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14 Monday 4th April, 2011 eight teams in the tournament. always, it has been won the first World and lose - a game of cricket, that Just how much the Angelo his focus, which has Cup in 1975 with Clive was it.” Mathews injury that forced him seen him put such The Chesterfield files Lloyd propping up a Even wearing a South out of the side affected the line runs as these togeth- list of Alvin African team strip, the other up for the final at Wankhede in er the way he has Kallicharran, Rohan day brought the teasing accusa- Mumbai will never be accurate- under pressure condi- Kanhai and Viv tion of belonging to the “arti- ly fingered. There will be all too tions. He manages so Richards. The 1979 chokes” and no longer the many suggestions and claims of often to eliminate squad had Richards at Proteas. It was suggested in an how it upset the balance. Did it whatever threats three, Kallicharran at email from another South African friend, how the “arti- really force the selectors to there are without four and mercurial tal- choke” should become the new make four changes and draft in minimising the way ents of Collis King emblem. Suraj Randiv as a late replace- he gathers his runs lower in the order. This would, of course bring ment? and builds the team’s And if you want to sniggers among some Sri Well, Kulasekara did provide total. compare sides, the 2003 Lankans and others. So, to sug- part of the answer. He batted far He knew too, team, which lost to gest how their bowlers “choked” better than Chamara when Kumar by Trevor Chesterfield Australia in Port on Saturday night would though Kapugedara could ever hope to Sangakkara fell, it Elizabeth in a create howls of indignation perform. It was the Kulasekara was his responsibility Duckworth/Lewis among those who sniggered partnership with Jayawardene, to carry forward the batting affected semi-final, was far bet- over the artichoke comment. which gave Sri Lanka the gameplan, building a total to ter balanced. There are those They would grind their teeth momentum to scrap their way challenge India’s impressive who will argue against it, but and point to the problems the to an eventual 274 for six. It was array of batsmen. It was a mas- that is because they have largely bowlers faced with the dew. batting depth in the right area terful display and the disap- forgotten the way that side Well now, did they think and came when it needed to pointment is that is has gone played. about that in 1996 when Sri reignite the innings after unrewarded. Can Sri Lanka’s current Lanka beat Australia in Lahore Kapugedara was suckered by As would any good captain, lower middle-order crop of to win the trophy for the first that slower delivery from the Sangakkara has argued this Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara time? Of course not. Australia’s left-arm seam of Zaheer Khan. World Cup, his faith in the mid- Silva and Mathews compete bowlers were likewise handi- What the purpose was of dle-order. What this support has with such names at those adorn- capped. It is though, all part if drafting Kapugedara into the done is lift more than a ques- ing the West Indies scoresheet? the challenge playing under side after his last appearance tioning eyebrow around the Nah: not in a hundred years. lights and teams know they also ended in failure (against pavilions of capital’s Premier Apart from De Silva at four, have live with it. Selection blunders mar Mahela’s brilliant World Cup century and dream . What a let down! Mahela Jayawardene . fluent century and an example of What a let down! how to handle big-match occasions. More seriously, Sri Lanka’s Canada at Hambantota on League sides. there was Asanka Gurusinha at strategy, which earned them a brief glimpse of Mahela should feel empathy for the February 20), only the selectors When words such as, “It is three and they steered the good World Cup final place, is where Jayawardene’s stunned man, drafted into the side after can explain. Hopefully it wasn’t as good as that of the ninety-six ship Sri Lanka 1996. they did press the right buttons Afeatures at Wankhede sitting on the bench for so long on the whim of some fanciful team,” it makes anyone who has Sure, the top four built Stadium Saturday night told it as the four-man spin attack poli- arcane media support. Stranger seen most Sri Lanka teams impressive records this World when needed. If New Zealand all. cy was scrapped in favour of a things have happened. since 1993 smile; wondering per- Cup, but it left the side short of had genuinely learnt lessons Having scored what was a puzzling mix and match strate- Kapugedara may be talented, haps if the comment is genuine genuine power in the lower area from the defeat by Sri Lanka, in World Cup century of sublime gy.And no one deliberately yet has long been out of his or a matter of hoping it will sur- when pressure is on, as it was their Group A game at artistry in an emotional and drops a catch, especially in a depth at this level. So many vive the pressure of the final at against Pakistan, and briefly Wankhede, they would not have often highly-charged arena, the World Cup final. chances, yet so few where he Wankhede. Australia in the Group A games. batted in a similar slapdash taste of defeat came as a bitter There was that missed has managed to deliver any- While the “as good as” alle- Even in the semi-final against a manner in the last 10 overs of experience. Two finals, two stumping chance as well before thing near the faith the selec- gory was not made by New Zealand side lacking a gen- the innings. defeats: that Yahaluweni tells Mahendra Singh Dhoni had put tors have placed in him. His ODI Sangakkara, it did carry the uine class second spinner, there And if anyone carefully the story of how Sri Lanka a run on the board. Of course, average of less than 23.00 sort jingoism you get when Sri were jitters at one stage when checks the bowling combina- Mahela Jayawardene and ended up with a shattered fielding errors do occur. On explains it all. Yet it was sug- Lanka are doing well. And a tions used during the last three Sangakkara followed in quick dream and as the ghostly night- Saturday, unlike the quarterfi- gested somewhere where he was check of the Group A game games Sri Lanka played, they succession against tenacious mare of 2007 returned. nal against England and the the answer. It is why the efforts against Pakistan explains why would have soon worked out bowling and fielding. It is also so easy to blame semi-final with New Zealand, by Kulasekara and Thisara this World Cup side did not have how such a strategy worked. Nuwan Kulasekara for that where the bowlers were able to Why, New Zealand were not Not so much the combinations, Perera showed up the paucity of the batting strength of 1996. supposed to be in the semi-final. dropped catch. It was such a strangle the batting, the pres- genuine middle-order batsmen It is the sort of make-believe more the type of bowlers used fluky chance offered by Gautam sure the quartet had built in Daniel Vettori though is a bril- in the squad. hype those vaguely associated to liant reader of the game, knew and when they were used. Gambhir: one, which many those games was missing. How different to the game make when they are Quote of the final, if not the claim changed the way the game On both occasions, it was the chance of getting through Jayawardene and the way he suggesting without explaining, the top South African order, the tournament, is the one made to could have ended. What replays those last ten overs of the handles big-match occasions. why Sri Lanka had the ability to lower area was also brittle. Or, the TV cameras by Virat Kohli, do suggest is how he misjudged innings, which left both visiting There were times during his beat India when their recent as a good South African col- after India had clinched the title the area where the ball was sides struggling to build totals, innings of 103 that his stroke- ODI records – 2005 and 2009 – in league of long-standing, Telford for the second time. “Tendulkar falling. Not easy at all under the allowing Sri Lanka to chase less play was perfection to watch. India is one of failure. Vice, suggested in response to a has carried the burden of the bright lights of an arena where challenging targets. It is why The way he moves his feet and That 1996 middle-order of question of a team’s fallibility, nation for 21 years. It is time we spectator noise levels were at those of us who have watched hands to play the late cut Aravinda de Silva, Arjuna “Chesters, I confidently pro- carried him on our shoulders.” decibels in excess of the norm, and followed this World Cup explains the harmony he has Ranatunga, Hashan nounce this not a choke but a Fair comment. and a white ball swirling and from close quarters since when batting. His occasional Tillakaratne and Roshan bulletproof example of one dropping all too quickly out of a Hambantota, felt Sri Lanka had team performing starkly better driving on the up is also to be Mahanama, is as good as the (email: floodlit sky.Easy? Think again.

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