There was a time when wives were not allowed to accompany their cricketer-husbands on cricket tours. “Cricket widows” were women whose husbands left them behind and went on an overseas tour. But the times have changed. The cricket boards have become more considerate and allow the wives to accompany their husbands. For tournaments like the Asia Cup, most wives are allowed to travel along with their husbands from the start. However, on long tours, they can join their husbands midway in the tour. Several Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi cricketers had their wives here. Aarti married Virender Sehwag on April 22. She was lucky that she could come to Colombo along with Sehwag. And she has also brought him luck. Sehwag won the man of the match award in the last league match against Sri Lanka with his fine all-round performance. Another new bride — though not as new as Aarti — is Vijeta Dravid who is also here. And so are Dona Ganguly and Shailaja Laxman. Vijeta and Rahul Dravid readily agreed when I requested them for a photo in the lobby of Hotel Taj Samudra.
Tips From Arjuna
Former captain Arjuna Ranatunga, now a deputy minister in the Sri Lankan government, was at the team nets at the Premadasa Stadium on the eve of the Asia Cup final. One could see him chatting with skipper Marvan Atapattu and veteran batsman Sanath Jayasuriya. While talking to Jayasuriya, he seemed to be holding an imaginary bat and pointing toward his feet while assuming a batting posture. He was apparently giving some tips to Jayasuriya. But the way he is batting, one would think that Jayasuriya hardly needs any further improvement in technique. He smashed 130 runs against the Indians, his second century in the tournament. Arjuna later moved toward the nets and was present at the ground for some time.
Enthusiastic Crowds
The attendance at the Premadasa Stadium during the Asia Cup has not been very encouraging. The biggest crowd turned up for the final on Sunday, it being a holiday. There are some cheerleader girls, like the ones seen during American football, trying to encourage the teams to do well. They cheer for both the teams. There are two bands playing music in two different stands and not surprisingly most of the time they play Hindi songs which are enjoyed by almost all Sri Lankans. Those back home watching matches on TV must have heard the call for prayer from the nearby mosque. The mosque is just behind the stadium and the prayer call is very loud and I am sure the TV microphones must be picking the sound.
Indoor Cricket World Cup
in Colombo
Sri Lanka is the first Asian nation to be accorded the honor of hosting the Indoor Cricket World Cup from Oct. 8 to 16 this year. The organizers announced Hutchison Telecom as the title sponsors at a press conference. Ceylon Indoor Cricket Association Chairman Dhakshita Anthony, Hutchison CEO Thirukumar Nadarasa and Hutchison General Manager Lasantha Perera gave details of the event which will have seven countries taken part in men’s and women’s events. The Australians who have been ruling regular cricket for some time now are also the indoor world champions.
The game is entirely different from its outdoor cousin and has its own rules and regulations. It is a bit like batting in the nets with the non-striker allowed to stand almost midway on the pitch. A batsman can get out when caught off the net. Sri Lanka are currently third in ranking in the world. England, South Africa and New Zealand are the other full members of the world body. In the coming tournament, teams from India and UAE will also be taking part.
