Lankan cricket on the mend?

THE Sri Lanka cricket team which had a lean run in the shorter version of the game was able to finally get their act together and give the no. 1 one-day side in the world the Australians a good run for their money by taking them the full distance of three finals in the recently concluded VB triangular series.

The past three months have perhaps been the hardest for the national cricket team. Not only did they get a hammering in India where they lost the one-day series 1-6 and the Test 0-2, but they also failed miserably in New Zealand where they lost three out of four one-day internationals.

Going across the Tasman seas to Australia they came up against the best two ranked one-day sides Australia and South Africa.

Their progress in the series was not convincing, just two wins (one each against South Africa and Australia) in the first seven qualifying games.

The crunch match was the final qualifying game which either team had to win to meet Australia in the best of three finals. It was here that fortunes started to swing Sri Lanka's way.

They not only beat the Proteas convincingly by 76 runs at Hobart, but took one step further where no past Sri Lankan team had been able to achieve by beating Australia in one of the finals.

Not even the team that qualified for the finals in 1995-96 (and then went onto win the World Cup two months later) were able to defeat the Aussies in the best of three finals.

That sensational 22-run win at Adelaide really rocked the Aussies and they came back with a vengeance in the remaining two matches to win them and take the series 2-1. Australia showed by their displays in these two matches why they are regarded as the best outfit in the business for so long. But Sri Lanka was not disgraced by any means.

The fact that they stretched the world champs to the limit and made them fight for every run and wicket is quite commendable. That is how it should be. As long as they give the opposition a good fight and lose no one would grudge the loss. But folding up tamely without a whimper is not acceptable.

One hopes that the national team can draw the confidence and the strength from the Australian experience and forge ahead and restore the position of No. 2 in the one-day rankings which they held not so long ago.

All credit to them for taking every criticism that had been leveled against them in their stride and continuing to perform the only way they can. That is on the field. Any team that does not perform well to potential will invite criticism from all quarters. The Sri Lankan side is no exception.

Arnold's plight

When the national team of any sport does not perform to expectations fingers start pointing immediately at the captain and the team management and then to the national selectors.

Sometimes it happens the other way around with the selectors having to take the brunt of criticism. Being a selector is a thankless job. When the going is good they are the best and when everything is not going true to form they are the villains.

The latest criticism that is leveled against them is the non selection of middle order batsman Russel Arnold for the Bangladesh tour.

The reason given for it in a media release by the chairman of selectors is that he is being "given a break along with several other senior cricketers in order to give them (the selectors) an opportunity to try out a few more young players who have performed well in the domestic tournament so that they gain valuable exposure to international cricket". All well and good. How the pro-Arnold fans will take this for answer is another matter.

To the general public Arnold who had been struggling to find a permanent place in the national side has suddenly started to show the form which made him an indispensable item in the team not so long ago.

He has proved his credentials with two fine half-centuries in the VB series finals against Australia and by topping the Sri Lankan batting in the series with an average of 53.68 for 322 runs with a strike rate of 81.

Then to suddenly leave him out on the face of two good knocks is something many will find hard to digest. What we are made to understand is that the squad for Bangladesh was picked well before the last two finals and the selectors had already made up their minds that a younger player should go to Bangladesh.

Under 19 World Cup

The ICC under 19 World Cup will draw to a close on Sunday with the Super League final. Over the past two weeks we have been witness to some absorbing cricket and upsets, which are part and parcel of this fascinating game.

The only thing of regret is that the matches were not spread far and wide throughout the country which would have not only promoted the game outside the cricket starved metropolis but brought in more curious spectators to the venues.

The ICC must be quite happy that everything has gone to schedule without any major hiccups. From the media point of view the arrangements has been spot on with no complaints.

The ICC and SLC's media co-ordinator for the tournament Samantha Algama said that he had not received complaints of any nature from the 35 foreign media personnel covering the tournament nor from the local media which amounts to around 150 journalists from the print and electronic.

"I am greatly disturbed by certain news reports appearing in sections of the media painting a negative picture of the media facilities.

We have appointed trained personnel as media managers at each and every venue and have not received any complaints from them so far. We have maintained the standards set by the ICC and I am quite happy to say that everything has worked out well," said Alagama.