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Life on a Wanderers Green Mamba Can Be Fun

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Life on a Wanderers Green Mamba Can Be Fun 14 Monday 28th September, 2009 It is all about technique and adapting to conditions... Life on a Wanderers green mamba can be fun here has always been and this time of year, it is usu- something sporty about ally very dry, although The Tthe Wanderers pitch. And Wanderers is subject to heavy history as well as tradition dew as well. should have prepared Sri Lanka The surface can be just as for this small fact of life. diabolically tricky even in So far, there have been vocif- January. In 1998, De Villiers and erous grumbling, feet stamping the left-arm fast bowler Greg and any number of misguided Smith reduced Gauteng to an accusations over Sri Lanka’s embarrassing rout by the capitulation to England at the Northerns Titans. Checking a Wanderers on Friday. The report written of that nation’s captain, Kumar SuperSport game, it shows how Sangakkara, complained how De Villiers, well supported with batting on it was like the first some class left-arm bowling by day of a Test. Smith had, in a matter of 34 Even a couple of family balls, reduced Gauteng to 12 for members as well as some media seven during a spell of 34 deliv- yokels were sounding off and eries in their second innings which, Yahaluweni, brought a and all the dismissed batsmen smile as one knows The had played for their country at Wanderers well, Sri Lanka were by Trevor Chesterfield some stage in their careers. fortunate to have reached 212. Many months later, as a In the only Test the island’s won the toss, came as a surprise build up to the Millennium Test team has played at the fame to those who know how dodgy series between South Africa Illovo venue in Corlett Drive, in the surface can be for the bats- and England, it had for weeks early November 2002, they were men, especially if a bowler hits been billed as the Donald and dismissed for 192 and 130, losing the right length. Allan Donald, Atherton show. It had been by an innings and 64 runs and it Pollock and Fanie de Villiers claimed that Allan Donald, aka doesn’t get much better. were serious contenders for ‘White Lightning’, was under Doing a little history check early wickets in such condi- an injury cloud. However, the on the Sri Lankan safaris and tions. way he struck at The their visits to The Wanderers, it Sangakkara has played Wanderers in the first over of doesn’t make for happy reading there twice and should recall that Test, England would have at all, despite some success. how it behaved in the 2002 bilat- also no doubt wondered if it For example, Arjuna eral series and World Cup of was all just a rumour. Ranatunga’s one appearance 2003. However, saying For a man of whom was a four-ball duck in early one thing on many wondered might not April 1998 in a bilateral limited televi- be sitting out this opening overs series as Sri Lanka suc- Test of the five-match series, cumbed by 57 runs when sion at his response was a blistering chasing a target of 267, and The Chesterfieldthe toss and Files mak- attack and scorched earthy poli- one they were never going to ing comments about the cy and a six-wicket haul. With make. The former portly cap- state of the pitch after the Shaun Pollock acting as the tain fell to off-spinner Derek game, hints of some inconsis- pace attack’s senior lieutenant, Crookes in one of his rare ODI tency, knowing the history of the South African duo produced appearances for South Africa. the venue’s tricky early condi- the fast bowling fire power Sri Lanka have beaten South tions and how important foot- which routed England for a first Africa once in the four ODI work is and how the basics call innings score of 122 in a matter games they have played at the for the need to get behind the of 41.4 overs. It left the tourists famed venue, perched as it is, ball, as did Thilan pondering their own philosophy 5,500 feet (1,573 metres) above Samaraweera, whose technique as South Africa, at 64 for one at Sangakkara’s comment that ‘we would have batted first anyway’ after Andrew Strauss won the sea level. In January 2001, it shows how he was quick to the close, were 58 runs adrift toss, came as a surprise, as he has played there twice and should recall how it behaved in the was by four runs in a rain- adapt to the seaming condi- after day one. 2002 bilateral series with South Africa and World Cup of 2003. However, saying one thing on tele- affected Duckworth/Lewis tions. Donald and Pollock had vision at the toss