You don’t have to be an expert to deduce that the Sri Lankan and West Indian camps will be slightly tense on the eve of today’s tie. Both sides are yet to open their respective accounts in the Super 8 stage, and have no option but to go for broke.
Their status as hosts notwithstanding, the West Indies will begin the game as underdogs. The Sri Lankans are a lot more experienced. Their outfit comprises players who have been exposed to and have excelled in varied match-situations. The bowling attack wears a rounded look and the fielding has been quite outstanding. Chaminda Vaas is a formidable opponent with the new ball, and Muralitharan in a class of his own. West Indian spirits will be boosted by memories of Brian Lara’s successes against him, but it should be remembered that one-day cricket is not the same as Test cricket.
In a Test, a batsman can take it upon himself to take on a troublesome bowler, but it is not so easy to do likewise in ODIs. Lara and his teammates will have to rotate the strike. The West Indian captain might well have no problems against Murali, but he will not be able to do much after taking a single and reaching the non-striker’s end.
Lara’s job of leading from the front will not be made any easier by his counterpart. However, without taking anything away from Mahela Jayawardene’s captaincy skills, I have to say that a leader is only as good as those whom he is leading. The likes of Vaas, Murali, Sangakkara, Jayasuriya and Arnold are experienced campaigners, and surely do not need to be told how to go about their respective jobs. Neither did Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis need ‘advice’ from their captains, nor did the West Indian pacemen of the 1980. A win against all odds will hearten the West Indian team and their supporters, some of whom will hopefully turn up for the match. That brings me to a sad fact: This World Cup has been an anti-climax. The ninth edition of the game’s biggest tournament had several drawbacks to begin with. The Caribbean isles are ‘out of the way’ for all the other major cricket-playing nations. The logistical problems were accentuated by visa problems, for every island is a separate country by itself. Bob Woolmer’s death came as a rude shock, as did the reports that seem to suggest foul play.
Now, it appears that even the hosts are not drawing fans into the stadium. Each of the previous eight World Cups had an ‘atmosphere’, but that is missing this time round.
Several people will contend that the ‘atmosphere’ would have existed had the crowd-pullers not crashed out in the first round. But this is not a game of ifs and buts, and the fact is that Pakistan and India were not good enough.
Both countries find themselves neck-deep in problems at the moment. I feel the players would do themselves a great favor if they choose to listen carefully to what former cricketers are saying about them. Unlike their Australian, South African and New Zealand counterparts, Indian and Pakistani cricketers do not take very kindly to remarks made by those who have served the country with distinction. They tend to interpret such statements as a sign of ‘jealousy.’
Why will a former cricketer, who has had his fill of cricket, feel jealous? But he is bound to feel strongly about an institution he has served in the past, and it is perfectly natural for him to suggest ways and means of improving the working of that institution. It’s time the stars of today realize the difference between constructive criticism and slander. When in doubt, the best option is to consult one’s seniors, especially those who have played at the highest level. When that happens, nobody will be able to stop Pakistani and Indian cricket from reaching the top.
