Sri Lanka is the third best visitor in England, but this may be my last chance to say that

Sri Lanka is the third best visiting test team in England (after Australia and West Indies), when considering win/loss ratio. Sadly this may be my last chance to say that. We have won 3 and lost 6 tests. Having three more played in next month or so, I'd say that Sri Lanka will have to do extremely beyond their capacity to improve it.

In the mean time Mahela Jayawardena will be happy to have another 50- averaging player in 10000+ club. So far Mahela solely holds the awkward record of averaging 50- with 10000+ runs. Alastair Cook only needs few runs and injury barred, he'll surely get there.

Sanath Jayasuruya has beaten the tropical spin off the coast by creating a whirlwind in his comments of "best bowling side in the world". He wasn't referring to England who has 400+ and 300+ wicket takers. Hope his "best bowlers" will live up to a fraction of master's typically flamboyant whack over all media outlets.


Lahiru Thirimanna averages mere 8.00 in 10 innings against England and still seem to have secured a position for tomorrow. It is the same venue as famous 2014 win, and maybe Angelo will try keeping close to that XI as much as he can.

Typically pre-match interviews are the time that even giants role on ground to be overly humble. But, perhaps insulted by Sanath's claim of "best bowling side", James Anderson already declared that they'll win this 3-0. I thought only M S Dhoni reserves such pre-ordering in world cricket.

James Anderson is the leading wicket taker in the world, whereas Stuart Broad is not far away. England is playing their history's most run accumulator, best wicket accumulator and third best wicket accumulator in one side. Sri Lanka has only two batsmen averaging above 40 to face the challenge, only five batsmen have played more than five tests, Thirimanna being one. Perhaps Rangana's 300 wickets may well be the only celebration among the heartache of a shame.

But against odds... let's hope they'll turn the game in England.

Sea pirates of Asterix and the evangelists of Khyber pass

The famous French comic series of Asterix features a bunch of pathetic sea pirates. They have encountered the indomitable Gaul people so many times and every such time the Gauls end up beating them and smash-wrecking their ship into pieces. After experience suggested nothing but the same result, the pirates would not wait till the Gauls reach them. They'd demolish their own ship into pieces themselves avoiding Gauls doing the same.

I remembered my all time favourite childhood and extended comic series when I watched the first many overs of Sri Lankan  innings against West Indies. My recollection was duly proven when I checked the score this morning.

In the name of Chris Gayle, Sri Lanka demolished its own ship. Chris Gayle on his so called second home of Bangalore was so much a concern that Sri Lankan thought of a par score was beyond what numbers can represent. So they kept on whacking at every ball they faced in first few overs as any missing six may be costly with Gayle's single double triple or quadruple century can take the game. When it was missed they thought of running four runs before the keeper collected the ball. And once the ship started sinking they slowed the process and waited till West Indian spinners dragged them into depth of the blueness.

47/5 in the ninth over as I abandoned.

It wasn't a loosing score as yet. New Zealand proved that anything  can be defended if you have a thinking mind and brave adaptability. But thinking mind is all what we lack. On top of that the silly mistakes we made and growing disorganization was like a cancer. Missed catches, lost opportunity, messed blowing line up,  blessed with umpiring mistakes in the primitive Indian wilderness with no DRS.

For one Gayle we failed all together. He didn't even come out to bat, subjected to injury. And he wasn't needed as Sri Lanka lost the game for themselves.

Sri Lanka could have won the game with few more combinations tried in different ways, but I do not want to be a pundit who advices on batting and bowling changes retrospectively. I am glad that someone decided to introduce spin at first up. This may tally with hundreds of facebook posts by fans on the same. Yet those cries were heard halfway as everyone asked for a "spinning spinner" - someone with rather more turn. It was later proven that Jeffery Vandersay was actually the right man, neither of the slow left armers.

Anyways, we are still alive in the tournament and surely we have right talents at hand. But whether we have the good thoughts and correct tactics in the heads is a question which will soon be answered.

Turning from agony to glory, the other nation who lost on the same day chasing a mighty 200+ total against South Africa was majestic Afghanistan, who lost it like kings. Still in their nappies, Afghans have their own right to get out to any score, but nobody would expect them to be in the game for 15 odd overs in a chase of 210.

Not just their sudden awakening, Afghanistan is an amazing and unique outpost of cricket all together. Cricket, being a relatively senseless game, has been spread with centuries of nursing by the only empire who was crazy enough to embrace it. Other than the little bit of cricket that remained in the seed beds of western Europe, all the international cricket has been among so called British colonies. Bar one.

