14 Monday 28th November, 2011

BY NIVANTHA EDIRISINGHE ame the country which is blessed with I believe that the Jayawardene- the luxury of having two world class Sangakkara combination has been the most Nbatsmen playing together, with more important of the lot because their consistency than 19,000 runs and with 56 centuries mattered to a great extent and the amount between them in Test ? they contributed was the clear decider of the The country happens to be our very own of the game. They were never blessed and the batsmen are Mahela with long line ups to play around with. Jayawardene and . Under Arjuna Ranatunga, we had the best In addition to the above achievements, they ever battling line up and everyone knew that are the proud owners of the highest ever Test someone will click to get those big totals on of 624 runs. Jayawardene has a the board. With the likes of Sanath, Kalu, Test score of 374, the highest by a Sri Lankan, Asanka, Aravinda, Arjuna, Hashan and and Sangakkara has scored the maximum Roshan, a batting collapse was unheard of. double hundreds for his country. My question Unlike the previously mentioned batting is being blessed with such a magnificent bat- pairs who had sharp contrasting batting ting pair, why does our national side fail as a styles, Jayawardene and Sangakkara are iden- team? tical type batsmen and are superior in adjust- Why don’t the above mentioned records ing to the condition that exists and that’s why send shivers down the spines of opposing they were so successful in the past. The rea- teams when they confront these batsmen? The son for the inconsistency which we are wit- answer in my view is the lack of consistency nessing now is totally not their fault. which has followed these batsmen for some Cricket is a team game, but sadly, every- time. body expects them to perform almost in every I wish to mention three batsmen whom the outing, placing them under severe pressure. opposite teams feared to confront in both Though they are vastly experienced and Tests and One Day cricket. They were Arjuna matured, they are bound to crack under Ranatunga, and Sanath tremendous pressure as they too are human Jayasuriya. When our teams were facing cer- beings. The opposing teams are well aware of tain defeat in One Day cricket, if someone these facts and have clearly manipulated this quips; “Arjuna is still batting,” prompt comes situation to get these batsmen out cheaply, in the reply, “now that makes a difference.” The the recent past. The worst part of the scenario opposition teams feared him so much that is that the pressure they have to contend with along with Javed Miandad () the two is due to the rest of the batters not doing what players were rated as batsmen who could grab is expected of them. victory from the jaws of defeat. In another Our selectors are making matters worse by instance where the opposite side had scored creating blunder after blunder in team selec- made a 280 plus total in their quota of 50 tions and one such instance is the dropping of overs, commentator Tony Greig said; “okay, Thilan Samaraweera. that is a winnable total, but can they get It is a known fact that Samaraweera is the Aravinda?” Tony Greig’s words became reali- best Test batsman we have after Jayawardene ty as Sri Lanka chased down the score with and Sangakkara. Citing loss of form and talk- Aravinda undefeated in the end. Aravinda ing about his age are no excuses. Whether the went through an entire One Day series with- selectors like it or not, the reality is clear. We out an average, because no team in that series don’t have a young batsman in the near hori- managed to get him out and no wonder he was zon to fill Samaraweera’s spot in the team. feared! What matters most is not how many runs Jayasuriya once murdered the English Samaraweera can put on the board. It’s his bowlers in the 1998 Oval Test match and presence in the team that puts Jayawardene scored a double hundred and the and Sangakkara at ease, knowing well that a bowlers were quoted as saying that they pre- rock solid batsman is there to bat behind ferred to bowl to Aravinda who was at the them. Former chairman of selectors, other end. Aravinda de Silva scored a master stroke A few years back, Jayawardene and when he included Samaraweera in the World Sangakkara too were unstoppable and the Cup squad of 2011, a decision which cush- opposing teams had no idea of how to send ioned Jayawardene and Sangakkara to score them packing. It is the lack of consistency runs with more freedom. Though that has led them down lately and even if they Samaraweera had limited opportunities, he manage to score a century, yet they fail in the proved his mettle in the encounter against next few outings. One may have noticed that where he was equal to the task in both of them have been guilty in playing the scoring 30 odd runs at a brisk pace, partner- worst possible shots to get themselves out in ing Sangakkara. Even the Australian recent times. In fairness to them, the DRS sys- admitted that he was worried and if the rain tem is not in place and they have also fallen gods did not intervene on that day, victim to horrendous decisions by umpires. Samaraweera would have had the opportunity to prove himself. However, this was one clever plan of Aravinda throughout the run up to the World Cup final. Jayawardene and Sangakkara, though in their mid-thirties are very much young at heart and have many more years ahead of them. Let’s give them the best batting and put them at ease and get the best out of them. Let’s not talk about long range plans, but make way for simple short term strategies and get our cricket team off the present mess, the sooner the better. It’s nice to see Tilakaratne Dilshan back as an opener, because that’s where he belongs. It is also time is given the nod in the Test team, instead giving excuses that he is not ready for big stage. In the early ‘80s, many commentators never rated Arjuna Ranatunga as a Test batsman. He was never the most stylish batsman but was young and adventurous and he did what mattered most - scoring runs. Dilshan should open with either Thirimanne or Paranawithana, followed by Luckily against Pakistan, Sangakkara, Chandimal, Jayawardene, Sangakkara made his mark but Samaraweera, Prasanna Jayawardene and Jayawardene’s poor run continued. Mathews. If Thirimanne is selected with the Ever since Sri Lanka’s entry into Test above lot, that will make for a perfect combi- cricket our batting strength revolved around a Kumar nation of youth and experience. Presently, we selected batting pair and the trend has contin- see Sangakkara score and Jayawardene fail- Sangakkara ued to the present day. The explosive Duleep ing. Tomorrow it may go the other way Mendis and the stylish Roy Dias were the first around, a scenario which must be stopped such duo. The legendary Arjuna Ranatunga immediately. Give these two master batsmen and maestro Aravinda de Silva took the baton the assurance that they are not alone. Give thereafter and the team remained stable for them that cushioning they desperately need quite a while. Then there was the great by selecting the right combination and let Sanath Jayasuriya and the technically sound them click together as they have done in the Marvan Atapattu. Later on, schoolboy buddies Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera past. They are very capable and they will suc- emerged as a striking force, but the ceed and end up in cricket history books as terrorist attack handicapped Samaraweera the greatest batting pair Sri Lanka has pro- who was at his brilliant best. duced.

Air Force meet Army in women’s soccer final

ri Lanka Air Force will take on Sri Lanka Army in the Inter-Club Women’s Soccer Tournament final conducted Sby Sri Lanka Football Federation at the CR & FC grounds, in , today (November 28), commencing 3.00 p.m. (Pix by Herald Withanage) The Sri Lanka Air Force team The Sri Lanka Army team