Thursday, May 16, 2002
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Cricket
By Ted Corbett
Indeed, he is still in Australia, having treatment for his injured shoulder but is expected to arrive during the match and may be ready for the third Test. So, it will be understandable if the Sri Lankans adopt a defensive strategy until their little genius is available. Muralitharan is the most destructive spin bowler in history with 412 wickets or 38.90 per cent of his team's successes in 73 Tests (Shane Warne is responsible for 26.67 per cent of Australia's wickets). In 2001, Murali took 80 wickets at 21.24 in 12 Tests and his 412 victims compare with 408 among the rest of the 18-strong Sri Lankan squad. He has taken a wicket in every Test since Nagpur in November 1997; at 29, the peak of a bowler's career, he is the youngest to reach 400 wickets; but it is not just on the sub-continent and certainly not just in his home island that he is a success. His absence means that although Sri Lanka has won 10 out of its last 11 Tests, it will begin as a 3-1 underdog for this series. There is a forecast for sunshine and even 25 degrees in the next three days but it will be a miracle if the temperatures reach levels which will make the Sri Lankans reach for the air-conditioner button. Sri Lanka's preparation has been patchy — which genius sent it to that northern outpost of Durham for one of three county games? — and it has lost two days out of 12 to rain. Yet, the team remains optimistic. Chaminda Vaas has 190 wickets at 28.82 and, Barry Richards, its batting guru, says Vaas is capable of bowling any team out especially if the pitch is damp. Dav Whatmore, the coach, suggests it is time the lesser bowlers proved they can triumph without Murali. If the 10-day warm-up has proved to be more of a cool down for Sri Lanka, England is no better off. The insistence of Duncan Fletcher, its coach, that the senior players should rest means that Andrew Caddick has had just seven days' cricket in a month, that not one of the major batsmen has a century this season and it will be without its most successful bowler Darren Gough, who has a knee injury, and the newest wicket-keeper James Foster may miss the whole series after breaking his unguarded arm in the nets. England will look to Alec Stewart, 39, its oldest player, for slick 'keeping and defiant runs but even Stewart loses by comparison with Aravinda de Silva, 37, now caressing the ball around with even silkier strokes. He and Marvan Atapattu — who has 18 noughts in Tests but five double centuries compared with Bradman's 12 doubles and seven noughts — should provide the runs. England has sent Ashley Giles home since there will be no room for spin and will probably choose between Dominic Cork and Alex Tudor. The teams (from): England: Nasser Hussain (capt.), Marcus Trescothick, Michael Vaughan, Mark Butcher, John Crawley, Graham Thorpe, Alec Stewart, Andrew Flintoff, Dominic Cork, Andrew Caddick, Alex Tudor and Matthew Hoggard. Sri Lanka: Sanath Jayasuriya (capt.), Marvan Atapattu, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Russel Arnold, Aravinda de Silva, Hashan Tillekeratne, Thilan Samaraweera, Chaminda Vaas, Buddhika Fernando, Nuwan Zoysa and Ruchira Perera. Umpires: Daryll Harper (Australia) and S. Venkataraghavan (India). Match referee: Gundappa Vishwanath (India).
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