Nation's Hope

On Saturday, when Thilan Samaraweera dropped the first catch off of Eoin Morgan, no one probably thought of the famous Waugh-Gibbs exchange. Then Morgan was dropped again. Mathews shook his head in disbelief and the words sprung to your head. Did he just drop the World Cup? When Morgan was dropped for the third time, Murali's reaction said it all. It seemed like Sri Lanka did not just drop it, but packaged it and handed it to another team. If you were a Sri Lankan fan, watching at home or at R. Premadasa, you buried deep into your seat. Your stomach cringed. You closed your eyes and threw your hands in the air in a moment of despair. But only for a moment. The game was not over, and Angelo Mathews caught the fourth offering from Moragan. What came afterwards is history.

It will remain in history. In the next game, how Sri Lanka beat England will be irrelevant. The team knows it, the coach knows it. But when you have beaten a depleted, yet a very competitive side as well as Sri Lanka did on Saturday, and knowing that they have already beaten Kiwis once in the tournament, it is hard not to be complacent. Past records, in however way you dig them up, and the team form coupled with the home advantage will point to a comfortable victory for Sri Lanka. But the New Zealanders, Sri Lanka are facing on Monday is a different side from what they padded up against earlier. Since then Kiwis have beaten what was alluded by many as the most complete side, South Africa. New Zealand did it with passion, aggression and most importantly at the right time. South Africa might be chokers, but were not push overs. Kiwis are now brimming with confidence and already comparing weather in Mumbai to Colombo. Sri Lanka, beware, without a doubt this is the toughest game they are coming up against in this tournament.

Sri Lankans, however are introspective and mentally resilient. The Tharanga-Dilshan masterclass was the evidence. A relatively small target, lingering thoughts of dropped catches, night ghosts at Premadasa and playing against a buoyant English side could have made any team, any player second guess. But not Tharanga or Dilshan. They made the Kalu-Jayasuriya assault in 1996 look parochial. Back then, it was pure brutality and carnage. Fifteen years later, against the same opposition, it was more calculated, scripted and perfectly executed. This innings epitomized the evolution of Sri Lankan cricket. The maturity and the self belief openers showed highlighted the professional outfit Sri Lanka has become today.

It has not been an easy road, not for most players on and off the field. The team that won in 1996 had only three players from outside of Colombo. On Saturday, there were only four players from Colombo. Out of these four, Mendis was brought to prominence when he was playing for the Sri Lankan army, trying to provide for his family. From the rest, Tharanga watched tidal waves swept his house away with his equipment. Malinga was and still is a beach boy who loves to play soft ball cricket wearing flip flops. Murali's house was burnt down and lived to tell the tale. Herath, Silva and Dilshan, all coming from cricketing backwaters, perhaps had to take a crowded bus for many hours to Colombo to play club games. Not so long ago, the whole team was trapped in a bus ducking bullets. Every player, except for Murali and Sangakkara to a lesser extent, have spent time in the cricketing wilderness, trying to find their way back. Yet they shine at the world stage, at every opportunity they get and time has come to shine again. But it has not been an easy road.

Sri Lanka might lose to New Zealand, and it will break twenty million hearts. But there will be no flares at the ground or bottles hurled at the players. No effigies will burn. Because it is just a sport that you love to watch.  Cricket has given every Sri Lankan a smile through their tears of joy or sorrow. On some days, catches will be dropped, matches will be lost. But cricket has made a nation proud. In victory or defeat drums will continue to beat to the rhythm of Sri Lankan cricket.

England coming to Colombo

The first time they came, it was by ship, not just any ship, a cannon bearing warship. Soldiers wearing steel helmets marched on with bayonets and they stuck around for a couple of centuries. English troops are in Colombo again. This time sporting sun hats, wielding willows instead of bayonets, carrying cricket balls and not cannon balls. They are here to take on the Lions.

Sixty years ago, Sri Lankan cricket used to be a gentleman's game. Gentlemen used to be and had to be only English speaking elite from Colombo. Wild haired Malingas and crooked armed Muralitharans were clinging on to metal fences outside of prestigious cricket clubs watching men in white taking tea breaks. Times have changed for Sri Lankan cricket and cricketers. Since independence if there is anything Sri Lanka has made a significant progress on, that is cricket.  It has become part of life, a topic of debate in the parliament and in the street corners. It has pierced through to the smallest village in the country, crossing socioeconomic boundaries and defying ethnic barriers.Over the last two decades players from all corners have rallied together making an unorthodox yet very effective unit, ready to take on the world. And they did it in style in 1996.They named it the Sri Lankan brand of cricket; it is a blend of aggression of the Australians, efficiency of the South Africans,  raw talent of the Pakistanis, passion of the Bangladeshis mixed with a Caribbean flair. The Sri Lankan brand has been a treat to watch.

