Monday 9th May, 2011 15

BY REX CLEMENTINE Atapattu speaks to us on the motivation of the tour, quite handsomely. he got prior to making the Lord’s hun- Question: Is it a big disadvantage hen he collected five ducks in dred, the disadvantages of touring when we tour during early summer? When you see the names of the players who have his first six Test , there England in the early part of the sum- Marvan: Yes, it is. Given the option, Wwere questions asked about mer, missing out on beating England at I am sure we would prefer to go, late scored hundreds at Lord’s on that board, it really Marvan Atapattu’s temperament on the Lord’s in the 2002 Test after forcing the summer. Not only us, most teams prefer pushes you to have your name there. Darrel big stage. But he was persevered with, hosts to follow on and lots more. that option. It has been a great chal- as the powers that be were fully aware Here are the excerpts. lenge for us in the last decade and half Foster, who came along in 2002 as part of our that his supreme talent was too good to Question: While the 1998 tour to and it will remain the same. We have no be ignored. That perseverance eventual- England where won the tri- control over it and we need to adapt and team management showed the board and asked, ly paid off. He was the cornerstone in nation tournament and the Test match move on quickly. “would you like to have your name up there?” the Sri Lankan line up for over a was a huge success, on a personal note, Question: Tell us about that historic decade and his composure and the abili- it was a highly successful tour for you triumph at The Oval in 1998, where Sri When you look at some of the names up there, ty to concentrate for longer periods too. What does it take to do well in Lanka won the Test against many odds. helped team managements to draw up a England? Marvan: Having heard some of the some of them are not even recognised batsmen...I strategy which paid rich dividends for a Marvan: In places like England, we ex-players in studios these days, I ask can’t imagine Sachin not having his name there. lengthy period of time. always struggle when we go from here, them whether they have any influence He ended up with six double hun- especially if it’s early summer. Getting over what sort of are prepared. Aravinda doesn’t have his name either. Getting a dreds, a feat only bettered by four other used to wickets and getting used to con- They apparently can ask what they hundred at Lord’s is every cricketer’s wish. cricketers. After a few years of inconsis- ditions is tougher and the swinging ball want. One of the players who played in tent performances earlier on in his becomes bit of a problem as we are not the 1998 Oval Test told me that they had career, Atapattu stamped his authority used to it. As we get settled in and as the wanted a green top, but they never pre- department and on his batsmen. sure. I was given a very easy role. That when he smashed an unbeaten 132 to weather becomes favourable for us, we pared a green . On a wicket that Question: The decision to put was to bat as long as I could and to keep help Sri Lanka win the Emirates have quality batsmen and bowlers who looked pretty flat, Arjuna won the toss England in after winning the toss one end occupied. At times it came off, Trophy, beating England at Lord’s. adapt quickly. We have always come and put the English in. He got a lot of looked a strange one at that point. Was but on other occasions it didn’t pay off. Four years later, Atapattu came up good towards the lat- stick for that but we went onto win the that ploy discussed at team meetings? Question: When you think about the with another superlative knock at the ter part match. That goes to show that he Marvan: We were very clear in our reverence with which Lord’s is held, Mecca of , when he hit a sublime had tremendous confi- minds on how we wanted to play our how much does it help a cricketer to 185 in the 2002 Test match. dence about his cricket, especially One-Day cricket. We raise his game at the home of cricket? In today’s Lords at Lord’s, always believed that we had the greatest Marvan: Well, when you see the batting line up in the world and we pre- names of the players who have scored ferred to chase. I don’t know how it hundreds at Lord’s on that board, it applied on that occasion, as I was a very really pushes you to have your name junior member of the side at that time there. That’s how I saw it. Darrel Foster, and how he planned it. But I can under- who came along in 2002 as part of our stand the mindset. team management, showed the board Question: Talking about that Test, and asked, “would you like to have your (107) and John Crawley name up there?” When you look at some (156*) scored hundreds. England went of the names up there, some of them onto pile up 445 in the first innings. Did are not even recognised batsmen. All you at that point think that Sri Lanka due credit to them who have got hun- could win this? dreds at Lord’s, but looking at some of Marvan: No. Sanath and I the names, I can’t imaging Sachin not opened the batting and our main having his name there. Aravinda does- task was to bat for as long as pos- n’t have his name either. That’s a huge sible. Everyone knows that encouragement. Getting a hundred at when Sanath bats for long, it’s Lord’s is every cricketer’s wish. going to be a huge total and Question: You missed out in the that’s what he did, getting a 1998 Test, but made it count four years double hundred. He batted later, when you scored 185 in the first very fast and then Test against England at Lord’s and won Aravinda got a 150. the Man of the Match award too. Tell us Then Murali started about that knock. Marvan: It would have been nice if I had got my double hundred. I got out to a silly shot. I still regret that. It was an easy wicket to bat on. Lord’s is a bats- man’s paradise these days. Mahela has got two hundreds at Lord’s, which is fantastic. Kumar hasn’t got one, which is a plus point. Hopefully, he’ll get one and will go onto make a double hun- dred. See, it’s a good batting wicket and not easy for bowlers to get wickets there. I think batsmen who go into bat at Lord’s should bat for long and get a big one. I don’t give up when I get to 30. I have got 18 Test match zeros. I can’t imagine getting out after getting 30. I have to make up for all the zeroes I have got. Question: After scoring 555 runs in the first innings and forcing England to follow on, having dismissed them for 275, Sri Lanka should have gone onto win that Test. What went wrong eventu- ally? Marvan: If a situation like that aris- es again, we would act differently. We turning it were reluctant to bat second after square and the England were bowled out in the first Englishmen had innings and it was a blunder. Our no clue. Mind bowlers were tired and we let them Maravn Atapattu scored two hundreds you, Murali was make a mammoth score. After the series at Lord’s. The first was in the final of only bowling off- when you look back, if we had batted the Emirates Trophy tri-nation tourna- spin at that time after they were bowled out, it would ment where his unbeaten 132 helped (His ‘doosra’ was have been good. The mistake happened developed around in the first Test. We went onto lose the Sri Lanka beat England. Four years 2001). series and if that happens again, we later, he hit 185 in a Test match in Sri Question: You would bat again without enforcing the Lanka’s total of 555. He was Man of the were the inform follow-on. Match on both occasions. batsman going Question: Had Sri Lanka won, it into that Test. would have been a great win as Muttiah Your unbeaten 132 Muralitharan wasn’t part of the side on helped Sri Lanka that occasion, due to injury. win the Emirates Marvan: That was the time we did- Trophy tri-nation n’t play Murali in every game. When I final against was , I missed Murali a lot. England at Lord’s. People like Rangana Heratch came and Tell us about that took lot of responsibility. knock. Marvan: I did- (To be continued) n’t feel any pres-