Run feast likely in third Test

By Ted Corbett

COLOMBO, MARCH 14. The fairest and most equitable result of the series between Sri Lanka and England would come about if the third and final Test of the series ends in a draw at the Sinhalese Sports Ground.

The great and good of both nations will be present to see fair play, the South African umpire David Orchard is determined to take a strong line with serious offenders and the match referee, Hanumant Singh of India, has already shown that in case of over- zealous appealing he is not afraid to punish cricketers severely.

If Hanumant is ready to go one step further and ban a player for a Test remains to be seen. No one has taken this step so far and the first match referee to make such an announcement will no doubt be taken to task. But such is the indiscipline now being witnessed that someone will have to act firmly and, in my opinion, the sooner the better.

The crescendo of appeals, the growing number of cases of dissent and the weak umpiring we have seen in the past few years threaten to get out of hand and, as usual, the International Cricket Council has failed to hurry forward its decisions in response. ICC says it will have a meeting at Lord's in May to discuss referrals to the third umpire and all other factors which are contentious at the moment, but in the meantime there is a chance of more serious trouble.

Once again the hotels of Colombo are packed with English supporters who are soaking up the sun, the scenery and, more important, the local beer and arrack. It is a brew invented by the devil and if some hapless umpire again fails to get the verdict right there may be a level of trouble which will leave this happy island shocked and ICC once again back on its heels.

All the signs are of a Test set for a draw, on a pitch full of runs and with the bowlers on both sides tired after finishing a hard match only three days ago. England may be without its captain Nasser Hussain, although he wants to play even if as a result his injured groin keeps him out of the three one-day Internationals that follow.

Is Hick finished?

England also has a problem with Graeme Hick. One British newspaper has stated categorically this week that Hick's Test career is done after 27 runs in four innings but Hick has been the subject of such speculation before.

His 111 first-class centuries contrast so vividly with his Test average of 31.32 that no one can come to terms with the difference. The England coach Duncan Fletcher, born in Rhodesia like Hick, believes as all South African cricketers seem to believe, that Hick has the makings of greatness and that he has been messed about by the England selectors. Fletcher may have a different view now, but he is a stubborn man and, unless I miss my mark, he will try to stick with Hick until the end of this series and reconsider his options when he returns to England. But to say Hick is drinking in the Last Chance Saloon is to be kind to the most disappointing batsman in England's history.

Sri Lanka will once again depend heavily on Muttiah Muralitharan, the off-spinner with a conjurer's leg break. He bowled indifferently, by the standards of a man with 300 Test wickets, and looked as if he needed a long break. But the one-day series and a full county season with Lancashire follow. International cricket is more wearing than ever and Sri Lanka must look for a way to keep this golden goose fresh or it will tire him out long before he reaches his target of 500 wickets.

* The teams:

Sri Lanka (from): Sanath Jayasuriya (captain), Marvan Atapattu, Russel Arnold, Aravinda de Silva, Kumara Dharmasena, Tillekaratne Dilshan, Dilhara Fernando, Dinuk Hettiarachchi, Mahela Jayawardene, Muttiah Muralitharan, Kumara Sangakkara, Chaminda Vaas, Nuwan Zoysa and Indika de Saram.

England (from): Nasser Hussain (captain), Michael Atherton, Marcus Trescothick, Graham Thorpe, Alec Stewart, Graeme Hick, Michael Vaughan, Craig White, Ashley Giles, Andrew Caddick, Darren Gough and Robert Croft.

Umpires: Messrs David Orchard (South Africa) and Asoka de Silva (Sri Lanka). TV umpire: Mr. B.C. Cooray. Stand-by: Mr. T.M. Samarasinghe. Match referee: Mr. Hanumant Singh (India).

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