In this world cup, Sri Lankan team looks more prepared than ever, with a mix of youth and experience in the likes of Mahela and Mathews coupled with the flamboyance and fortitude of Sangakkara and Samraweera. Unlike few centuries ago, this time they are prepared for the Queen's team. In their own backyard, playing against a team known for their weakness in spin friendly surfaces who look visibly tired from being on the road for the past six months, Sri Lankans could not have asked for a better team to play against in a crunch match. Twenty million people are hoping for a reenactment of 1996 quarterfinals - when the English were left to look like a bunch of school boy cricketers by Jayasuriya & co. Although a repeat of that act appears just around the corner, every fan has a lingering skepticism that it might just not happen. There is something about the Sri Lankan outfit that creates a doubt in your mind. It might be the fact that Sri Lanka has not yet beaten a significant opponent in this world cup - beating Kiwis was easy, they had lost a series to Bangladesh just before the WC and was playing without Daniel Vettori. Even against them the Sri Lankan middle order faltered. Malinga has been wayward, except for one game against Kenya, Tharanga looks a bit edgy and Dilshan is due a big score.

Compared to 1996, England has come a long way as an ODI team. They boast a group of utility players in Bopara, Collingwood, Tredwell and Bresnan. Greame Swann looks threatening on spinning tracks, except when there is dew. More importantly England is the only team in this world cup to not to lose a game to a bigger test playing nation. No matter how tired they look, regardless of the battered psychological state of the English camp, when they are up against a formidable side, they seem to pull it off. Can they do it on Saturday on a tricky Premadasa track against the quality of Murali and Malinga? Would they be mystified by Mendis? (Herath might not play, given there is no Kevin Pietersen, the popular victim of every left arm spinner).

A couple of solid performances from the top order, accurate bowling from Malinga and some late over fireworks from Mathews is enough to take Sri Lanka through. We all know Sri Lanka will and can do it. But no one wants to say it, every one gulps the words when they appear to come out, because you just never know. After all it is against the Queen's team, and they invented the game.

An edited version of this was published on ESPNCricinfo Blogs
http://blogs.espncricinfo.com/inbox/archives/2011/03/a_repeat_of_1996.php

Blues' middle order blues

Blues - three teams don blue jerseys in the 2011 world cup; Sri Lanka, England and India. They have one more thing in common, their middle order blues.  True, that most games have been against minnows and the middle order didnt need to fire, or only came in at the slog overs. Also true that all three teams have qualified to the next round - bearing a freak show by Bangladesh against a formidable South African line up - and therefore why even worry about it. But it must be noted that of the 1600 runs scored by England in this world cup only 303 were scored by number five, six and seven batsman, at 20.2 runs a wicket. For India, it is 282 out of 1480 runs at an average of 35.2. The worse showing is by one of the tournament favorites playing in their own back yard - Sri Lankan middle order only scored 212 runs off of their 1336 runs and that was at a paltry average of  17.5.

Perhaps India has not turned blue yet, they are may be somewhere between purple and blue. The numbers of 35.2 is actually pretty good, except there was that dismal performance against South Africa. If they listen to Dhonis' words of wisdom, play for your country, not for the crowd, Indian middle order might hit that purple patch. No such advice for Sri Lanka and after six games with several opportunities, there is no evidence of the middle order kicking it up a notch.

Today's game against New Zealand was a perfect opportunity for the middle order to showcase their strength and get the much needed confidence or the momentum - the most liberally used concept by cricketers these days - going on to the next round. Today at 210 for 4 in the 41st over, Thilan Samaraweera joining Angelo Mathews, every Sri Lankan had their heart in their mouth. Moments before that you sensed the fragility of the middle order from the muted celebrations of Kumar Sangakkara when he reached his hundred. This was his first hundred since 2008, yet he celebrated as if it was just another single. He knew, the job was far from done, and what to come was not Pollard or Razzak - esque hitting. All said and done, Sri Lanka coasted to a comfortable victory, but if it was not for the ever maturing Angelo Mathews' rearguard batting coupled with wide eyed sixes from Malinga and Murali, New Zealand would have fancied their chances. A platform built by the usual Sanga/Mahela combo was almost wasted.


Perhaps Sri Lanka should rethink their batting order. The wise man of Sri Lankan cricket, Arjuna Ranatunga suggested a while back, Mahela should bat down the order. Today would have been ideal for Samaraweera to come in at number four and build an inning around a bit scratchy yet flamboyant Sangakkara. Then comes Mahela, who can kick in to top gear from the word go, as he often does in twenty twenty cricket. He could have been followed by Mathews and Silva taking Sri Lanaka closer to 280. Of course they can change the order if the situation was similar to the Dilashan & Tharanga carnage witnessed against Zimbabwe; even then the middle order failed.

Perhaps there is no solution. Perhaps it is pointless to even discuss a solution, if it ain't broken, why fix it, as Sri Lanka has only lost one game. Except, this team is not yet tested against a powerhouse like South Africa, and then it might be too late to look for that extra 20 runs the middle order should have scored!