'Support Eranga - the lightning bolt!'

"It was a dream debut for that lad from a little known school from Chilaw, St. Mary's College, Shaminda Eranga, when he signalled his arrival in the elite league of Test cricket when he bagged a wicket with his first delivery.

The crowd received this like a bolt of lightning! " His victim was Australian opener Shane Watson whom he tempted to drive to point where skipper Tillekeratne Dilshan hugged on to the catch gleefully.

Not satisfied with that wicket, Eranga went on with his lightening streastreak, as he struck Australian skipper Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin and finally century maker Michael Hussey.

It was the cream of the Australian batting and wickets that he and cricket fans will always remember and treasure.

It is now up to his bowling coach Champaka Ramanayake and Sri Lanka Cricket to take him from there and show him the way forward by giving him the confidence, encouragement and the consistency. This will keep him going successfully as his promising career unwinds in the big league of cricket - Test - what cricket is all about.

Slow ball

Eranga has a wippy action, able to move the ball around and has a well disguised slow ball which he showed by fooling Hussey and getting him to drag the ball onto his wicket. This knocked his timber.

"There were many other promising bowlers who fell by the wayside for want of support. Let not that fate of negligence befall Eranga.

Dravid quits 'cowboy' game Another majestic cricketer who walked the cricket fields like a colossus Rahul Dravid called it a day from the limited over bashes after the final one-dayer against England at Cardiff on Friday with a plucky innings of 69.

The majority of spectators who packed the SwAlec Stadium in Cardiff were his countrymen domiciled in all parts of Cardiff and London to give Dravid a wonderful and memorable send off by sporting some very poignant placards.

When he walked out for the final time in the 'cowboy' game, the spectators stood up and gave him deafening cheers. And he richly deserved every bit of it.

But unfortunately the dreaded pair of Duckworth and Lewis spoilt the party in a match that India could have won. Had the game gone the full distance and the rain gods not played the part of spoil sport and invite Duckworth and Lewis to decide the outcome in favour of England it would have been a different story.

An example

From the time Dravid handled the bat for India, he was an example in every thing he did. His batting was top drawer stuff and were delights to connoisseurs of the game. Always in line and offering a straight bat he broke out into exquisite stroke play. It 'was a lesson to youngsters watching.

His timing was from out of this world. When ball kissed bat it sped to the boundary along the turf and fielders could only stop and watch in admiration as it hit the boundary board.

He was a master of the cut and the drives on the V. Whenever he took strike he did so with great pride and always gave of his best for team, game and country. He never threw away his wicket. He guarded it like his very life depended on it. If he was dismissed, it was off a good ball. And that ball had to be extra special to have his wicket.

Tagged the 'WALL', he lived up to that sobriquet and no bower had it easy to bring the 'WALL' down. It was like the great wall of China.

Best adjectives

Every TV commentator who was doing commentary, and some of them too were past cricketing greats, would spray the best of adjectives in describing Dravid and all that he did for himself, the game, the team and country and for the game worldwide.

He probably had one regret and that was when leading the country in the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean he had the mortification of seeing his team tumble out of the tournament in the first round. That was beyond his control.

But his followers, they must be legion, he will not be completely lost to the game. After a heavy scoring tour of the West Indies prior to the disastrous tour of England where India was whitewashed four-nil by England in the Tests, he carried on from where left off in the Caribbean and caned the England bowlers scoring two centuries.

There is a lot more cricket left in this 38-year old and more runs will flow from his bat as his career unwinds.

We wish him well in his retirement from the 'cowboy' game and happy hunting in the longer version of the game which is what cricket is all about. By giving up the limited over game at 38, he has underlined the fact that, that game is for the young.

Praise for the Stadium

My friend from Brisbane, Maurice de Silva having read my column on the beauty that is the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, says that he was in Sri Lanka recently and visited the Hambantota, Premadasa and Pallekele Stadiums and was surprised to note its beauty.

"Having been a top class rugby player for Havelocks and then Sri Lanka, Silva a keen follower of cricket and brother of that great raconteur and former St. Peter's College and Colts wicket keeper batsman Brian knows what he is talking about.

"He further states that while these stadiums will redound to the pride and the good name of the country, the up keep of them is not going to be easy. He said that handing them over to the services for its up keep was the best thing.