da gbg bet： Sri Lanka’s Caribbean tour started under a cloud of criticism
Wisden CricInfo26-Jun-2003Sri Lanka’s Caribbean tour started under a cloud of criticism. The failureto qualify for the final of the Sharjah Cup and the Bank Alfalah Cup hadprompted a media bashing. Some of the more sleazy columnists felt soempowered that they even had the audacity to print wild (and whollyinaccurate) stories of player sex orgies in Dambulla.© AFPFickle advertisers sensed this despondent mood and slashed their cricketbudgets. Broadcasters did their sums and realised that to buy the televisionrights for the West Indies would be a huge financial gamble, surmising that no one wanted to advertise and few people would watch. They were better off showing their prime-time soap operas.But the Sri Lanka team responded. Thousands of kilometers away from home,they pulled together as a team. An indifferent batting performance wasfollowed by an inspired bowling effort in the first game. West Indies,cock-a-hoop after a trio of wins against Australia, lost the first game emphatically.© AFPThen came Sri Lanka’s finest one-day run chase for years. This time thebowlers were collared, leaking 312 runs their 50 overs as Brian Lara cutloose. On the basis of recent form only the mentally unstable would havebetted their rupees on a Sri Lanka victory. But Sri Lanka marched home withfour wickets and three balls to spare thanks to a splendid 89 from UpulChandana and a hardworking fifty from Mahela Jayawardene.The third one-day international was lost but that matters little – who caresabout dead rubbers? After a post-World Cup slump, confidence had returned.The team was smiling once more. Of course, there were still areas ofconcern, particularly the batting and fielding, but there was light at theend of the tunnel.”It was important for me to get runs, and Murali had to bowl a number ofovers to get his wickets. Some of our batsmen have to adapt very quickly inthe second Test match, because he is going to be coming at us strong again,along with (Chaminda) Vaas. It was a great contest out there; on manyoccasions, I felt I found myself wanting when he was bowling, and I wasn’tall there. It was nice to tough it out and get some runs.” (Brian Lara)It helped, of course, that Sri Lanka had settled upon the right combination.At Sharjah the selection – just five batsmen – was suicidal. During the BankAlfalah Cup it improved, with Tillakaratne Dilshan slipping into the middleorder and Romesh Kaluwitharana moving back up to the top. The introductionof Chandana in the West Indies, a move that stiffened the batting and perkedup the fielding, was the icing on the cake.Marvan Atapattu breathed a sign of relief afterwards, admitting that he hadbeen under real pressure since the unfathomable decision to spilt thecaptaincy. Finally, he felt more at ease and he celebrated in the openingTest, compiling his 11th hundred – another knock of high-elbowed eleganceand unflappable concentration.© AFPSri Lanka finished the first day in the box seat on 250 for 4. But althoughthey finished the Test on a high, as Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya knockedup an unbroken 126 run stand in the second innings, the middle three dayswere disappointing: the middle order crumbled on day two, the supportbowling lacked penetration, the fielding was sloppy, and Kaluwitharana’sglovework was erratic. Fortunately, the rains tipped down on day four,condemning the match to a draw.© AFPSo all is not entirely rosy, although the top order batting is gelling againwith the top four all in good form. Nevertheless, assuming the rains cloudssteer clear of Sabina Park, Sri Lanka can make history and win their firstCaribbean Test series. This Test marks the end of a grueling 14-month run ofnon-stop cricket and Sri Lanka’s players will hold nothing back as theycontemplate a four-month break from international action. They will want tosunbathe in glory not defeat.”We wanted to get a formidable score after winning the toss. But 354 wasjust not good enough on this track. We want to rectify the mistakes we madein this Test and come back strongly. I am disappointed the way we playedthis Test. We could have had more than 400 runs, we didn’t bowl well, andour fielding was very poor. We dropped a few chances at the beginning. Hadwe taken those, it would have been a different story. We didn’t play to ourpotential. We need to pick ourselves up.” (Hashan Tillakaratne)Changes are being considered. Some radical. Kaluwitharana, who missed Laraon 94 and Omari Banks on 0, could be axed to allow Tillakaratne Dilshan intothe middle order. Kumar Sangakkara would then re-take the gloves. With sixspecialist batters in the side the management would then be more inclined tobolster the bowling, ditching Thilan Samaraweera for a third seamer -probably Dharshana Gamage. That would provide the bowling more teeth.But to win, of course, they must dismiss Lara early – the bete noire of SriLanka’s bowlers having scored 897 runs in the last four Tests between thetwo sides. If they can do that then they can win the series and take anotherimportant step up the confidence ladder.