A festive air as cricketers ready to rise and shine

The festive air in Melbourne is refreshing as a huge Sri Lankan community in Melbourne and the surrounding cities will be at the MCG, shouting and cheering themselves hoarse, urging the cricketers to rise and shine and dump the Aussies.

Not disgraced

To Hobart where the First of Three Test matches between Sri Lanka and Australia was played, with Sri Lanka coming out second best and not being disgraced. Hobart in Tasmania is a wonderful place.The city is beautiful well manicured and clean and the Rosny Park and the Tasmanian Bridge are sights to behold. Taking a walk in the Park and a drive on the bridge were memorable.

There is a bit of sad history about the bridge. Rohan Wirasinha, Sri Lanka’s cricket representative in Tasmania who took me to the Test on all days, revealed that in 1967, a ship trying to go under the bridge had knocked against the bridge, breaking it and sending vehicles crashing down and killing many people.

Poor Attendance

As for the Test match at the Bellerive Oval, Cricket Australia and the Tasmania Cricket Association were non-plussed at the poor attendance on all five days of the match and could find no explanation.

Even when their proud son former Australian Captain and their leading run scorer in Test cricket Ricky Ponting was farewelled on day two of the Test, only a handful of spectators were present to soak in the poignant moment.

According to reports the low attendance has caused concern and Cricket Australia and Tasmanian Cricket Association ticket prices will be reviewed for Test matches in the future.

Arena assured

However, Tony Harrison, Cricket Tasmania Chairman and Cricket Australia board member has said Test matches at the Blundstone Arena were assured despite poor crowd attendance.

A walk- adult general admission ticket costs $43 to sit on the grass bank. In comparison, a Big Bash League Twenty20 family ticket is $50 for two adults and two children and an AFL football match is $25.

That Tasmania’s status as a Test venue was in jeopardy was dismissed by Harrison saying it was a ridiculous suggestion.

He had heard it being said and dismissed it as nonsense. Harrison further said that Tasmania is one of the owners of Cricket Australia and CA has a philosophy in its programming to spread the game around the country. Nothing was found wanting at the Bellerive Oval and it is hoped there will be better crowd participation next time round.

Not only Sri Lanka

Injuries to fast bowlers are not only a fashion in Sri Lanka. Here in Australia it has become an epidemic with Ben Hilfenhaus breaking down with a side strain and likely to be ruled out of the picture for the remaining Two Tests at the MCG and the SCG.

Joining Hilfenaus and James Pattinson in the casualty ward are Patrick Cummins who will be out of a second successive summer, John Hastings with a back injury, Josh Hazlewood with a stress fracture in the foot, a freak ankle injury to Trent Copeland and Ryan Harris after a shoulder injury.

Alex Kountouri former physio to the Sri Lanka team when the country won the World Cup in Lahore, Pakistan beating Australia in the final under Arjuna Ranatunga in Lahore in 1995/96 and now physio to the Australian team

has said there was no easy answer why so many pacemen were injured.

Kountouri says that the reasons why players break down are all different. He says one factor is players jumping from Twenty20, where they bowl just four overs a game, to Test matches where they could bowl for days. The Australian fast bowlers casualty list: IN DOUBT Ben Hilfenhaus. OUT –James Pattinson side strain. Patrick Cummins foot injury. John Hastings foot injury. Josh Hazlewood Stress fracture in foot. Trent Copeland ankle injury and Ryan Harris shoulder injury.

Manager’s 60th birthday

I arrived in Melbourne on the same Qantas Flight from Hobart on Wednesday with the Sri Lanka team and when touching down at the Tullamarine Airport, the Pilot of the flight announced that they were happy to wish the Sri Lanka manager Charith Senanayake happy 60th birthday to cheers from the team and others on board.

Meeting after 50 years

On arrival I met with Dr.Don Nimal Senadhipathy and his fair lady Manel. Incidentally Manel is the daughter of former members of the Colombo North Municipal Council during the regime of the United National Party in the 1950s and 60s, Leslie and Olive Perera.

Manel’s brother was former national table tennis player and outstanding coach Lakdasa Perera who passed away recently. Lakdasa played when N.H.Perera who was making waves in the table tennis scene in the country at that time.

Little dynamo

Don Nimal who is a psychiatrist here has now taken to golf with gusto and is said to be pretty good. His playing partners are three other Sri Lankans, Carlo Fernando,Dr. Anthony Mariampillai and Snnetamnby Kulasingham an Engineer.

Incidentally Don was one of the cheer party of Benedictine cricket led by that little dynamo Kenneth Dabrera. I met Don after nearly 50 years. I remember him being a gymnast under the famous Master Atkinson. He remembers some of the other members of the cheer squad and named Denzil Perera of Denzil and Bosco singing fame, Chico Sandhnam, Upali Jayewardene, Patrick Perera, Lakshman Fernando and Maxwell of the Dharmaratne Brothers fame and several others whose names don’t come to mind.

That was the era when St.Benedict’s College produced the first ever unbeaten unofficial cricket champions in 1957 under the captaincy of Lovellyn Rayen with Bro.Alban Patrick as Director, the master of masters of cricket P.Gnanapragasam and the coach of coaches Edward Kelaart.

The curator was the famous Rogus Perera.

The team that made the green, white and green school the first-ever champions were- Lovellyn P.Rayen (C), Neville Casiechetty (VC), Ranjit Jayewardene, Anslem Ludowyeke, Lionel Fernando, Lasantha Fernando, Cecil Waidyaratne, Elmo Rodrigopulle, Neville Wickremasinghe, Fitzroy Ponniah, Benjamin Silva, Anton Abeysekera, Douglas Faux and Allan Gunesekera.

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