioned the win

Not to be outdone, the in-form Chaminda Vaas garnered fourteen wickets in all in a capital performance of fast medium bowling on what was still a pretty good wicket for batting. It was a performance executed on the basis of ‘if you miss, I shall hit’, which was the hallmark of Brian Statham’s bowling for Lancashire and England of a much earlier vintage. Murali, called up to defend and attack both simultaneously failed for once, and through it exposed the fact that there was nobody at the other end to support him of any worthwhile class in the spin department. The fact that our attack was nowhere near balanced was a fact that stood out a mile to all those who cared to see as Bandaratilleke added up generously to the fast growing list of men who have won caps but are actually well short of the requirement of a Test class bowler.

The Sri Lankan assault was fashioned through several fronts. Jayasuriya scored a battling 85, not in the greatest of touch but never quite letting up either. Arnold ended a prolonged drought and left when he could have cruised through to three figures with ease; Samaraweera made 87, coming in at number 7 and displaying once again our new found depth in the middle order. And finally, there was Tillekeratne, batting like of old, solid dependable and very effective. Through it all, he left everyone quite convinced that he has anchored his place in the side without question, for quite some time to come. It was a double hundred around which the Sri Lankan effort was built, and worthy of the highest praise.

Everything an ideal team should be

This West Indian team is no doubt a far cry from theirs of old, but with a half a dozen youngsters still below 23 years of age, we have certainly not heard the last of them for sure. In many areas in their cricket they were found wanting by comparison with their opponents, but in one, they left their mark all right. That was in the discipline aspect of the side. Outside their cricket, they were everything that an ideal team should be; punctual, courteous, well mannered and well dressed. A credit not only to the whole of the West Indies but also to the indefatigable Rick Skeritt the Manager who believes strongly in these virtues as being essential for their upward journey. Good luck to them for the future.

And finally, a few words of disappointment. Leaving the cricket some ninety minutes before the close on the fourth day, I went home to watch the remainder of the day’s play on television. And what I saw, and worse, what I heard was so disappointing, I fear I cannot help but comment on it.

A lot of noise and ‘sledging’ to boot?

We are all in agreement that the deployment of sledging, in whichever form is a deplorable method of gaining ascendancy in a Test match. One of the few areas of disagreement I have with the Steve Waugh policy of ‘mental disintegration’ is this menace called sledging which they seem to use quite liberally. A good team does not require to deploy this rotten practice to win, and whilst there are innumerable areas in the Aussie game we can learn from, this to my mind is certainly not one of them. Therefore, the tactics used by at least one Sri Lankan player during this period of play was in my book, bordering dangerously on sharp practice and used in an obvious attempt to hound the other fellows out.

Tarnishing his reputation?

Through these columns we have extolled the virtues of Sangakkara, as a man of resolve and character, equal to the task in the face of great adversity. In fact, a man who can be pencilled down for higher honours at a later date, much like Arnold, if only he got back to his form of old and retained it. But in a display that was as deplorable as it was nauseating, there was Sangakkara howling and baying after every ball, not just only words of encouragement to the bowlers but saying things quite unwarranted about the young Sarwan, quite definitely aimed at upsetting the man. It is a small wonder that he escaped being ‘docked’ by the Match Referee who has no access to sound in the television that he is provided. At the clip he was going, and unless reined in fast, somewhere sometime Sangakkara will meet his waterloo. And when that happens there may not be too many who will feel sorry for him, and worse, he will inconvenience the side no end through a suspension, particularly if that happens while on tour.

Well on course for the highest honours

One final word about umpire Asoka de Silva. Already, there is enough evidence to suggest that he has made his mark as an honest, brave and effective umpire of very high class. He has made mistakes no doubt as all mortals do, but they have been few and far between and never appeared to be anything more than genuine. Refreshingly he brooks no nonsense either, often showing acute disinterest if not boredom at those bilious appeals which are chorused by some in the hope that they can break the will of the man. That Asoka de Silva has withstood it all is a credit to him, and already there are some knowledgeable men who are of the view that de Silva is not just the best umpire we have, but the best we have ever had. Much like Ranjan Madugalle, de Silva if given time, shows the potential to climb to the very top of his league in Test match cricket. A prospect that would please many given the kind of stink we have acquired worldwide as a country teeming with cross eyed umpires. In fact, the prospect of proving the rest of the world wrong on this score is so irresistible, we hope de Silva will hold his course and do his duty by the white coat in the best traditions of that noble profession.