England crowned , Indians dethroned
India continued their wretched run in the Test series against England
capitulating by an innings and 242 runs in the Third Test to send the
home team to the top of the Test rankings. This a major upset given the
hype that accompanied the Indians following their World Cup win. This is
also good for cricket as it injects a competiveness that is welcome.
England has worked very hard to get to the top. Starting with their
tremendous success in the Ashes series against Australia down under,
they have continued to play the better cricket against Sri Lanka and
have now dethroned India as world Test champions to proudly sport that
crown.
Playing in conditions that they are used to and with their batsmen,
bowlers and fielders performing better than the Indians, they simply
outplayed the visitors in very department of the game and sent them
tumbling to their third defeat in a row. This must surely be galling to
the team from the sub continent.
As an excuse for this thrashing, India will cite too much limited
over cricket starting with the 2011 World Cup and the Indian Premier
League Twenty20 bash. But being professionals, they need not be told
that excuses, however good, are unacceptable once in the big league.
Indians dethroned
With their dethroning, daggers will be out with the media and former
Indian greats taking the team to the cleaners and demanding for
wholesale changes with some even asking for the scalp of Captain
Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The media and the greats cannot be faulted given
the magnitude of the downfall.
India's fault was that they have not been able to shed their limited
over attitude and settle down to playing the longer version of the game.
Also they do not seem to be interested in the longer version of the
game and seem to just going through the motions in Test cricket.
Sad when one considers that they played hard and good cricket to wear
the crown as world champions. But in the end the inherent capacity of
team will show up when put to the real "Test." One shudders to think of
the calamity if they lose the final Test beginning at the Oval on
Thursday.
In the Third Test opener Alistair Cook spoilt the soup for the
Indians.
The Consistent Cook has been scoring an avalanche of runs for his
team and is set to make many, many more runs and break all batting
records held by their former greats.
But Cook will be encouraged to be a bit more aggressive and push for
quick runs when well set. At the moment he is at times painfully slow.
If he becomes a bit more aggressive, he will have all the time in the
world to attempt breaking West Indian Brian Lara's individual batting
record of 400 not out.
The two Fernandos honoured
Past and veteran soccerites of St. Benedict's College honoured their
football coach Albert Fernando when they conducted a five-a-side soccer
tournament in memory of him on Saturday at the college grounds in
Kotahena.
All Bens who were coached by the maestro were present in their
numbers and every one of them spoke in glowing terms of Fernando, of the
brilliant players he produced and the number of teams he made champions
out of. In fact champions out of nothing!
Fernando was an excellent centre forward - now a centre forward is
called striker - and played and captained the green, white and green
school with great distinction.
A story told about him is this. When he was captain he had arrived a
couple of minutes late for a match against arch rival St. Joseph's
College.
The Prefect of Games at that time was a Czechoslovakian Christian
Brother Ladislauz. He was a stickler for discipline and punctuality. To
him captain or best player was imaterial. He dropped Fernando and at the
end of the game lectured to him on the values of discipline and
punctuality.
'Walking Wisden'
This story was told to me by that walking Wisden on St.Benedict's
College cricket and football Patrick Perera and every time I reminded
Fernando of this incident he confirmed it and paid tribute to Bro.
Ladislauz and said that it went to make him what he was in life later
on.
Fernando instilled discipline and punctuality on every one he coached
and some of them still speak in awe whenever Fernando and the marvellous
deeds he performed for the school is talked about. Fernando was my
teacher and in latter life was a dear friend.
Fernando was the first Sri Lankan to be armed with a trainer's
license from the home of football Brazil. An Old Ben Varatharasa who was
Sri Lanka's Ambassador in Brazil and a classmate of Fernando obtained
for him a scholarship.
This enabled Fernando to train with the great Pele and several other
Brazilian greats and that was the era when the Brazilians ruled the
football world.
Fernando was also a national coach.
Later he obtained a trainer's license from West Germany and used his
knowledge to produce many footballing greats and champion teams.
Fernando produced several greats who played for the country and the
names that come to mind are -Vincent Perera and his brother Bertipala,
Eric Perera, Solomons, the Fernandez brothers Chandrapala and Lionel,
Sampoornam and Nithi Nicholas, Bana Rajaratnam, Neville Casiechetty,
Denzil Walles, Rex Sebastian, Rozen Rodrigo, Errol Anthony, Tilak Pieris,
Sunil Seneviratne, Lionel Dabera, Edward Jayawardena, Arasaratnam and
Wanigaratnam and goal keepers Nugera, Issac Wenaden, Lawrence Fernando,
Vijay Silva and Gamini Perera.
Outstanding
The Bens are also honouring a coach and outstanding goal keeper who
sported national colours Lawrence Fernando. He was a national coach and
Ratnam Football Club is what it is in the game in the country today is
because Fernando sweated and toiled to keep the club alive when it was
threatened with closure.
There was a big crowd to take in the football action. The Bens
promise to make this an annual affair and the two Fernandos - Albert and
Lawrence deserve it.
It is hoped that the past basketball and hockey players will take the
cue from the footballers and organize similar tournaments in honour of
Ram Suntheralingam and Brian Assey who made the school undisputed
champions in these two sports in the 1950s and 60s.
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