COLOMBO, 5 October — Australian captain Steve Waugh and his twin Mark are under tremendous pressure to do well in the current series so that they can retain their places in the team for the coming Ashes series against England. They were both among the runs on Thursday though Steve would have liked to have a bigger score than the 31 he got. Steve, out of the Australian one-day team has vowed to work hard and regain his place. He has resigned himself to play as an ordinary member of the team. When I met him after a press conference on the eve of the Test, Steve said he remembered a picture taken by me which was published in Sportsweek magazine. It was Steve’s first match of the 1987 World Cup in Madras. The match turned out to be a thrilling one, Australia winning by just one run as Steve bowled last Indian batsman Maninder Singh off the last ball. The Australian manager Allan Crompton had then contacted me at their next match, saying that Steve wanted a print of that photo. Since it was a transparency, I was unable to oblige. “Yes, I remember that photo in the magazine and still want a print,” said Steve when I reminded him of the incident. Sportsweek closed down over 14 years ago and there is no way that Steve can get that picture though I am sure he will have a clipping.
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Lankans opt for youth
THE Sri Lankans have opted for youth in picking their squad for the tour of South Africa where they play two Tests and five one-dayers. They have chosen three uncapped players in the squad of 16 for the two-month tour. Fast bowlers Thilina Thushara and Tharanga Lakshitha and allrounder Hasantha Fernando have yet to play Test cricket. Off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan is the only spinner in the squad. This has come as a surprise but the selectors may have been guided by the fact that most South African pitches are fast. Jehan Mubarak is an exciting prospect as a batsman. He made his debut in the Test against Bangladesh in July. The six-footer is also a good close-in fielder. Middle order batsman Hashan Tillekeratne and wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene have been recalled. Sanath Jayasuriya and Marvan Atapattu have been retained as captain and vice-captain, respectively. The team which has to be ratified by the sports minister will start training for the tour from Monday.
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World’s only groundswomen
THE Saravanamuttu Stadium boasts of the only groundswomen in the cricket world. Mariamma and Innassi Amma nursed the turf for many years with motherly care. Their efforts won laurels from all visiting teams. The distinguished cricketers who have played here include: Sir Donald Bradman, Sir Leonard Hutton, Sir Leary Constantine, Sir Clyde Walcott, Sir Frank Worrell, Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Richard Hadlee, Colin Cowdrey, George Headley, Lindsay Hassett, Keith Millar, Ray Lindwall, Neil Harvey, Richie Benaud, Peter May, Wesley Hall, Rohan Kanhai, Vinoo Mankad, Vijay Merchant and Fazal Mahmood. Incidentally, the present curator of the stadium is veteran Felix Perumal who has played against Sir Donald.
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Good gesture
THE Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club, in a good humanitarian gesture, have allowed about 50 young inmates of the nearby prison to join their ground staff. “Most of these youngsters are close to be released and are incarcerated for minor offenses,” club treasurer Balan Asirwatha told me. There are 50 of them in all. “We also had a similar group down for the last Test match against Bangladesh,” Balan said. The club, which was burned down during the 1983 riots, has a membership of 800 and has an indoor sports complex which was opened by off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan. “Ours is the only club in Colombo which has allowed women to contest executive committee elections,” Balan added.
