What the game is all about?

Its pure elegance and wizardry all the way !

Vintage cricket writer Neville Cardus personifies the ‘cover drives’ by the yesteryear West Indies greats Weekes and Worrell as that of a panther on its death leap on a kill and that of the other as a fencer on an exquisite rapier thrust driven home on an opponent taken unawares (probably not in the same order).

We’ll take our own legendary Sathasivam at the crease for more facets on this Test version of the games – doesn’t his wrist work artistry on the flash-like ‘late cuts’ pulled off a wicket-keepers gloves, along with his ‘feather touch’ leg glances once again just inches away from the keepers gloves sailing past or yet not to forget that inimitable single knee balanced cover drive to the ropes speak volumes ? Roy Dias and Marvan Atapattu of our fold did also revel in this beauty shot on the off !

All other cricket nations too would have produced their share of sons of cricketing excellence over the many years. Well executed strokeplay against line and length of the spinners and the raw speed of the pacies makes it a right-royal battle even going onto a battle of wits level eventually. There is beauty and glory rewards sliced out for all lovers of this type of the game.

The prevalant twenty20 type of game on the other hand with its warriors all decked in varied colours and patterns have simply thrown caution to the winds in the batting – every ball should pass the ropes or over – missing, miscuing or misjudging is of no effect – the loud cries from the boundary lines are simply enough to ‘egg them on’. All the mindless hitting aptly brings out the ‘pol addi’ from our local parlance. All hail the normal Test matches to come with all its beauty, glory and artistic splendour!

W Meadows, Mount Lavinia