For us for the pun, but England’s left arm spin bowler JACK LEACH sucked the blood out of the Lankan batsmen to lead England to a 57-run win and a historic Test series victory at the Pallekelle International Stadium. The Second Test on the final day was brought to close long before lunch. By the time desert was served, the crowds had already left for home!
Although it is an unwritten practice, Sri Lanka when playing at home, practice have the flexibility to prepare wickets to help our spinners. And yes, spinners of the calibre of Muttiah Muralitheran and Rangana Herath have spun regardless of whether the wicket was prepared to aid them or not, as was seen over the years even when they played on foreign terrain.
But if the wicket for this English encounter was tailored to suit the locals, then we need to remind ourselves of the Sinhala saying that when translated goes like this “ You dig a grave for others, but you fall into it and perish” And this saying seems to ring true of the Lankans in both Tests.
England was led cleverly and by example by stylish right hand batsmen Joe Root. He carved a century when it was most needed in the second essay in leading his team to victory. He achieved success in the series in Sri Lanka after 17 long years. This is creditable. Cheers to him and his doughty fighters.
Dickwella fails
When Sri Lanka began the final day requiring 75 runs for victory with three wickets intact, a lot depended on left hand batsman Niroshan Dickwella to deliver. But Dickwella who was lucky to survive the previous day should have grabbed that luck and rode on it. But it was not so.
But at the moment he is between the devil and the deep sea. He has sacrificed all the strokes in his armory and other than playing the orthodox sweep and ugly reverse sweep, he seems to have locked up his strokes in his cupboard.
Once again former captain Angelo Mathews made his detractors red in the face with a fighting knock of 88 in the second innings. Right hander Roshen Silva too hit hard at his detractors with responsibly making twin half centuries.
But what was pleasing was to see mystery off spinner Akila Dananjaya with a ‘Bloody Mary’! – [For those who do not indulge, ‘Bloody Mary’ is a drink mixed with many liquors] of deliveries and flummoxing the England batsmen and taking six wickets in the second innings.
Not troubled
Dananjaya did not seem to be troubled by the Sword of Damocles’ hanging over his action which has been described as suspect and reported. He bowled the way his creator had deemed him to do. He remains faithful to his conscience in the belief that he is not doing anything wrong.
But with Herath playing his farewell Test in and proving innocuous and with Muralitheran gone long time ago, spinners Dilruwan Perera, Akila Dananjaya and Pushpakumara were not as effective as the England trio of Jack Leach, Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid. True Perera and Dananjaya delivered, but could not lead the team to victory.
England were strategic. They read into the Lankans plan and went into the game with three spinners. This had the Lankan strategists in a flat spin as the two Tests have proven. The Third Test at the SSC now being played will see the teams honoring their engagements.
With a surfeit of cricket being played, both locally and internationally, it pleased the cockles to watch leg spin bowlers like Yasir Shah (Pakistan), Adil Rashid (England), Adam Zampa (Australia), Ravindra Bishoo (West Indies), Imran Thahir (South Africa), Ishah Shahi (New Zealand), Amrit Misra and Chawla (India) showcasing their prowess in the matches now being played.
Lovely art of bowling
When talking of the lovely art of leg spin bowling , it comes after match sweat and practice and tactics, and can be one of the nicest and, yet, lethal aspects of the game to watch and behold. Leg spinners often become match winners.
A good leg spinner, who is able to deliver the well concealed googly that is sent down with a leg spin action, could make a batsman look a sorry sight when he is not able to spot the googly.
It is a ball delivered with a leg break action, but bowled over the hand and when pitches comes in like an off break. Similar to the ‘doosra’. Of all the arts of bowling leg spin/googly is the most difficult.
When talking of this aspect of bowling, the best that the world of cricket has seen in its over 100 year existence was none other than the legend SHANE WARNE of Australia. How he managed to master all the arts – leg spin, googly, skidder, slow straight one and other innovations that was his own, was incredible. His over 700 wickets in Test tells the story. And it underlines the fact that bowlers of this type are born and not easily made.
Style of bowlers
When talking of this style of bowlers, it is a sad indictment in Sri Lanka that there are no leg spinners of repute. Going down Sri Lanka’s memory lane there are only a handful who could have held their own against the best in the world.
Names that come to mind are Gamini Goonasena, Ivers Gunesekera, Michael Tissera, Lareef Idroos, Raja de Silva, Sarath Vithanage, and Vere de Silva. Then came D. Somachandra de Silva who was mesmerizing and difficult to counter and who later became Chairman of the Interim Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket. That was the golden era of leg spin/googly bowling.
Promising leggies came along, but died a natural death because there was no resources to train nor coach. Nor the ability of the coaches.
Vandersay off the radar
The latest to emerge like a comet was Jeffery Vandersay from Wesley College. After baffling batmen with a wide repertoire of leg spin/googly bowling he was spotted and tossed into the big league.
Vandersay should have been cultivated in the established game. Instead he was spun into the shorter formats of the game. In the shorter form even the good deliveries he bowled were blasted out eating into the confidence of a strategic and tactical spinner who needs time to play his cards.
By the way, play a straight bat and enjoy life. It has an expiry date on it.