When the green TOP became a FLOP

In the First Test match played in Galle on a true surface, the Lankan medium pace bowlers and the spin bowlers could not make any impressionand allowed the Bangladeshi batsmen to run riot in making 638 runs.In the Second Test at the R.Premadasa Stadium, where apparently the curator had been asked to keep a bit of grass on the wicket and which wicket was tagged a green top, spinner Herath fooled all and sundry.I have always stated that just looking at a wicket and predicting how it will play is plain nonsense. Only once play is in progress that one could tell how a wicket would behave and play.With the bowlers struggling for wickets on the Galle strip, apparently the cricketers would have asked for a green top. And that was what the strip looked. Fooled by the grass on it, the Lankans included four medium pacers, and won the toss and asked Bangladesh to bat.

Would have been blushing

But as the game progressed, all those who wanted a green top would have been blushing when left arm spinner Rangana Herath began his act and got among the wickets, also shaming the four medium pacemen who were expected to revel on the green top.In Galle the three pacemen - Shamindra Eranga, Nuwan Kulesekera and Angelo Mathews were ineffective. At the R.Premadasa Eranga, Kulesekera and Mathews were joined by Suranga Lakmal to form a four-pronged pace attack.Only Kulesekera impressed. Suranga Lakmal proved a thorough misfit. Given the new ball, he forgot the cardinal rule for a fast bowler,that of making the batsmen to consistently play the new ball.In his eagerness, he just kept spraying the new ball far outside the off stump, conceding even wides at times. He looked to be testing wicket keeper Dinesh Chandimal and giving him wicket keeping practice the way Lakmal was bowling!

Interesting to know

How Lakmal came into contention would be interesting to know. Bowling coach Chaminda Vaas would sure have taken him to the nets and showed him three stumps and made him to bowl at them.When a bowler starts spraying the new ball all over the pitch it sure is a sad indictment on the bowling coach. And watching the manner in which Lakmal was bowling would certainly have made Vaas feel bad.Let's hope Lakmal will be a better bowler in the second innings and make the batsmen play the new ball and not keep giving Chandimal wicket keeping practice, because Chandimal has no reason to prove himself as a wicket keeper in this manner! The gutty Bangladesh cricketers who obtained brownie points by beating the Sri Lankans on the first innings of the First of Two Test matches played at the Galle International Cricket Stadium last week, have exposed the chinks in our game.

Needs to be addressed

While the Sri Lanka batting proved itself, it was the bowling and the fielding that need to be urgently addressed. With the bowlers struggling against some rare correct batting by the Bangladesh batsmen, the poor catching too added to the woes.All the bowlers were devoid of ideas as to how to bowl out the opposing batsmen. It was the first time that a wicket, that was ideal for limited over cricket was produced by curator Jayananda Warnaweera.Incidentally, Warnaweera did well to occasionally come in to the media box and regale the mediamen with some amazing anecdotes when he was playing and since taking over the curatorship in Galle. The Lankan bowlers whose shortcomings were exposed by the Bangladeshi batsmen, need not be told that the greatness of any bowler is known only when he gets wickets on any kind of wickets, not on wickets that have been doctored to help them.

Vithanage the new star

Having said our piece, we move on to young left hand batsman Kithuruwan Vithanage. Firstly e must admit that this was the first time that we were seeing him bat as he did. And the manner in which he performed, we must say, was amazing.Here was a batsman coming into the batting firmament with rare talent after a long time. As a batsman he is well organized.

The manner in which he set about dissecting the Bangladeshi bowlers and then making the fielders chase leather was classy. From the time he took guard, he did not show any nerves for one so young at 22 making his debut.

He played like a veteran and his first boundary shot-- a crashing square drive for four-- had master class written all over that shot.

Vithanage has good technique, temperament, every shot in the book and has style in every stroke. If he concentrates a bit more, he has the makings of being one of the best left handers in the game today.

Cut out the reverse sweep

But for a youngster and having a bright future, he must cut out that switch hit, or the reverse hit from his repertoire of strokes.Apparently the 'cowboy' game has taught him to play this ugly stroke in the game that is sacred - TEST CRICKET. The sooner he sheds this stroke, the better it will be for him and his game that is so full of talent. I am also told that he is a more than ordinary off beak bowler.

With the frontline bowlers struggling in Galle, it was surprising that Captain Mathews did not give him a bowl. Here's wishing Vithanage a long and fruitful innings at the wicket and shiploads of runs and wickets in all forms of the game.

He is the future and here's hoping that the selectors will give him continuity for him to maintain consistency.

[email protected]