Final tuned for Malinga and Tait sling concerto

Manoj VATSYAYANA

WORLD CUP: They’re the youngest slingers in town, but Shaun Tait and Lasith Malinga know that Saturday’s World Cup final shootout can produce only one winner.

Malinga has never played a one-dayer against Tait’s Australians. But if the defending champions want information on how dangerous the Sri Lankan fast bowler can be, all they have to do is ask South Africa.

The Proteas had been starting the celebrations when, after four incredible deliveries, they turned to find themselves in deep trouble in a World Cup Super Eights game against Sri Lanka last month.

The cause of their unexpected pain was Malinga, the bleach-blond paceman with the distinctive, low-slung round-arm action and eyebrow ring who grabbed four wickets off successive balls to almost engineer an unlikely victory in Guyana.

On Saturday, he will meet Tait, the Australian tyro with his own slinging brand of delivery who has defied the sceptics at the World Cup by taking 23 wickets..

Malinga is 23 and Tait 24.

But both have been troubling batsmen with their pace and variations on their maiden Cup appearance. They are the second-highest wicket-takers in their respective sides.

The Sri Lankan has already made history when he became the first bowler in one-dayers to take four wickets off consecutive balls in that clash in Guyana.

South Africa looked set to complete a formality when they were 206-5 chasing a 210-run target before slipping to 207-9 and eventually winning the match by just one wicket.

Sri Lanka coach Tom Moody believes that facing Malinga in the nets would help his batsmen prepare against Tait.

“They might find adjusting to Tait’s line and trajectory a little bit easier given they are used to facing Malinga in the nets,” said Moody, a World Cup winner as a player with Australia. Tait has so far grabbed 23 wickets in 10 matches, behind only veteran paceman Glenn McGrath (25). He may be sometimes expensive and sending down more wides than expected, but his captain is not complaining.

“Whenever I called on him to get us a wicket he’s done that. He’s still finding his feet in international cricket, but he has been a wicket-taker in middle overs.

He has been very impressive,” said Ricky Ponting.

The South Africans were the latest to face the fury of Tait, who captured four wickets to set up his team’s emphatic seven-wicket victory in the semi-final.

Tait had figured in just four one-day internationals before the World Cup and his amazing success story meant Australia did not feel the absence of fast bowler Brett Lee, ruled out of the tournament due to an injury.

Malinga has also been striking at crucial stages.

He has so far taken 16 wickets in seven matches and is behind only off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan (23).

Moody has described Malinga as “unique” who has given his team more bowling options.

“Everything about him is unique - his very unique action, unique hairstyle, unique that he bowls at 90 miles an hour,” he said.

“We tend to get a few (unique bowlers) in Sri Lanka. We’ve had Murali over the past decade or so who has been a pretty special bowler and still is a special bowler.

“This guy is a little bit different.”

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Lasith Malinga

Player profile

Full name Separamadu Lasith Malinga

Born August 28, 1983, Galle

Current age 23 years 242 days

Major teams Sri Lanka, BCCSL Academy XI,

Galle Cricket Club

Also known as Separamadu Lasith Malinga Swarnajith

Batting style Right-hand bat

Bowling style Right-arm fast

Lasith Malinga was the surprise selection for Sri Lanka’s tour to Australia in 2004, though he had a fearsome reputation on the domestic circuit.

Malinga bowls with a distinctive and explosive round-arm action which generates genuine pace and can disconcert batsmen who struggle to pick up the ball’s trajectory. Already, he is rated the fastest bowler in Sri Lanka.

His first performance in Sri Lankan colours was also impressive - he took 6 for 90 against a Northern Territory Chief Minister’s XI. That paved the way for his inclusion in the Test team, and he acquitted himself quite well too, dismissing Darren Lehmann and Adam Gilchrist in the same over.

During an impressive tour of New Zealand in April 2005 his low-slung action resulted in the New Zealand batsmen asking the umpire to change the colour of their trousers as the ball was getting lost.

He is developing into Sri Lanka’s key pace-bowling wicket-taker, especially as Chaminda Vaas continues to lose pace. Although he remains quite erratic and has a propensity to bowl no-balls, heis a genuine strike bowler, with both new ball and old, and one has the out-and-out pace to trouble the best batsmen on his day.

His development as an all-round bowler was confirmed when he was the leading wicket-taker in the one-day series against England. He continued to impress in the Champions Trophy and on tour in New Zealand - where his yorkers made many batsmen hope around - and the World Cup is the type of stage where his confident character could thrive.

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Shaun Tait

Australia

Player profile

Full name Shaun William Tait

Born February 22, 1983, Bedford Park, Adelaide,

South Australia

Current age 24 years 64 days

Major teams Australia, Durham, South Australia

Nickname Sloon

Playing role Bowler

Batting style Right-hand bat

Bowling style Right-arm fast

Height 1.93 m

Shaun Tait’s shoulder-strong action slung him on to the 2005 Ashes tour, where he played two Tests ahead of his more celebrated South Australia team-mate Jason Gillespie, but it soon disrupted his quest for further international impact.

With a muscular and unrefined method that seems to invite pain, Tait returned from England buoyed by his promotion only to hurt himself in a grade match and the subsequent shoulder surgery forced him out for the rest of the year. Fortunately he experienced no damage to his frightening pace stores, although he was surprised how easily his thunderbolts disappeared at Trent Bridge and The Oval.

Despite the injuries - a back problem suffered in the nets ended his trip to South Africa and a hamstring complaint delayed his ODI entry - his old-fashioned approach of yorkers and bumpers mixed with a modern dose of sharp reverse-swing has excited followers who cross fingers Tait and Lee can be the 21st century’s version of Lillee and Thomson.

“That’s what I’ve had in the back of my mind as well,” he said when asked if the pair could replicate the 1970s icons. To confirm the point he even shines the ball across his chest and finished his first Test day with a splash of red on his shirt as well as the wickets of Marcus Trescothick and Ian Bell. Unlike his tearaway predecessors, he can’t live without his Playstation 2.

The Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year in 2003-04, Tait also picked up the ING Cup’s Best New Talent prize, chiefly for his 8 for 43 against Tasmania, the best figures in domestic limited-overs history. When Lee was injured Tait was taken as a development player on the Sri Lanka tour, where he introduced himself to the newly installed captain Ricky Ponting in the nets by hitting him in the head with a bouncer. His early beginnings might have been spicy, but his follow-up year was even tastier with 65 first-class wickets in ten matches. An abbreviated 2005-06 included 6 for 41 in the ING Cup Final, which included an amazing combination of spot-on speed and 14 wides, and he backed up the following season to earn his first start in the national one-day side.

Courtesy-Cricinfo