Shabbir Asgerally is a national selector for Sri Lanka Cricket. He is a Bohra Muslim and his great-grandfather came to Sri Lanka from Amreli in Gujarat in 1914. Asgerally was an opening batsman and wicketkeeper for Sri Lanka under Bandula Warnapura. “That was before we got Test status,” Shabbir told me at the Colombo Cricket Club ground where the Sri Lankan Cricket Board President’s XI is playing a three-day match against the visiting South Africans. Shabbir and Warnapura both played for the elite Bloomfield club which has been winning most of the national titles. Jayasuriya plays for them now. Shabbir is the manager of the home team against South Africa and was disappointed when all-rounder Russell Arnold was given out leg before. “Bad luck for Russell. He is having a bad patch and needed some runs in this match,” said Shabbir. Arnold is not in the squad for the Asia Cup and badly needed some runs to get into the reckoning for the coming Test series against South Africa. “It is part of the game. But the wicket is difficult to bat. The ball stops and comes and sometimes keeps low,” Arnold told me when I wished him luck for the second innings.
The Longest Over
Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer was philosophical on the morning of the match against Bangladesh during which fast bowler Mohammed Sami had the dubious distinction of bowling the longest over ever in One-Day Internationals of 17 balls. “These things do happen and to the best of bowlers. I remember Graham McKenzie of Australia while playing in England once bowled an over consisting of 26 deliveries,” Woolmer said. “I had a chat with Sami after the match and told him to just let this out of his mind and his system. He bowled well when he was brought on for the second spell. The fact is that they have been having too much of cricket. I told Sami to take a total break from cricket of two weeks,” Woolmer said. Woolmer, who has taken over from Miandad just before the Asia Cup, was satisfied with the overall performance of the team. He is concerned about the fitness of his fast bowlers. “I want to have a pool of eight fast bowlers who can be rotated so that they don’t come under undue pressure and get overworked,” Woolmer said.
Tourism Boom in Lanka
Tourism is booming in Sri Lanka despite some apprehensions earlier due to the suicide bombing and the killings of some Tamil Tigers in their internal conflict. Most five star hotels in Colombo are fully booked. Part of the reason is of course the Asia Cup but even in later part of August, the hotel occupancy is very high. Tourists are here from all over the world but a new trend is the arrival of tourists from the Middle East. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands are in the hill resort Kandy for the annual festival of Esala Perahera on July 30 and 31. There is rising hope of the resumption of the peace talks between the rebel Tamil Tigers and the Lankan government. A published report said: “The government brushed aside speculations that the country was heading for another war and stressed that it was committed to an early resumption of peace talks with the LTTE to achieve lasting peace and put an end to ethnic strife.” Cabinet Minister Samaraweera said: “ In thunder, lightning or in rain, we are ready for negotiations and we hope the LTTE shows a similar commitment.”
Gibbs Raring to Go
Herschelle Gibbs the prolific, ever-reliable opening batsman from South Africa has been temporarily sidelined due to a sprained ankle. He is expected to be fit for the second Test in Colombo from Aug. 11. While the team was playing a three-day match, Gibbs was resting in the hotel. When I asked him how his ankle was, Gibbs said it was much better. “Yes, I hope to be fit for the second Test. But I have all this energy in me and I am raring to go,” Gibbs said, and asked: “Were you a fast bowler? What is your height?” I told him that I played basketball and my height was six feet two inches “You look taller than six-two. Take care of yourself,” Gibbs replied. I left him chatting with Natalie Pendigrast at the Asia Cup help desk in the hotel lobby.
