Comment

Elmo Rodrigopulle

Don't risk Muralitheran

Good that the cricket selectors decided not to take a chance and play Muttiah Muralitheran in the remaining two one-day internationals against England.

To have risked playing the champion off spinner would have been to 'kill the goose that laid the golden egg'.

True that the Lankan cricketers are somewhat down after losing the second and third one-dayers, after pocketing the first one. There are two more games left, and if the selections are right and if the Lankans play to ability, then there is no reason why they should not win the last two games.

It must be galling after coming into the finals of the World Cup in the Caribbean to lose to the Englishmen. But then that is how the game goes and the Lankans must take heart.

It is said that those who dare win. The selectors will do well to make a change or two that would add the much needed cutting edge and then hope that the team will deliver. Throwing in a spinner could be advantageous.

What has been Lanka's downfall is that they have not been able to adapt to the slow wickets that have been surprisingly provided to them.

True the wicket is the same for both teams, and full marks to Paul Collingwood's men for adapting and playing the better cricket that has so far held them in good stead and helped them to go 2-1 up.

Unacceptable

It is an unacceptable cry by the commentators that England are missing Andrew Flintoff and Sri Lanka Muttiah Muralitheran. Accepted that they are two cricketers who are indispensable. But then that does not mean that the teams cannot win without them.

The teams must have the backups. If they are not available then it is due to poor planning. Hasn't England won without Flintoff and Sri Lanka sans Muralitheran?

The two greats are recuperating after suffering injuries which are consistent with bowling long spells. So let them recover and let the fringe players be given the breaks that they have been longing for. Muralitheran has a very important tour of Australia for two Tests and is in line to go ahead of Shane Warne as the highest wicket taker in the world in Test cricket.

He must be nursed and cotton wooled and taken to Australia, because that is the place where he suffered great pain of mind when he was called by Darrel Hair and Ross Emerson, two Aussie umpires who are now not standing, and by breaking Warne's record in that country that he can repair the damage and the near career threatening attack that the two umpires tried to inflict. Muralitheran must be psyched for Australia.

Where's Dimitri?

Cricket fans in Sri Lanka were all agog waiting to see Dimitri Mascarenhas, the guy with Sri Lankan connections making his appearance for England against Sri Lanka. Mascarenhas blasted 5 sixes in one over of Yuvraj Singh when India toured England and that was excellent.

How he cannot find a place in the England line up is a bit mystifying.

But then with England on a roll, they would not want to risk, but go in as usual with the winning combination.

But if England lose this one today, then may be they might won't to plonk in Mascarenhas for the final game. Cricket fans here can keep their fingers crossed.