Mahela Jayawardena’s super leadership
With Sri Lanka getting the better of the Test series with Pakistan,
its opportune to reflect on the superb leadership that Mahela
Jayawardena displayed. We take this for granted and it is not unusual
for selectors and boards to have short memories and fail to capitaise on
such talent,but let opportunism and expediency get the better of them by
trying out other leaders.
In Jayawardena Sri Lanka has a real leader, who with his fearless and
attacking play can lead them to many more victories and who knows, like
Don Bradman, could lead a team to be called the ‘invincibles’.
Jayawardena was the first Sri Lankan batsman to rewrite the record
books by dashing past the 10 thousand mark in Test cricket and 22
thousand runs in all forms of the game – thus proving that I lead others
follow. Jayawardena has always stated that youngsters must be given the
all- important exposure to take Sri Lanka cricket forward. At every
opportunity he has tossed in youngsters who have proved themselves.
The Sri Lankans from now on will have a surfeit of one-day and
Twenty20 cricket. They have it in them to adjust and continue their good
run in these formats. Next India will be here for Five one-day
internationals and a Twenty20 game.
Misbah statement make many laugh
Pakistani Captain Misbah Ul Haq's statement made many laugh! He said
that his team was left confused has to why Sri Lanka closed shop and
made no attempt at the target of 271 for victory in 71 overs, at the
conclusion of the Final Test media conference at Pallekelle on Thursday.
The Pakistan captain must turn the searchlight inwards and ask
himself the question as to why he batted too long before lunch and then
declare? He has enough experience to know that when a match cannot be
won, every endeavour must be made not to lose it. In waiting for Asad
Shafiq to make a century, the Pakistanis wasted valuable time. It is
normal for any batsman getting into the nineties, which is called the
nervous nineties, to go on reverse gear, be cautious, take his time and
anyhow get to that dream figure-- the dream of any batsman.
Final day
When the final day began the onus was on Pakistan to somehow or other
draw on all their cunning and forces at their command and force a win,
so that they could save face by winning and squaring the series one-all
which would have looked respectable.
With a lead of 188 going into the final day Misbah's instructions to
Shafiq and the injured Adnan Akmal should have been to score as much
runs as possible, in the quickest time possible and in the process if
Shafiq’s century came, well and good. But what did the two batsmen do?
They took their time and after batting for over 90 minutes the
declaration came, which was not temping enough for the Sri Lankans to
chase.
Like Jayawarena who has the best cricketing brain as captain in the
game today explained, there was no need for a mad rush because the
series was in the bag and there was no need to go for the chase, drop
your guard and get knocked out and squander the hard won one- nil lead
in the Three Test series.
Dared losing
The Pakistanis should have realized that their chances of forcing a
win could come only if they dared taking the risk of losing. They should
have dangled the carrot and tempted the Sri Lankans by giving them a
juicy target.But by first playing safe and then asking the Lankans to
launch is poor thinking by the opposition.
The Pakistanis should remember that losing one-nil or ten- nil was
immaterial, what was required of them was to win.Now that they have lost
the one-day series 3-1 and the Test series 1-0, lost prestige and fallen
from grace, instead of making lame excuses and crying over spilt milk,
the Pakistanis should go back to the drawing boards or back to the nets
and learn.
As for Skipper Mahela Jayawardena and his team of dour fighters, we
say well done. As Jayawardena has stated when the Pakistanis arrived
here there was no one who gave Sri Lanka a chance against an opposition
that was strong in all departments of the game.
Raised their spirits
But that Jayawardena, his troops and coach Graham Ford raised their
spirits and their game and cocked a snook at their critics and proved
them wrong by winning the two series which would have made their critics
realise that they have put thfeet in their mouths.
There were two departments in the game that let the Pakistanis down
badly and led to their defeats. Firstly it was their fielding. It was
sickening watching their atrocious ground fielding and catching.
It looked as though they had left their fielding hands back home!
Balls that could have been stopped, allowed batsmen to turn ones into
twos and when the catch came along it was amusing to watch the way they
were floored.
It all stemmed from the fact, that they were grabbing the ball,
taking their eyes off the ball and not watching it into their hands.
Their fielding coach cannot be blamed for this. He would have
obviously given them proper advice but you can only take a horse to
water and cannot force it to drink.
Second factor
Then the second factor was that off spinner Saeed Ajmal who came here
with the crown of being the best off spinner in the world on his head,
failing to live up to that reputation. He probably would have been upset
that Sri Lanka Cricket had allegedly reported him to Match Referee David
Boon for a questionable action.
SLC should have left that controversial theme to the channels set up
by the International Cricket Council to deal with.
It was a nagging thought in the minds of the Sri Lankan cricketers
and cricket fans that they had not won a Test series since Muttiah
Muralitharan retired three years ago.
The Sri Lankans have won Test matches, but not series. Now they have
won a Test series without, Muralitharan and that is great.
[email protected]
|