and making comments about the state of the pitch after the game, hints of some result. On November 27, 2002, it It seriously exposed done the job their captain, inconsistency, knowing the history of the venue’s tricky early conditions. was in conditions similar to Tillekeratne Dilshan as well as those of last Friday against Sanath Jayasuriya’s ability to that series on day one, but Sidebottom’s gesture of tack- England, and which begs the handle the seaming ball. Apart bounced back to win that Test. ling the batsman was a dis- question of why the grumbling. from being defeatist, all the On Friday, England’s bowl- grace; but what can you expect Shaun Pollock had figures of comments made about Sri ing line wavered to bleed 21 from rugby. It is an obstruc- four for 18, Makhaya Ntini had Lanka’s innings also overlook wides – that is an extra 3.3 tionist, illogical sport anyway. three for 22 in 10 overs as the two important points: the time overs – and the initial pressure It was hardly a mid-pitch side was bowled out for 128 in of year and the tradition that was lost when James Anderson tangle as all Graham Onions 46.4 overs and even the Proteas goes with The Wanderers stadi- was removed from the attack. did was go back to be ready to struggled to win that game by um in Johannesburg. Anyone You wouldn’t find that from a take the ball and Mathews six wickets. who on Saturday watched Ricky South African captain; they should have been aware of this. From memory though, the Ponting and Tim Paine batting know the conditions all too well It also shows that players need batting conditions were as against some hostile West to allow the opposition off the to learn their laws and it is sur- sporting as they usually are Indies bowling, would have hook the way Andrew Strauss prising how the former before December, when copious asked the question as well of did. National Under-19 captain is amounts of sun and wind how did the Sri Lanka top order While the England captain unaware of some of the basics. allows the surface to dry out, fail so abysmally? earned much credit for recall- Lastly, there seems to be a but where the bounce is true, Ponting and Paine showed Allen Donald (C) is jubilant after dismissing England captain ing Angelo Mathews over the problem with dates and facts yet the pace of the pitch is a tad how it should be handled. Talk Mike Atherton for a duck, Nov. 25, 1999. run out incident, England took surrounding the Champions faster than it is now, as it recov- about batting on a knife-edge. It more than just the moral high Trophy tournament. It was ini- ers from its winter’s rest. This is because in Australia, there Hansie Cronje, had expected England. ground. It was a magnanimous tially designed to create fund- year it was shorter because of are similar pitches to that at after winning the toss: taking Not since the morning of gesture, but it still doesn’t ing for the development of the the Indian Premier League The Wanderers and where the the 10 wickets available the Test against India in excuse Mathews for not look- game and the first series was games in April and May. ball plays all types of tricks and between them with the first November 1992 had an innings ing where he was running, held in Dhaka, Bangladesh in Before last Friday and yes- handling sideways movement hour’s play dripping with more lay in such ruins: South especially after the run out of 1998 – not 1988 as it being terday, Sri Lanka’s last game at needs care and attention, not drama than a Shakespeare Africa’s top-order laid waste at the portly Thilina Kandamby. assumed in some bogus com- The Wanderers was during the wavy strokes outside the off- tragedy. 12 for three and later 48 for five Also, he is not well versed ments on the tournament – 2003 World Cup where they lost stump. The theatre stage, better before the revival. This was dif- enough on the laws of the when South Africa won the to India after Ashish Nehra What it teaches batsmen is known as the Bullring was ferent though. Then it had been game not to know how a run first tournament. By my simple (4/35) and Javagal Srinath (also the art of batting as the ball humming as England, in a mat- Manoj Prabhakar and Kapil out can take place and the sec- reckoning, it is 11 years old, 4/35), dismissed the Sanath seams around and the lateral ter of 17 deliveries, were Dev who sowed the early seeds ond run was just not on, as the where some come with 21 years Jayasuriya side for 109 in 23 movement and bounce as well reduced to two for four and the of destruction.
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