Praveen rewrites cricket history | Sunday Observer

Praveen rewrites cricket history

10 May, 2021

We would like to shower our heartiest congratulations on left arm leg spinner Praveen Jayawickrema on his magnificent performance with the ball where he became the first Sri Lankan bowler to bag a double – six wickets in the first Bangladeshi innings and followed it up with five scalps in the second on debut since the country gained Test status.

The 22-year old leftie making his debut did not show any nerves like most debutants do, but bowled like a veteran and had the visiting batsmen in a flat spin as his figures of 6 for 92 and 5 for 85 prove.

In performing this magic act with the ball he bowled Sri Lanka to a 209-run win and the series and brought smiles not only to his team mates but to the coaching staff and lit up especially the face of head coach Mickey Arthur after running into defeat after defeat in recent times.

The best dual purpose leftie Sri Lanka had before gaining Test status was Daya Sahabandu. He could use the new as well as old ball with vicious effect and was called Sri Lanka’s Dererk Underwood who was England’s match winning best leftie at that time.

Not since the country joined the elite league have we produced a bowler who could capture five wickets or more in each innings. Now that we have a diamond, the authorities have a responsible job to perform.

They must look after this youngster and see that he is taught the varieties, especially the ‘wrong un’ and what is also called the ‘chinaman’ so that he can become a star on the world cricket stage.

Sri Lanka Cricket, to use boxing parlance has been the punching bag for more reasons than one, not only for cricket but its administration and more for the alleged corruption that has riddled the cricket body.

While the allegations for financial reasons are under investigation comes another vicious punch that has to be absorbed because apparently the Management Committee of SLC must take the final responsibility and not let it go like a batsman not offering a stroke to a wide ball.

The vicious punch is the preparation of a wicket not at all fit for this level of cricket, which is the most essential, respected game in all levels of the game.

Before going on to comment we would like to put in print the statement from the ICC Chief Match Referee Ranjan Madugalle regarding the pitch for the first Test between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh at the Pallekelle International Cricket Stadium.

Madugalle a former stylish batsman and Sri Lankan captain now excelling in the high and responsible position he holds as ICC’s Chief of Elite Match Referees and held with great respect by the ICC has rated the pitch as ‘below average’. His rating has received one demerit point under the ICC pitch and outfield monitoring process.

Madugalle said: ‘The character of the pitch hardly changed over the course of five days. There was no shift in balance between bat and ball as the game progressed.

‘The wicket remained batting friendly throughout resulting in a total of 1,289 runs scored in the match for the loss of 17 wickets at an average of 75.82 runs per wicket which is very high. ‘Therefore in keeping with the ICC guidelines I rate the pitch as below average’, Madugalle’s report forwarded to SLC.

It is an unwritten law that home curators desist from making wickets to suit their bowers. But that law is spun out of the game and made a mockery of as the three Tests between India and England played recently in India showed.

The England – India series saw the ball turning like a top from the first ball. India had better spinners in Ashwin and Patel and they had the England batsmen in a flat spin, so much so that one Test ended in just one an half days with England getting bashed. England cricket would never have suffered such ignominy before.

Getting back to Madugalle’s comments on the Pallekelle pitch, no one will want to put up his hand and take the blame for the farce of a wicket that was prepared. If an inquiry is held it will be the curator who will have to take the blame. But there is no getting away from the fact that SLC must take responsibility. ‘Was it sabotage?’, cricket fans ask.

One hopes that this farce will not be enacted again, because it is bad on the country and the game. As for the writer a wicket of such shame was made so that Sri Lanka would not continue their losing streak.

Sri Lanka are just one before the last in the Test rankings and if they were to lose to Bangladesh who are last, it would be utter shame to the country’s game to end up last. In last week’s column headlined ‘DEAD TEST ON A DEAD WICKET’ we stated: ‘With it ended a cricket match that no one would want to see played on a dead pitch that had no pace, movement on or off the pitch for the fast men and bounce or vicious turn for the spinners’.

Shamed by Madugalle condemning the pitch and the ICC acting sternly, it was encouraging to note that a result-oriented wicket was made for the second Test so that the talents of the batsmen and bowlers were tested. Preparing dead wickets will not do the cricketers or the game any good . One wag commented that such a wicket was prepared to stall Sri Lanka’s run of shameless defeats.

A wicket helpful to both sides was prepared and Sri Lanka proved the better team winning the final Test and the series by 209 runs before lunch on the final day thus saving face by stalling the run of defeats they were used to.

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