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by Elmo Rodrigopulle

The Sri Lankan cricketers who took the honours in the First drawn Test at Lord's surrendered the Second Test at Edgbaston meekly to England.

That the Test ended with well over a day to spare is humiliation and no excuse good enough will hold. To add insult to injury we lost by an innings.

Before going on to comment on the Test, we would like to give our views on the playing of champion off spinner Muttiah Muralitheran. Should we have played a half fit Muralitheran is the question posed wherever cricket fans gather.

Our answer to this question is No.

We say this because, however brilliant a cricketer or for that matter any sportsman, if he is not 100 per cent fit he has no place in the starting line up.

Unless one is fully fit, it is humanly impossible to perform and perform at peak which is very necessary for the individual or the team to succeed.

It was apparent the way that Muralitheran moved about on the field that he was lacking full fitness. When he came to bat he was using his right hand and looking like he was playing tennis.

Then when he came on to bowl, he was struggling. His action was not what it should have been. It was apparent that his mind was willing, but not his body.

But that he took five England wickets bowling in great discomfort and pain is admirable and great credit to him. The way the England batsmen were struggling against him was sad to see and it was apparent that a fully fit Muralitheran would have made a mockery of the English batsmen.

Before the Test there seemed to have been a lot of controversy whether to play Muralitheran. From reports coach Dav Whatmore wanted Muralitheran to play while skipper Sanath Jayasuriya was wary.

It is not known as to who, Whatmore or Jayasuriya finally decided to go in with Muralitheran. But whoever decided to play Muralitheran did not think wisely. The way the off spinner moved about the field proves this.

In the Whatmore-Jayasuriya controversy we side with Jayasuriya. After all it is the skipper who has to face the music and Jayasuriya should have been allowed the final say.

In playing Muralitheran and with him refusing to bat, it is apparent that he has aggravated his injury. We say this because the spinner has gone on record saying that he may not be fit for the Final Test beginning at Old Trafford on June 13.

Skipper Jayasuriya could not find a place on the field to hide Muralitheran. In one over Jayasuriya shifted him to four positions. Fielding at mid on, Muralitheran once stopped the ball with his foot. What if he had trod on the ball and sprained or broken his ankle. Need we elaborate on the consequences.

Cricket is not only played with bat and ball. The head must also be used.

However Muralitheran's fastantic effort with the ball - 64 overs for 143 runs and five wickets was well earned. The deliveries that he got Butcher and Hussain were amazing. The batsmen seemed in lost land.

One hopes that the authorities have learnt a lesson and will not make the same mistake in the future by playing someone who is not fully fit.

Had Muralitheran been forced to leave the field, England skipper Hussain would have been justified had he not allowed a substitute.

As for Test and the result England fully deserved the victory because they played the better cricket throughout.

Like at Lord's the toss played an important role. This time England were lucky with the toss and with their bowlers Caddick and Hoggard bowling a telling opening spell supported by Alex Tudor and Andrew Folintoff knocked the stuffing out of the Sri Lankan batting and in bundling them out for 162, set them on the victory trail.

Their batsmen led by the elegant Marcus Trescothick and Graham Thrope who scored centuries revelled against some mediocre bowling to give their side a winning score.

Both were left-handers and Mark Butcher another left-hander chipped in with a near century. Once Muralitheran was off the firing line, the other bowlers were not capable of curtailing or dismissing them.

Trescothick and Thrope are batsmen who are a treat to watch when they get going. They have the correct temperament, excellent footwork and their timing too is a lesson.

As for the Lankans marks will go for Atapattu, Jayawardena, Aravinda de Silva and Tillekeratne for their stubborn batting which helped prolong the inevitable.

With Jayasuriya, Sangakkara and Arnold unable to come to terms with the moving ball and with the bowlers lacking penetration, it is very unlikely that they will succeed in the final Test.

Coaches Whatmore, Richards and Foster will have a lot of work to do with the Lankans and get them back, if not on the winning trail to at least be competitive in the remaining Test.

Hansie Cronje a sad end

It was a tragedy the manner in which the life of former South African skipper Hansie Cronje was snuffed out. It is said that Cronje had missed his flight and boarded a cargo plane that led to his death.

One of the finest batsmen to emerge after being re-admitted to the Test scene, had Cronje not succumbed to the filthy lucre offered by the bookies, he would still have been leading the South Africans.

Cronje was an excellent allrounder. As a batsman I remember him best for the sixes he hit Muralitheran for at the Centurion in SA to take his team to victory. I was there.

May his soul rest in peace.

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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