Britons had only a nightmare of an experience in Afghanistan, and definitely the Afghan onslaught of advancing Britons wasn't enough time to teach them any cricket. Afghan cricket got established widely thanks to the Pakistani cricket evangelists who converted the constant flows of refugees across Khyber pass so that later on they will take the message to the vast populations up in the hills. It is perhaps the first international cricket team established through Asian evangelism.

All in all they play beautiful cricket. England who did not give them cricket culture, will meet them soon, and may compensate with their fragile bowling. England has the knack of loosing competitions in the hands of minnows even after great chases against major teams. Afghans may not enter semis even with that, but anything is a great achievement for a cricket establishment that started around when Sri Lanka won the world cup.

Long live the Pakistani cricket evangelists.

Be humble and graceful to congratulate the Bangladeshis

Despite the shock, horror, disbelief and dejection that seem to pour into cyber space of Sri Lankan fans, simply the inevitable happened. It should have been suspected if not predicted. It is no secret that Bangladesh walked into Shere Bangla Stadium as the favorites against the defending champions and they just lived up to it. Sri Lanka's plight in the hands of Bangladeshis was felt even in the wisdom words of Andrew Fidel Fernando as he wrote the match preview. In fact, if not for injured Malinga even UAE would have done that.

Let me free myself from the burden of going to much detail by stating the fact that I did not watch it. Timezone differences avoided my chances of instant disappointment. But a mere look at the scorecard and commentary tells many stories.

It was a jumble of line ups, disarrangement instead of order, an effort to pile the bigger boxes on the top of the smaller one. Unavoidably the blame has to be addressed to stand-in captain.

For an example, how he lost the advantage of 2/2 and 3/26 by bowling part-time spinners. Was Angelo expecting the Bangladesh batsmen to get fed up boundary-less overs and walk away retiring out? Otherwise why didn't he keep on the attack? What was the reason behind holding Chameera until 14th over which was his last chance to ball full 4 overs? Is Angelo feeling fatherly love that Chameera might get injured or something? As it is obvious Bangladeshis had only one batsman making more than half of runs. So the collapse may have been a single wicket away and had he tried Chameera before that would just be the case.

Jumbles of line up was found in batting line too. Thisara Perera was sent in as no 5 when we needed another 71 runs at little more than 8 runs per over. All what they needed was to have a long staying batsman, who can keep close to the rate - stability not uncertainty and fire power. Similarly when power was needed Chamara Kapugedara failed to deliver the much needed sixes at the end. Just swap them, Kapugedara could have provided the stability on which Tisara may attack when the gap is tiny.

Perhaps they are researching the combinations. If so I'd say Shehan at no 3 looks good.

You cannot put whole blame on Angelo. Chandimal+Shehan duo have kept 7th to 11th overs boundary-less, where the collapse was responsible for similarly boundary-less stretch of 11th to 17th. How many T20s can be won with such defects? Some players like Thisara Perera have to prove what they are worth. Suddenly the all rounder looks a burden in all aspects.

Behind the fall of Sri Lanka what shines is the beautiful game that Bangladeshis played. Bangladesh shows the same path that Sri Lanka took to stand in front of Mrs Bhutho in 1996. Mind ya that we were regarded as a minnow before that. It is a hope that Bangladesh may reach stars in the same way.

That is why you gotta give it the due credit. You've gotta understand that this was NOT an upset win. That Bangladeshis are yet another equally able team deserving right respect. They have been playing good cricket. I think, it is time for all of us to accept the rising cricket star, and be humble and graceful in congratulating them for their win over Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile Sri Lanka has to take the snake right on its head. They have no other way but to beat the best two teams if they wanna defend the title - run past the gladiator lines of Amirs, Ashwins, Kohlis and Afridis. It is not impossible, but the level of incompetence that appears in every corner suggests otherwise.

So we bring in the fading giants

Finally the T20 squad was named just as the plane was calling for last passengers. If any surprise selections are there they must be running to airport half dressed and with cricket gear falling out of bags. Whatever that caused the delay...

As Cricinfo reported the squad is;

Lasith Malinga (capt), Angelo Mathews (vice-capt), Dinesh Chandimal, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Niroshan Dickwella, Shehan Jayasuriya, Milinda Siriwardana, Dasun Shanaka, Chamara Kapugedera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Dushmantha Chameera, Thisara Perera, Sachithra Senanayake, Rangana Herath, Jeffrey Vandersay

The selectors apparently held Jeffrey Vandersay away from playing in India as he was already in!!!

The test on Seekkuge Prasanna  ended negative. Kasun Rajitha could have been an asset but he may have to make way for recovered Kulasekara. Danushka has lost his slot to equally failing Niroshan Dickwella as Dilhara, Asela Gunaratne and Shaminda Eranga never got a fair chance at all. Their replacements look rich as Malinga, Kulasekara, Rangana and Angelo will revamp the bowling completely. Allrounder Shehan Jayasuriya - who was unfairly dropped last time - gets a fair recall.

