The Hindu : Sport : Unwise to discount the Sri Lankans

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Monday, Mar 05, 2007
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Unwise to discount the Sri Lankans

Vijay Parthasarathy

If Sangakkara fails, Sri Lanka invariably finds itself in trouble

KEY FIGURE: A vital cog in Sri Lanka's scheme of things, the team will be banking on Kumar Sangakkara to deliver the goods during the World Cup. — Photo: AP

What is astonishing, incongruous, about this ageing Sri Lankan team is that they are agile; judging by some of the leaping, racing, diving catches the men have held recently, this is certainly among the better fielding units arriving in the Caribbean. That none of the squad members is carrying an injury is an added advantage.

It's a different issue that coming into the World Cup, Sri Lanka isn't riding any sort of momentum. The Lankans were eliminated in the initial round-robin stage of the Champions Trophy in October; an encouraging 2-2 series draw against New Zealand was followed by the loss against India.

Sri Lanka was the last of the three Asian Test-playing giants to win the World Cup, and has encountered the least success amongst them in the round robin format. The side's performances in away series have traditionally been average and it has only got past the opening stage of a World Cup twice — the first time, in 1996 when it won the tournament inside the subcontinent, and in the last edition held in South Africa when it made the semifinals.

Loaded with experience

This team is loaded with experienced but currently under-performing players — if Kumar Sangakkara, arguably the world's best wicketkeeper-batsman on form, fails, Sri Lanka invariably finds itself in trouble. As Munaf Patel showed, Sanath Jayasuriya is the sort of batsman who can be confined; Upul Tharanga, unlike his opening partner, does not compensate for the lack of footwork early on with hand-eye co-ordination. Meanwhile the crisply elegant Jayawardene is getting out to false strokes. Basically, the top order has seemed scrappy, incoherent. Accustomed for so long to Jayasuriya providing rampant starts, the lower middle order has, of late, had to cautiously rally around Tillekeratne Dilshan to post competitive totals. In such cases there is little opportunity to define the pace through the middle overs.

Yet it would be unwise to discount the Lankans. In general, the bowling has coped admirably with the stress of defending low totals. Several key player's — Mutthiah Muralitharan, Jayasuriya, Marvan Atapattu and Chaminda Vaas — are on the verge of retirement from one form or both and there is enough motivation to end careers on a high.

The Vaas factor

Of these veterans, Vaas is the youngest; he has perhaps still a year or two to go, and his batting could get even better. The 33-year-old bowling all-rounder topped the roster of wicket-takers in the last World Cup with 23 victims, troubled batsmen with his trademark late in-dippers and the occasional well-disguised off-cutter, and generally had an exceptional run.

This past season, Vaas has produced his best results at the start of an innings, but proved extraordinarily expensive at the death. Pronounced swing coupled with the employment of steady line and length has found him a place among the more effective opening bowlers in international cricket, but his average economy rate in the last 10 overs has shot up to over eight.

Jayawardene would be well-advised to utilise him in one spell, or, essentially, through the Power Plays.

Effectual bowler

Offie Muralitharan was the most effectual bowler at the death in this same period, averaging 23 per wicket and conceding under five an over — which automatically suggests that he should be held back for a second spell against strong batting line-ups, along with Lasith Malinga whose reverse swinging yorkers are delivered at speeds in excess of 145 kmph.

Vaas and Muralitharan were rested in the last series against India, and their return for the B-group match against the same opponent will bolster the team and probably negate any perceived psychological advantage Dravid's men might have gained with the 2-1 series win.

Doubtless, this side has the potential to make the semifinals.

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