SOON after arriving in Colombo after a long and tiring plane journey from London, India’s pace spearhead Javagal Srinath was pressed into action as Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bat first. Srinath had to wear the borrowed shirt of Anil Kumble with the No. 8 printed at the back. One wonders whether he also wore his Karnataka teammate Kumble’s pants since Srinath is much bigger made. Dravid’s wicketkeeping seems to have improved as he dived to his left to glove a wide ball from Srinath. The Indians also seem to have learned from the South Africans and Australians as Yuvraj followed Kaif as a ball was racing toward the midwicket fence. Kaif dived and pushed the ball back close to the rope and Yuvraj picked up and threw it to Dravid. A bad piece of fielding initially saw Sehwag aim at the nonstriker’s end. But his throw was so wide that Tendulkar, who was covering the wicket could not reach it and the ball sped to the boundary, giving the batsman five runs.
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Match-fixing rumors
EVEN before the India-Sri Lanka final of the ICC Champions Trophy began, there were rumors that the match was fixed in favor of India. A fellow journalist got the information when he contacted his family in India. Whatever the ICC and their Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) do, it is hard to remove the deep-rooted suspicion that has taken firm root in the minds of fans about the fairness of cricket matches. The scepter of bribery raised its ugly head when the first match of the tournament was probed by the ACU and the Pakistanis were cleared of any wrongdoing after the probe. The sudden collapse by South Africa after they were well on their way to victory against India in the first semifinal, did raise some eyebrows. And the manner in which the mighty Australians were brought to their knees by the Lankans, raised further doubts in the minds of the skeptics. ICC Chief Executive Officer Malcolm Speed was quick to point out that there were five security managers and five other agents of the ACU strategically placed at hotels and outside dressing rooms to keep a watchful eye on the goings on. "In addition, video footage of important events in a match is closely reviewed. We are doing our best to eradicate this menace," Speed added.
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Kenya’s Test status under review
THE process of according Kenya Test status and a full membership of the ICC is on and is likely to be reviewed at the meeting of the Executive Board of the ICC over the next two days in Colombo. "Yes the process of giving Test status to Kenya has already begun two years ago. It was rejected by the board at the last meeting in June. We will consider it again when we meet on today and tomorrow here in Colombo," said ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed. The ICC have also started in earnest preparations for the 2003 World Cup in South Africa. "We held a workshop of the sponsors and I am happy that we are making good progress," Speed added. He said it was an important event and they were working hard to make it successful.
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India, Sri Lanka friends
IT is amazing how knowledgeable the common man is here about cricket. The three-wheeler drivers invariably bring up the subject as they ferry you from one place to another. "Oh, you are from India," they invariably remark. Ajith Fernando operates from outside my hotel Trans Asia. He thinks I have come from India. "India, Sri Lanka friends. No matter who wins today," he said while taking me to the Premadasa Stadium. He went on: "Good that Sri Lanka defeated Australia. The Lankan people always support India which is a friendly country." The three-wheeler is the most common mode of transport in Colombo. And it is reasonably priced. A short journey costs 50 rupees (about two riyals) and in 100 rupees one can go from anywhere to anywhere in the city. The traffic moves on the left of the road so cars are right-hand drives.
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ICC grateful to the hosts
THE International Cricket Council have thanked Sri Lanka for hosting "the largest and most successful ICC Champions Trophy tournament ever." In a press release the ICC quoted their President Malcolm Gray as saying: " The Sri Lankan government has given us great encouragement and we are also grateful to the Sri Lankan board headed by Chairman Hemaka Amarasuriya. We are very pleased that we came to Sri Lanka and we believe it has helped Sri Lanka, both economically and in terms of showcasing Sri Lanka to the world." ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed said: "What we are seeing here is exceptional public support. The Sri Lankan community really is very committed to this event. We are very aware that they are obviously passionate about cricket."