As it looks,  even Chandimal's position is unsure. If we play 6-1-4 (allrounder Tissara, 4 bowlers in Chameera, Malinga, Kulasekara, Rangana), and reserve Angelo, Milinda and opening batting slots, there are two batting places for Chandimal, Kapugedara, Shehan, and Dasun. So Chandimal may find it hard to compete with the others while boasting less than 100% strike rate.

But someone may come up with the revolutionary idea of one of the four middle order batters opening so that the rush for two middle slots reduce. For an example a player like Dasun Shanaka is fitting material to partner Dilshan. I think it would be a great idea, something as good as sending Kalu at the top effectively changing the entire paradigm of ODI cricket and perhaps planting the seeds of T20 cricket 20 years ago.

As I mentioned before bowling slots should be straight forward, unless injuries change the landscape. Rangana Herath is back after his miracles in the previous Asia cup and world T20. If Lasith Malinga finds a faction of himself and Kulasekara can keep things tidy, additional strength of Chameera will surely build a hard wall for anyone to scale.

In my last post I mentioned that the old mansion kept in the hands of poor new generation is falling apart now. So we called back the old fading giants to hold onto its walls. Great idea, but looking at long term future it is just a stylish approach of buying time.

All the best Sri Lanka anyways !!!

Old mansion falling apart

For many reasons, Sri Lankan team looks more like an old mansion.

Yestercentury's glory and majesty still stands when seeing from the distance, but a closer look may be contrasting. The ones who built it are no longer around. Inhabitants of the mansion today are poor yet wish to support it at the maximum.

Walls crack open, pot holes decorate the once-polished smooth floor. Roof leaks into internal flooding, as wood work look like disturbed stumps. Fix one place, another is broken - inhabitants have no strength to restore its glory. They use absolutely ugly raw building material, which contrast the ancient glory of the remaining ruins. 

And despite all that effort, it is falling apart.

Yeah you can give 101 reasons. It was India. Look at Ranchi where rare patches of grass were absolutely out of place. Visakapattanam pitch would turn even Ashish Nehra's pace bowling. In India it is hard to differentiate umpires from home team, and commentators  from spectators. The reason why they don't use DRS is because it is unfair to bring 14 people against oppositions 11 - as they already have 13 playing anyway. I accept  your reasoning.

But behind the rising Ranchi sand dunes, and the mist of the dust bowls, I can still see that the mansion is falling apart.

Sri Lanka were the world no 1 T20 team after they won the first match. They are the defending champions of Asia cup and T20 World cup. But are they really? Is this Sri Lanka and that Sri Lanka the same team? Are the inhabitants of the mansion today truly the ones who built it? Do they have the skill rich and elegance of the other?

No need to answer. However tall Angelo Mathews stands, and how ever fast Dilshan can run in front, the answer is clear. And that is why the glory of the ancient mansion is nothing but a burden right now. They need to start from scratch, from the humble mud hut, from the under dog tagline.

Team lacks proper T20 batters. New openers may need some time, yet they don't show signs of learning. Niroshan Dickwella could have hit that ball while it was still leaving  Ashwin's hand. Panic? Scare? Rush? inexperience? more of an inexplicable.

Chandi is SL's gifted batter where a glimpse of elegance shines, yet he is not a T20 batter. He's slowly moving to the point that he will only be selected for being the captain. Honest kid, he resigned from it last time to avoid this happening. I think we should treasure our best test batsman of skill, and not ruin him in T20. 

What about spinners. Of all the players in SL team, they should have no reason to complain about Indian turn-top pitches. But even in such deliberately miscued bias conditions they could not do a thing. 

Take 'em all out of the squad!!! Then fill with whom? Holes holes pot holes on the floor. We just cannot find a filler.

This is a soul searching. I mean good cricket souls from domestics. Players who can stand the challenge of T20. Also in the meantime develop these folks if possible.

I'd still hope that the team will rise up, back themselves and will be hunting like a pack as they defend (pretty much inherited) Asia cup and T20 world cup. But ... the butty but remains at large.

Of the positives from India tour, Dasun Shanaka showed what he can do on a day when others would keep the other end. Pace attack, notably with Kasun Rajitha at that unusual Pune pitch showed that if T20 cricket norms change how well they can bowl. Dushmantha Chameera consolidated his claim for the next great bowler. With the recovery of Angelo, Malinga and Rangana there may be some resurgence, especially if Dilshan finds his almost eternal form. 

Chances are that we may do well. But odds are not even and a good better may skip SL at Mr Punchipala's Neptune Betting Center.