Dream come true for Jayawardena

It is the dream of every batsman to score a hundred against England. And Prasanna Jayawardena the Sri Lanka wicket keeper batsman realized that dream by making a hundred in 147 balls, 215 minutes with 12 fours. His century was all the more creditable because it was his first Test innings in England.

From the moment Jayawardena arrived at the wicket he showed good technique, temperament, discipline and concentration pushing the singles and executing the drives, the cuts and the flicks to perfection to get his runs.

He added the muscle to the Lankan innings. He celebrated punching the air in delight and waving his bat to his team mates in the pavilion who gave him a standing ovation.

In the two earlier games against Middlesex and England Lions, Jayawardena could not get his usual batting act together. Maybe the cold conditions would not have allowed the free movement he would have liked to unwind and play his natural game.

Batting friendly

But here at the Swalec Stadium wicket in Cardiff which has so far been batting friendly, he accustomed himself well and if he can continue in this form for the rest of the series will strengthen the middle batting which will be a bonus.

In the past Sri Lanka had wicket keeper batsmen who could hold their own against the best in the world. The names that come to mind are that of Dr H I K Fernando, Ranjit Fernando, Mahes Goonetilleke and now Kumar Sangakkara.

Jayawardena’s wicket keeping is class and if he makes it his business to make his bat do the talking and keeps scoring consistently should join the above mentioned illustrious wicket keeper batsmen who did the game and the country proud.

All of the commentators here TV, Radio and the print media were highly impressed with Jayawardena’s batting and opined that if he continues in this form should join the former wicket keeping great batsmen.

Greats in the media box

Here in the spacious and comfortable Media Box at the Swalec Cricket Stadium in Cardiff doing their things for their respective media are former cricketing greats. Outstanding among them is the former Australia great leg spinning all rounder and captain Richie Benaud. Incidentally Benaud was my idol. When Benaud’s England bound team played which was then called a whistle stop match at the Colombo Oval in 1961, I watched that game and being a bowler of his kind I tried to model my style of bowling on the great Australian.

Benaud used to bowl with his shirt unbuttoned at the top. I followed this style when playing and captaining my school St Benedict’s College and later in my club career and to this day have my shirt unbuttoned.

Others in the box are Mike Selvey, Michael Atherton, Nasser Hussein and Derek Pringle. Atherton and Hussein are former England captains who were consistent batsmen and who led the country with great distinction and success.

Great captain

Benaud was one if not the greatest captains produced by Australia. When he was sporting the baggy green cap, he was the greatest leg spin bowler of that era and was a middle order big hitting batsman who was feared by opponents.

In that game against Sri Lanka and when batting, Benaud went for a big hit and broke his bat and when calling for a new bat, threw the broken one to the crowd. I wonder who that lucky spectator would have been who got that bat.

That was also the game when former off spinning all rounder and stormy petrel of Sri Lanka cricket and who also opened the doors for outstation cricketers to break into the game which was then the preserve of the big schools Abu Fuard excelled taking five wickets.

Benaud was very impressed with Fuard’s tantalizing and unplayable off breaks that at the end of the game he told the media that he would like to have Fuard in his team that was England bound.

Test cricket alive

It was Benaud who along with the late great West Indian batsman and captain Sir Frank Worrell who brought Test cricket alive during that famous series in Australia in 1960/61. Both were attacking captains to whom winning or losing did not matter, but it was how they played the game that mattered.

That was also the series when the first ever tied Test match was played in Brisbane. The Australian cricket fans were so delighted and overjoyed that they lined up the streets and gave Worrell and his cricketing magicians a ticker tape farewell.

It was a great experience sitting in the company of the great Benaud and other respected former cricketers now turned media people recalling his memorable achievements and what he did to bring the game alive and help in its progress.

Honoured

At the lunch break I was honoured to meet my idol and get talking to him and recalling that game at the Colombo Oval and the bat breaking incident. When I recalled that match he mentioned the name of left arm leg spinner in his team Lindsay Kline.

Benaud was probably wanting me to mention how the captain of that Sri Lanka team C Ivers Gunesekera took Kline apart hitting him, for I can’t remember how many sixes in an over.

I told him that he was my idol and inquired about his health and asked him whether he is still involved in doing TV and Radio Commentary. “No. I now do a lot of work with the print media,” he said.

Rain drops keep falling

Mingling with the spectators during the lunch break I happened to meet a long living and keen cricket fan in Cardiff Rev David Clark. Talking about cricket and when I asked him as to how come the weather is so fickle here with so much rain he said: “Cardiff went through a terrific drought in April. This rain is welcome, but it is unfortunate that it is playing spoil sport with the cricket.

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