Serves SLC right

Serves them right. Sri Lanka Cricket and its cricketers. The thrashing they received at the hands of the Bangladeshis is unacceptable and unforgivable.

After playing some poor cricket, the Bangladesh cricketers came back to snook the Lankans playing the better cricket in the second one-dayer to send their countrymen into ecstasy and raptures.

It was a moment that the home team was waiting for. To beat the one-time World Champions in this style of game was one of their dreams, and that they made that dream a reality was something to celebrate, and celebrate they did until the wee hours of the next day.

Watching the action unfold it was obvious that the Lankans were too cocky after their first victory. They underestimated their opponents and the price they had to pay was defeat, and for the first time against Bangladesh.

During the first one-dayer, TV commentator Ravi Shastri blasted the home team, saying that they don't seem to have improved their game and that they still seem to be making the same mistakes since he last saw them in action.

Shastri was spot on. Apparently the Bangladeshi cricketers would have been told what Shastri said about them and this would have gone to give them the impetus to do better and prove the commentator wrong.

Incidentally what I like about the Indian TV commentators - Ravi Shastri, Sunil Gavaskar, Harsha Bogale and Navjot Singh 'Jonty' Sindhu when he was on, was that they are not afraid to call a spade a spade.

Along with Tony Greig and Ian Chappell they are the commentators worth listening to. Listening to them is a learning process. They describe the happening out in the middle in easy and flowing style and do not hesitate to take the International Cricket Council or the respective Cricket Boards or the players to task the moment they see that things are going wrong.

Ponting catch

In the second Victoria Bitter series finals at the Sydney Cricket Ground, when Mahela Jayawardena took that catch of Ricky Ponting and the batsman refused to budge, Greig took pointing to task saying that the catch was cleanly taken and that no one could convince him and get him to change his mind.

While Jayawardena insisted that the catch was clean, the batsman Ponting did not think so. But what finally happened would have made Greig red in the face, and that is to later realise that Jayawardena had apologised to Ponting.

Whether Jayawardena apologised on his own, or was forced to do so, was regrettable, considering that he insisted that he took the catch, while the umpires and the batsman were convinced that the catch was not taken cleanly.

It was a let down for Sri Lanka's sportsmanship that was always an example.

The defeat by Bangladesh also prompts me to ask the question as to why the senior players - Marvan Atapattu, Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Murlaitheran were rested and not sent to Bangladesh?

Accepted that youngsters have to be blooded with the future in mind. But certainly not at the expense of losing reputation.

As for Atapattu, Vaas and Muralitheran asking to be rested there is no excuse. The mind-boggling money that they are earning warrants that they play at every turn.

Sri Lanka Cricket must insist that they continue to play. They are professionals and they are paid for their services. If they ask to be rested then SLC should see that they are not paid for that period. One player who really needs a rest is wicket keeper batsman Kumar Sangakkara. A player any side would want to have, Sangakkara is dedicated and an example to his teammates.

He certainly must be the most tired man in the team. Never would he like to skip a game. He always wants to be in the action. He's having to stand up, squat for each delivery, dive both ways and shout words of encouragement to the bowlers would certainly make him a very tired man at the end of the day's play. But he keeps going and that is what is expected of professionals . His teammates would do well to follow and emulate his example and not ask to be rested.

Not only has he to run for others singles, he has to run for his own. Most of the time it is Sangakkara who has propped up the Lankan batting. So no one could begrudge if he is given a rest. Sri Lanka Cricket must not allow itself to be held to ransom. Players should not be allowed to pick and choose tours.

I can't also understand the dropping of Russel Arnold and completely ignoring of Michael Vandort. Now these two being left-handers, they are players a side would always want to have. But surprisingly not Sri Lanka.

Arnold every time he walked out to bat in Australia, had to score to make certain of his place. And score he did. Then why was he left out of the one-day squad to Bangladesh?

Those who think they know, and ask that Arnold be dropped, should in the same breath ask that Jehan Mubarak be sent to the land that cricket forget. He was a utter failure in Australia, and probably his failures was a visa for him to tour Bangladesh.

Bangladeshi captain Habibul Bashar, before the one-day series began at a press briefing said that they would be satisfied with one win in the three-one day series.

That they achieved it by convincingly beating the Lankans in the second game was enough for them to celebrate.

Also the selectors when they sit the next time must give former paceman Ravindra Pushapakumara a thought.

Not so long ago he and Vaas were known as the Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis of Sri Lanka cricket. But surprisingly Pushpakumara is no longer in the frame.

He has credentials to show performing in the leagues in England. The selectors would do well to consider him the next time they sit.