Reminisces of Famous Games

Thursday 2nd July, 2009 ICC chief Morgan hints Former great at 4-day Tests reminisces of famous games against Pakistan David Morgan by Rex Clementine much tougher facing them and you NEW DELHI (AP) - The International couldn’t lose focus as they had a bal- Cricket Council is considering cutting As the T-20 World Cup was slipping anced bowling attack that kept on asking Tests from five days to four. away from Sri Lanka, fingers were point- questions. I guess it was the reason for ICC president David Morgan says the ed at the failure of the Lankan top order me to do better against Pakistan than sport’s governing body is considering batsmen. The scenario brought to mind a any other team,” de Silva felt. the change to boost interest in cricket’s man who seemed tailor-made for any ‘big One of the much talked about games traditional format, which is dropping in match,’ a man who possessed the tem- that de Silva has involved in against popularity relative to one-day games and perament to plain sail no matter how Pakistan is the Faisalabad Test during particularly the recently introduced tough the situation was. While playing the 1995 tour. He had missed the first Twenty20 game. match winning knocks in big games was Test, due to his commitments with the “We are examining is whether Test a hallmark of Aravinda de Silva’s illus- English county Kent and Sri Lanka were match cricket can be played over four trious career, another feature that made heavily beaten in that match by an days rather than five,” Morgan said in an him a unique batsman was his prefer- innings. Turning up for the second game interview to India Today magazine. ence to do well against stronger oppo- in Faisalabad, he was the biggest hope “The board of the ICC is determined nents of his era, like Australia or for the Lankans, but came a cropper to ensure that Test match cricket is seen Pakistan than, say Zimbabwe or when he was dismissed for a second ball as the pinnacle of our great game. Bangladesh. duck by Saqlain Mustaq. Incidentally, “I would be very surprised if within If the West Indies possessed the best that was his first duck in Test cricket a year you haven’t seen some significant bowling attack in the 1980s, world’s fast having played over 70 Test innings with- changes in Test match cricket.” bowling power base gradually shifted out a duck. Morgan said Tests also needed bet- towards Pakistan in the 1990s, the era But he rose to the occasion in the sec- ter over rates, plus better pitches that that Aravinda dominated. His eight Test ond innings with a match winning 105 provide an even contest between bats- hundreds against Pakistan is a World that helped Sri Lanka win the Test by 42 men and bowlers. The ICC is also push- Record with two Australians Alan runs and square the series. ing ahead with plans toward introducing Border and Greg Chappell coming as “I remember landing a day or two day-night tests. joint second with six hundreds each. before the match in Pakistan. The second “The issue is the colour of the ball Of those eight hundreds he scored, ball I faced, I just tried to on-drive, proba- and the quality of the ball,” he said. “It the first came in Faisalabad. On his 20th bly I was overconfident and managed to would be a pity if day-night Test match birthday Aravinda had remained 93 not flick it back to Saqlain and I was caught cricket had to be played with a white ball out and the following morning he and bowled. It was very disappointing as and, therefore, coloured clothing.” reached three figures by hitting a six off the team was expecting much from me. While a traditional red ball can not none other than Imran Khan. But that made me determined to do well be used at night, the ICC is hoping to “I was young and had just come into in the second innings and score some develop a ball in a bright color like the side. Didn’t worry about all the big runs. It was tougher in the second orange. names and just went for it as it was there innings. We lost early wickets and the Cricket Australia (CA) spokesman to be hit. It was a very pleasing experi- wicket wasn’t easy to bat on. It was very Peter Young said chief executive James ence, especially as my mother too had satisfying to score a hundred there. It Sutherland was not keen on four-day come to the ground to see me batting,” was the first time I put into use all the Tests. Aravinda recalled. experience I gathered in England.” “James is more in favor of night Test Over the years, only four batsmen With so much of playing experience cricket and we are in discussions on the have scored more runs in Test cricket behind him, who are the Pakistani crick- colour of the ball and whether it would against Pakistan than Aravinda and that eters whom he rates high? affect the dimensions of the ball,” Young list includes some memorable names the “People like Imran, Javed, Wasim said. cricket world has ever seen; Sunil and Waqar were all superb players. But I David Gilbert, chief cricket admin- Gavaskar, Greg Chappell and Alan feel that one player who doesn’t get men- tioned in the same breath is Abdul Qadir. istrator in New South Wales state, said Border. Aravinda de Silva four-day Tests would hurt venues and What motivated him against the He was a fantastic bowler. I feel, had he hosts while aiding telecasters. Pakistanis? been playing in this era, he could have game in Rawalpindi with a century in Muralitharan in the pavilion, Ranatunga “If there was a determination by the “Of all sides I played against, they created a lot of problems for current the first innings and the Sri Lankans walked in to bat against medical advice ICC to change it to four days, it wouldn’t had the best bowling side. They definite- players. Personally I rate him very having dominated the game throughout, and saw the team through. have a major impact on our bottom line,” ly had the best variation in world crick- high,” de Silva said. gave away the initiative chasing 220 runs “It was somewhat strange. We both Gilbert was quoted to say by Australian et. Unfortunately, at that time we didn’t While speaking with ‘The Island’ when they lost five for 144. Soon had been left out of the series before that Associated Press. play the West Indies that often and about his memories of playing against Ranatunga was hit by a vicious Waqar Pakistan tour. But when the moment “I would imagine the broadcaster missed out on playing against the likes Pakistan, Aravinda fondly remembered one moment of courage by his colleague Younis delivery and had to retire hurt came Arjuna showed what a tough char- was very much to the fore with the sug- of Michael Holding, the late Malcolm and former captain Arjuna Ranatunga, and further examinations revealed that acter he was. It wasn’t easy and the gestion. Marshall and Joel Garner. As a result when he won a Test Match that was slip- he had multiple fractures on his fingers. courage he showed was remarkable and “It would be sad to see it happen whenever I played against Pakistan, I ping away. Sri Lanka slipped to 177 for eight and most importantly won the game for us,” because a five-day game of Test cricket, it used to concentrate hard. It was that requiring 43 to win with just Muttiah de Silva recalled. really sorts the men out from the boys.” Aravinda had played his part in that Badminton Asia Youth under-16 Championships Three-day warm up match ends in draw team events respectively in the boys and girls categories. Sri Lanka’s hopes on All other countries are per- The three day warm up game Suraj Mohammad was the mitted to register a minimum between Pakistan and Sri Lanka most impressive of the bowlers as of three and a maximum of Cricket XI ended in a draw despite a he picked up four wickets while Achini and Upuli four entries at the singles and bold declaration by the hosts cap- Muthumudalige Pushpakumara team events at the champi- tain Thilina Kandamby at the Colts had three scalps to his name. by Ravi Nagahawatte are Thailand, Vietnam, India, onships. As with the host nation, Cricket Ground yesterday. In the second innings, Upul Iran, Hong Kong, Japan, Pakistan, Bhutan, Cambodia, the focus is on the girls, Kandamby declared the Sri Lankan Tharanga and Tharanga Sri Lanka’s female play- because they did well at the innings on 137 for two leaving ers will be the cynosure of all Brunei and Laos. Paranavithana added 66 runs for SLBA Interim Committee championships last year by Pakistan a target of 83 and in eyes when they take part in the first wicket before Tharanga Chairman Professor Ranjith making it to the quarterfi- search of quick runs the Pakistanis the Badminton Asia Youth fell for 44 having faced 60 deliver- de Silva speaking to the nals. lost early wickets and slumped to 47 under-16 Championships ies where he hit five boundaries which the country will host media at a press briefing, Sri Lanka’s hopes will be for four.

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