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Friday 20th October, 2006 11 Gampola Zahira and Pothubowa MV, Kurunegala U-113 soccer champs Zahira College, Gampola beat Aligar MV,Batticaloa by 4 goals to 2 to emerge boys’ champions in the All Island U-13 football cham- pionships, played at the Police Park, recently. Approximately 420 schools took part in the championships where 30 teams were selected to play in the final round in Colombo. Thilina Wijesinghe of Dharmaraja College, Kandy was adjudged best player of the tourna- ment while M. Unesh of Aligar MV was pro- nounced the best goal-keeper of the tourna- ment. In the girls’ section Pothubowa MV, Kurunegala were crowned champions when they beat Bibile Medagama MV 1-0 in the final. Nimesha Madushani and Dharshi Erandathi of Pothubowa MV were named best player and best goal-keeper of the tournament respectively. Boys’ Under 13 football champions Zahira College, Gampola. Girls’ Under 13 football champions Pothubowa MV, Kurunegala. Sri Lanka’s hunger for success by Kumar Sangakkara became evident that we were turn- ing the corner. The groundwork here is one simple word that had been laid, the processes were best describes why this Sri in place and without us even real- TLanka team has changed for Pushing the envelope ising it all started to come togeth- the better: It’s called “attitude”. er. The prime example was the There has been a sea-change in the Lord’s Test where we had the way we all are approaching cricket inner strength and confidence to thanks to the efforts of Tom rescue ourselves from a perilous Moody,Trevor Penney and the rest position. It was hugely satisfying of the management team. Their to save that game and a source of greatest success has been to shake great pride. Even though we lost at us out of our comfort zones and Edgbaston, we had begun to introduce a new culture of self- believe that we were an equal improvement and dynamism. The match to England, and were ready changes have been seismic and The Sri Lanka as we ever were to win on English have ensured that we are now cricket team soil. growing stronger by the day. returning to the Then, right after the final Test After Tom’s arrival in Sri pavilion after at Trent Bridge, we had a meeting Lanka we quickly settled into a their historic and discussed what Sri Lankan successful groove. We defeated (a Test win at Trent cricket was all about. Pre-1996 we weakened) West Indies, won the Bridge, had played a brand of cricket that Indian Oil Cup and brushed aside was not our own. We were respect- Nottingham ful to the game’s traditions and Bangladesh. With hindsight I against England think we were lulled into a comfort techniques but it was an alien tra- zone. We thought this was the best in May this year. dition that we were trying to con- we could be and expected victories Kumar form to. Then in 1996 with that to come our way. But the tour of Sangakkara emphatic World Cup victory we India proved a rude shock to the writes that since established our brand of cricket, system. We were still grappling the arrival of our own cricketing identity that with the Powerplays and Supersub Tom Moody the was positive, aggressive and excit- regulations and in the end we were team has got a ing. As we sat there in England, we hammered in both the ODIs and new kind of a realised as a group that we had lost the Tests. Suddenly it sunk in that resolve that has sight of this brand. other teams were improving much stood in good I think we had become too pas- faster than us. stead in tough sive a one-day team, waiting for This was the context in which situations. our opponents to falter. We were Tom started to usher in changes to masters of the slow strangle, espe- the team, by altering our “atti- cially with our spin-heavy attack tude” to not just matches but to net ther. tified situations where we might sciously saying to myself, “this is better, why don’t you look at these in the subcontinent. But we now practice, fitness training and even We were very lucky too to have be subconsciously limiting our- as good as you are going to get so strokes to reduce pressure?” As had a diverse and balanced team our lifestyles. We were one of the the help of Sandy Gordon, one of selves by apportioning blame just work on your shot selection.” players it was about not coming up capable of playing a more aggres- fitter teams in the world and we’d the world’s leading sports psychol- rather than accepting collective But Trevor changed all that. He with excuses and saying to our- sive game and we made a con- always had our fair share of skil- ogists. In my mind his inputs have responsibility. looked at every single scoring selves “this is an avenue worth scious decision to go back to that ful players. But we’d lost sight of been instrumental to us. Through This all led to us as a team put- option and stroke with every play- exploring.” We had started a jour- more explosive old brand. There the fact that there is always room a series of informal one-on-ones ting our core values down on er. His energy was amazing. We ney but lost our way. However, we was a massive attitude shift and for improvement. Tom insisted on cricket and our lives in general paper. We discussed as a team the broke down our games and prac- were now pushing out of our com- now we are looking to capitalise on that our mental attitude had to he offered customised advice to characteristics that we cherished tised on each different aspect. fort zones. every single delivery: the simplest change if we were to satisfy our each individual. In short, he gave within the group - like commit- The impact has been huge. One of the huge conundrums theory in cricket and one that had own high ambitions. us options on how to improve our- ment, discipline, pride and enjoy- From a personal perspective I can with Sri Lanka’s cricket has tradi- worked so well for us in the past. It started with a special empha- selves and helped reinforce the ment. These core values stretched see just how much my game has tionally been the absence of the The extended Powerplays have sis on physical fitness that was tai- message that we could improve from the field to the dressing-room developed. I used to find it hard to question “why?” We are generally encouraged this and we strive to lor-made to individual needs. We ourselves. I remember one thing and into our lives. We wanted the tick things over during the middle spoon-fed from an early age. The capitalise on top and then main- had worked hard previously but he told me very clearly: “The only dressing-room to be a neat and pos- overs of one-day games, especially senior players are expected to tain momentum with smart crick- within limits. We realised that we direction you can cruise is down”. itive environment that reflected against the spinners. But I worked know best and you can easily get et. could be fitter and that we could do Sandy had an impact on us as our professionalism and commit- hard on the sweep and now it is caught-up in a herd. Nobody It’s been a refreshing period to things differently. We pushed our individuals and also as a team. He ment. We wanted our lifestyles giving me quick scoring opportu- thinks of how things can be be in the side and it’s wonderful to boundaries and looked to exploit pointed out the little details that outside to be healthy and well-bal- nities. I have learnt how to drop changed. An intelligent, question- feel the hunger for success all every advantage we could, from get lost: the details that we may anced. We wrote it all down so we the ball for singles better and how ing attitude is quietly repressed. around you. Right now we are our actual running and turning have thought unimportant but would not lose sight of it. to guide the ball down to third But to stay ahead you must diver- inspiring each other and feeding techniques to building up much actually go a long way to forming He also, of course, worked on man. Three simple areas have sify.What we need is a system from on each other’s confidence. It’s greater endurance levels. We were the mental make-up of the team. our skills. When I look back now been vastly improved. grassroots to the national team exciting and I believe we are well given minimum fitness levels to He made us conscious of how an with hindsight on my batting I can It was all a case of accepting that is continuously evolving to on the way to playing a brand of qualify for selection and soon the innocuous negative remark in a see I was in a comfort zone. I was logical analysis. Trevor and Tom make you better. We need to free cricket that will not only be suc- pride of the players pushed them dressing-room environment can not thinking about broadening my were saying “I think you are a minds. cessful but that will allow us as Sri to reach these and, then, to go fur- snowball into a problem.

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