Cricket selectors show daring

The Sri Lankan cricket selectors must be applauded for showing daring and including Shamindra Eranga and Seekkuge Prasanna in a 16-man squad to face the Australians in a Three Test series with the first one beginning tomorrow in Galle.

Eranga a right arm medium pacer and Prasanna a right arm leg spinner, broke into the limelight only during the one-day games against the Kangaroos at the R. Premadasa Stadium.

Eranga bowled with great hostility. He has a wippy action, works up pace and moves the ball both ways and has a well disguised slow ball. His slow ball fooled the experienced Aussie batsman Ricky Ponting who lollied a catch.

Promising material

He is young and promising material and if nursed and nurtured and given continuity should go a long way and serve Sri Lanka cricket well.

Leg spinner Prasanna too was a revelation. He was flown down from England where he was playing with great success for the 'A' side. Included in the one-dayers, he immediately showed his capabilities and underlined it with a triple wicket maiden.

Leg spinners don't come that easy and when they do come, they must be grabbed and given all the coaching, encouragement and continuity to develop and meet with success.

In recent times Sri Lanka has had leg spinners coming along. Firstly there was Malinga Bandara, then Jeevan Mendis and now Prasanna. Bandara was named in the one-day squad, but suddenly went missing when the final squad was named.

Good promise

Mendis showed good promise as a leg spinning all rounder. He met with success in England, but failed to maintain that consistency against the Aussies and finds himself dumped from the squad for the longer version of the game.

The selectors have apparently gone for the in-form Prasanna as his inclusion in the Test squad shows. But we hope that this will not be the end of the road for Bandara and Mendis. The selectors have apparently given them a rest and we hope they will be back in the radar of the selectors before long.

Prasanna and Eranga now that they have caught the eyes of the selectors, must grab the opportunity and if given the nod to play in the Tests must perform and make those slots all their own, because opportunities do not always knock.

Viv Richards blast

When former West Indian master 'blaster' and Captain Sir Vivian Richards was performing his black magic with the bat, there was no better sight to behold. He was no respecter of bowlers be they pace or spin.

Runs flowed from his bat like a river in spate. He was quick of eye, with supple wrists like steel and his timing was sweet and exquisite and every time the ball kissed his bat, it sped to the boundary or over it, like rocket propelled.

Batting of his class has still not been seen nor will it ever be seen.

Quite rightly knighted, Richards now retired and now with the Antiguan tourist board promoting tourism was recently in London and hit out, like he did when he had a willow in his hands.

Only batsman

Richards who is probably the only batsman not to sport a helmet when facing the thunder bolts of bowlers, was particularly severe with the ICC sheiks in Dubai who lay down the rules and batted for the pace bowlers who have been restricted to bowling just two bouncers per over.

In an interview with the 'GUARDIAN', he wanted bouncers restored to its full hostility and batsmen to throw away their 'suits of armour'. He was against batsmen showing their bravery by wearing suits of armour to enable hooking.

Richards believes that cricket is a man's game and it must be kept that way. He regards the concession of increasing one bouncer per over to two as bogus. Probably Richards does not want restrictions on fast bowlers. Quite rightly so.

Suits of armour

We would like to add to Richards' views on 'suits of armour' and ask that even the close in fielders should be debarred from wearing 'suits of armour'. If a fielder wants to field close, then he must be fearless and have the guts to field and not show his bravery by sporting protection.

With fielders wearing protection and breathing down batsmen's necks, it makes the umpire's job a difficult one, because of the constant appealing by the close in fielders for bat-pad catches.

It is time that the ICC sheiks in Dubai put on their thinking caps and gave Richards' suggestions serious thought and restored the bouncer restrictions on pace bowlers and the 'suit of armour' cowardice.

The last wicket falls

The last of the nine brothers who kept wickets for St. Benedict's College, Kotahena Camillus Fernandopulle passed away last week. Believe it or not nine brothers kept wickets for SBC. It certainly needs inclusion, if not already included in the cricket bible 'Wisden'.

All out. That's how former Benedictine wicket keeper batsman Marlon a nephew of Camillus broke the news of the death of his uncle. Incidentally, Marlon is the only one to follow in the footsteps of his uncles and keep wickets.

Camillus was the father of former Peterite Captain Kitto Fernandopulle.

The nine brothers who kept wicket were - Bernard, Cyril, Fausta, Tellus, Anstan, Quinton, Reginald and Peter.

Outstanding

Of the nine brothers, Tellus was the most outstanding wicket keeper who played for the Tamil Union. Tellus would certainly have played for Ceylon. But there was no way because Ben Navaratne yet another Old Ben was by far the best and Tellus had to be second best.

I had the good fortune of playing with Tellus when the Tamil Union won the 'Daily News' Trophy in 1962. His invaluable help from behind the stumps helped me win the club's Best Bowler's prize with my leg spinners.

St. Benedict's College can certainly be proud of these nine wicket keeping brothers. A record that will stand sentinel till the end of time.

[email protected]