Selectors act in mysterious ways

BY ELMO Rodrigopulle

SELECTORS it is said in whatever sport tend to act in mysterious ways. It is no different here in Sri Lanka.

If this is not so how can one explain, the summoning of Jehan Mubarak and slotting him into the Test team against India without any practice or significant form to show.

The promising Kapugedera was taken, it is said to allow him to get the feeling of what big time cricket is all about by training and moving around with the seasoned campaigners.

He was injured and sent back. By this it was apparent that they were in no way going to blood the youngster into the hard grind of Test cricket just now.

But what was intriguing was the sudden recall of Mubarak, who was originally not suitable to make the squad to India. I have nothing against Mubarak.

He is one who can take our cricket into the future. If Mubarak was not good enough to make it with the original squad, how come that he is found good enough to be played in the Test line up the moment he arrives.

Apparently Mubarak's selction is an afterthought and a slur on him and his career that seems to be a promising one.

It would have been galling for all-rounder Russel Arnold who had a good tour of India to see that he had not been pencilled in the original Test lineup for India. Arnold for no unaccountable reason has been at the receiving end times without number.

After a fantastic career as a schoolboy at St. Peter's College, he should have been an automatic choice in the national squad. But his detractors stood in his way, and it was only after a determined and extremely successful show with the bat in domestic cricket that the selectors finally included him.

Some of the cricketers are lucky that a one or a couple of good knocks see them automatically sporting the Lankan cap, but not Arnold who has always been performing whenever called to.

It would be interesting to see if the selectors would dare talk and give reasons, if any for the dropping of Russel Arnold.

Vaas rewarded

Left armer Chaminda Vaas who has been successful from the time he stepped into the field of national cricket was finally rewarded being named the vice captain to Marvan Atapattu on the tour of India. Vaas has always performed beyond expectations.

Starting off as a speedster, he realised that speed was not the only thing that was going to bring him wickets. Intelligently cutting down his run up, he concentrated more on cut and swerve with swing and reverse swing as the ball got older and today he is one of the most intelligent and feared bowlers in the game.

All opposing batsmen front up to him with great respect and fear and it is rarely that they get on top of him.

He has over the years given 100 per cent and more to any captain and it was great reward when the selectors finally gave him the nod as vice captain. It is every players ambition to captain the national team. I hope Vaas would get this honour before long.

Jayasuriya report

Apparently the ordering of an investigation by President Mahinda Rajapakse on the dropping of Sanath Jayasuriya for the Test tour of India has revealed some interesting aspects.

Among them is that the skipper of the team Marvan Atapattu had not been consulted when the decision to drop Jayasuriya was taken.

Chairman of selectors Lalith Kaluperuma had stated that skipper Atapattu and coach Tom Moody were consulted before the dropping of Jayasuriya. Now comes the report from India from skipper Atapattu that he was not consulted.

Who are we to believe? Anyway as we stated earlier, President Rajapakse would earn the plaudits of all sports lovers for initiating this investigation. As this saga of the dropping of Jayasuriya continues more interesting facts and behind the scenes happenings would surface.

Test evenly poised

At the time of writing, that is the end of the second day's play in the Second Test between Sri Lanka and India at the Kotala, exchanges seem to be even and the team obtaining a substantial first innings lead and batting better in the second innings should come out the ultimate victors.

The wicket it is obvious is crumbling with every ball bowled. The Lankans must get as close as possible to the Indian total, and try and restrict the Indians in their endeavour to set the Lankans a formidable score to chase for victory.

Whether they would succeed in this depends on Vaas and Muralitheran. Chasing anything over 175 would be a nightmare, considering that the Lankans would have to face the mesmerising spin of Kumble and Harbhajan on a wicket that would be a spinners dream.